February 2010 Quick Survey Analysis

By Denise Lillya, Senior Researcher, Directory of Social Change

With the recent launch of our publication, the ‘Environment Funding Guide’, we thought it appropriate to ask in our February Quick Survey:

Which phrase below best describes your organisation’s attitude towards environmental issues such as climate change?

There were 370 responses, including 141 written comments. Find out what DSC says

A selection of the comments is provided below, following the main themes of opinion which appear in bold.  Climate change was suggested as an example, but the question concerned all or any forms of environmental impact.

Some organisations were keen to introduce environmental measures but hadn’t taken active steps so far.  The main reason for the lack of activity in this group seemed to be lack of funding/resources, rather than lack of will:

"At a personal level our environmental impact is very important to the majority of our staff team.  However, organisationally we face too many significant challenges to be able allocate significant resources to make meaningful step changes to our working practices as an organisation."

"Getting access to expert advice for free and taking steps that will not cost money tend to restrict what we can do as a small charity with restricted funding."

"Small organisation, renting offices, so small steps at present, could use a guide to developing an environmental/greener policy for organisations such as ours."

It was encouraging to see that almost two-thirds of organisations that responded were actively trying to minimise their environmental impact, and some with great enthusiasm. Activities and initiatives ranged from personal work practices to organisational policy:

"Business is very small scale but - travel by public transport for all work-based journeys and giving strong preference to travelling by rail compared to air. Recycling paper and other used office printing materials and equipment. Ensuring lights and heating are not on when the office is not in use."

‘We are a cycle training organisation. We travel to all our meetings and trainees on bikes. We have no air con and work in a moderately warm building - we wear warm clothes. We recycle plastic, paper, metals and have a wormery and kitchen composter.   We use recycled paper products and have a policy of using public transport where we cannot use a bike.  In our work we actively encourage cycling to other people as the first choice for transport - particularly for the tremendous number of journeys under 5k where a car emits its worst pollutants and school runs which are always double journeys."

"As a registered social landlord we are building properties that go beyond the standard requirements with regards to environmental impact and we are educating our residents through a concerted campaign on recycle, reuse and we are retro-fitting our older properties with things that will make them more eco friendly and use less energy."

"Annual target to cut CO2 emissions by 3% year on year."

"We have started up a 'greening the organisation' group who are drawing up plans for the organisation to take this forward. We are applying to a major trust for some consultancy time on greening our organisation and disseminating it across the homelessness sector."

‘We actively recycle including compost."

"With the help of funding we have had solar panels fitted."

Of the one-fifth of respondents who said ‘Our environmental impact isn’t a priority’, most cited a lack of resources but also perhaps the will.

"No funds to do it."

‘We are more interested in the core activities of our business being maintained in these harsh economic times."

"We do what we can with recycling etc - it's not as if we are a high energy user. But not if it is going to cost extra money: our charity's objects are about the people we benefit, not the environment."

"We do recycle our paper and use mugs, not paper cups but that is as far as it goes.   Sadly, most staff, particularly those in the front line, see it as another 'chore' rather than a positive action."

A number of respondents said that they didn’t have any resources to waste anyway – so their environmental impact was minimal.  For example:

‘We are working with the poorest in our community and we do on a shoe string. We are not able to consume that much of anything as we don't have the money to do so.  We are forced to look at anything we can to help save money as we have been for years, long before all the climate change stuff became fashionable. It is what being on a low income is all about."

DSC says

As an independent charity ourselves, we appreciate the implications of adopting policies on the environment.  Publishing is a core part of our business, and we have recently taken some action to reduce our environmental impact, such as sourcing paper from sustainable sources and changing our publications guides from a glossy to a matt finish to make them more recyclable (amongst a number of other things that came out of a recent ‘green review’).

But of course good practice has to be realistic within a voluntary sector organisation’s budget and resources. One suggestion to help tackle this problem would be to include any costs for taking measures to protect and improve the environment within any funding bid - much in the same was as we would advise people to do for other core costs.

Funders should be pleased to see an organisation planning to address environmental issues (and costing for it), not least because it is a sign that trustees and staff have thought about the long term implications of not doing so.  If measurable environmental outcomes can be achieved which also benefit their own beneficiaries then all the better.

The improvement or protection of the environment is of course another charitable purpose which can be achieved by any group simply as a by product of changing office behaviours and practises. And it can be part and parcel of reducing costs too – e.g. stop buying plastic cups in work, default your printer to print ‘book-style’ to use less paper, turn computers fully off at night, and reusing scrap paper as notepads.  Such small actions can have a massive cumulative effect if everybody does them.

One respondent to our survey said:  "Every one of our projects requires us to consider its impact on the environment.  It is fundamental to all we do".  A commendable sentiment that should be encouraged and adopted by all of us.

There are organisations out there that can help you make a start, even if you are very small and can’t pay for any advice or services.  For a start check out: http://www.environmentalpolicy.org.uk, or the Carbon Trust provides a range of free services and publications to help. Visit www.carbontrust.co.uk.