About the CFDG
Sustainability
CFDG operates in a society where the threat of climate change is a real and present concern to every individual and every organisation. Sustainable development is a method of trying to address the threats of climate change - more extreme and unpredictable weather, rising temperatures and rising sea levels - to both the natural world and its communities. It has been defined by the UN as living and working in way that does not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs. We believe that it is our responsibility to address our environmental impact and it mitigate it wherever possible, and CFDG has committed itself to sustainable development.
We also believe that sustainability is an issue that beneficiaries, donors, funders and the public will increasingly expect organisations to be addressing and reporting on in their organisational context. As an umbrella body CFDG also has a duty to raise this as an issue in the charitable sector, and to support, represent and promote best practise in the work of our members in this area. In this climate of increasing scientific and general concern over climate change, for an organisation to address its environmental impact is now also an issue for the good internal management and the external reputation of an organisation.
Much of the work of sustainable development is centred on minimising our greenhouse gas emissions and our use of natural resources, such as fossil fuels, wood and water, to manufacture energy and products. Organisations of all kinds rely directly or indirectly on resources and can therefore play a significant role in mitigating their environmental impact through reducing their resource use. Reducing the amount of resources we use is the most effective method of reducing the greenhouse gases (GHGs) we produce, and reduction is followed by reusing and recycling. Since the effects of climate change will effect the world's poor hardest and worst, sustainable development is also linked to social justice and so to the mission of many or most charities in the UK and around the world.
Sustainability at CFDG
Acting sustainably dictates addressing every area where we have an environmental impact, and addressing the human behaviour and decisions that lie behind those impacts; many areas of sustainability and good working practises overlap: cycling for example reduces energy and GHG emissions associated with other modes of transport, reduces congestion and air pollution, improves health and even saves money. Given the need for this broad base for action on sustainability, CFDG have adopted a One Planet Living® (OPL) strategy based on the 10 One Planet Living principles of sustainability developed by BioRegional Development Group and WWF UK. One Planet Living aims to promote a holistic understanding of sustainability.
In pursuit of One Planet Living CFDG have developed a detailed sustainability management plan for 2007-09, which is based on the BioRegional's OPL Sustainability Action Plan for Businesses. The plan incorporates deadlines for actions we're undertaking and introduces ongoing measurment of resources in order to improve our reduction targets over time. The plan looks at improvements in sustainability within the framework of the 10 OPL principles. As well as looking at our impacts from our day to day work in the office, our SAP looks at the impacts arising from our charitable mission. Some of these overlap with office impacts, such as sending out letters and mailings to members. We must first and foremost be committed to our charitable mission, but there are areas in which we can continue or improve our services to members whilst simultaneously reducing our environmental impact.
The 2007 - 09 plan is now complete, and we have published our first Sustainability Report in the Trustees Annual Report in our 2009-10 Annual Report and Accounts. We are now in the process of reviewing the 2007-09 plan with staff, and will be drawing up a new plan for 2009-11.
Successful areas of action in our SAP include:
• implementing supporting policies for the organisation (see links below)
• monitoring, and working to reduce our use of materials and transport;
• reducing our office energy use with more efficient equipment and more sustainable behaviour;
• promoting cycling to work by introducing bicycle loans for staff and advertising the mileage rate for cyling;
• improving the rates of paper, carboard, plastics, tins, cans and glass in the office;
• looking at how human resources policies fit in with the 'social' principles of OPL;
• improving procurement in all areas:
- purchasing 100% recycled (post-consumer waste) copier paper, envelopes and business cards
- introducing recycled paper in all our mailings, publications and delegate packs wherever possible (and encouraging paperless distribution)
- buying more vegetarian food for internal meetings, since the manufacture of meat products has a heavy carbon footprint and it is difficult to be sure of standards of animal care
Unfortunately, since the CFDG office is located in a shared building we have little control over the building itself, and we are unable to work on areas like the energy efficiency of our building and the kind of energy we use - i.e. whether it is renewable or non-renewable. Moreover, reductions in water and energy use are not automatically translated into financial savings for CFDG, because utility costs are allocated by the number of staff per organisation.
However, CAN Mezzanine who run the building already have good environmental standards, including recycling facilities and providing Fairtrade tea, coffee and snacks and organic milk in the kitchens. They are also trialling wormeries for the kitchens and may be introducing a blood donation session with the National Blood Service in the building.
We do think that sustinability issues are a key area for CFDG, but we did not report on them in the 2007/08 annual report and accounts. We would not have had the data on our performance or the policies to substantiate more than a very vague claim to sustainability action in the 2007/08 report. Such reporting would not have been truly accountable or transparent, principles which we place at the heart of our reporting. We do hope to report on our sustainability in the 2008/09 accounts.
Environmental Policy
Sustainable Procurement Policy
The Third Sector Declaration on Climate Change
The Third Sector Declaration on Climate Change is "a statement of intent from Third Sector organisations to tackle the issue of climate change by taking action in our organisations and in our communities." CFDG has signed up to the Declaration and is fully committed to the pledges within Declaration, many of which are part of our ongoing sustainability work.
Sustainability Reporting
CFDG have also been looking outwards at sustainability and sustainability reporting in the charity sector. Charities are dedicated to public benefit through their charitable missions, which often have social and/ or environmental objectives at their core. Charities play a critical role in promoting social and environmental sustainability in society, and they have started to act on their internal sustainability. In particular, charities often have very good social practises relating to the staff. However, corporate organisations have induitably taken the lead in terms of more systematic tackling of sustainability issues and also in the reporting of them.
CFDG has published guidance for charity finance directors on a) how to tackle sustainability in charities, and b) how and where to report action on sustainability. The report, Sustainability in Practice, is available to purchase or online (for CFDG members).
If you have any questions about this project, or would like to be involved, please contact Kate Hand.