Genee takes action to help create a Net Zero North East & Cumbria

Become Green Together has officially launched and is open for applications from community organisations, charities and social enterprise organisations in the North East and Cumbria.

Genee is excited to be a part of this new initiative, part of the Going Green Together campaign, alongside a partnership of the VONNE Climate Action Alliance (VCAA), VONNE, Cumbria CVS, Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS), SmartCarbon and SIDE Labs. The Going Green Together partners secured over £300,000 of funding from The National Lottery Community Fund and County Durham Community Foundation earlier this year to deliver the Going Green Together campaign over the next 15 months.

The project looks to establish an effective climate-focused strategy within community organisations, charities and social enterprises, introducing conversation and action around carbon reduction in a pro-active but accessible way.

Genee will be delivering training and putting participating organisations through the Investors in the Environment (iiE), a nationally recognised environmental accreditation programme. The iiE programme will not only help you understand your organisation’s environmental impact, but also establish effective solutions to reduce it, helping your organisation save time and money, and gain recognition in the process.

Genee felt it important to collaborate on Going Green Together as it focuses on the VCSE sector, who are directly involved with our communities, and as there are approximately 7,200 VSCE organisations in the region, the sector is also a major employer. Putting people are at the forefront of the shift to a greener economy is essential to ensure a Just Transition in the North East and Cumbria. Jo Holmes, Managing Director at genee said, “We are excited to work with voluntary sector organisations across the North East and Cumbria to identify and reduce their environmental impact. This is such an important sector as its influence throughout the communities it works with can be significant. We hope that any work we do with the sector will have a greater reach throughout organisations and communities they work with”.

This is the first regional level programme of practical support for charity sector organisations in the country. By signing up for Become Green Together, VCSE organisations can lead by example and establish effective environmental policies, taking advantage of the expertise of genee and the Investors in the Environment programme.

Up to 110 organisations will be able to join the Become Green Together programme, and applications are open until September. You can find out more and apply here: https://www.goinggreentogether.org/become-green-together