Genee has been a key delivery partner in the Going Green Together project since June 2022, which has reached over 200 VCSE organisations through events, resources, and training to help them become environmentally sustainable and take action on the climate crisis. Through the success of the pilot VONNE have secured a further 3 years of funding thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund, County Durham Community Foundation, and Tees Foundation.
Over three years, the project aims to support more organisations to reduce their carbon footprint and act in a more environmentally sustainable way. This means they can both make a meaningful contribution to a greener future and adapt to a changing landscape of environmental requirements from funders and partners.
Going Green Together also aims to bring about cultural change, to help the VCSE sector understand the value of climate action and the opportunities it brings, and make sure it is an organisational priority.
Nathaniel Spain, Going Green Together Project Coordinator, said “Community organisations have a fantastic potential to kickstart change through their relationships with local people, and their knowledge of the social issues and barriers that limit our collective ability to move to a green future. Going Green Together’s aim is to help voluntary and community organisations of all sizes understand how the climate emergency impacts them, adapt to these impacts, and make climate action work for their local community.”
The project is delivered in partnership with environmental experts Genee, who support organisations to achieve an environmental accreditation through the Investors in the Environment framework, and carbon management and footprinting experts SmartCarbon, whose tools allow organisations to track and reduce their carbon footprints.
Genee is looking forward to supporting more of the North East’s voluntary, community and social enterprise sector to embed sustainability into their operations and find cost savings in the process. The Investors in the Environment programme is the ideal framework for these organisations to build an environmental strategy which works for them, giving them an excellent understanding of their organisation’s environmental impact and establish effective solutions to reduce it.
Managing Director of Genee, Jo Holmes, said “We’re so pleased that we can continue to support the VCSE sector to develop their environmental management and help shape the sustainability agenda within these organisations. The initial two-year pilot reinforced how vital this support is for organisations that often lack the time, money, or expertise to create formal strategies to identify, measure and improve their environmental performance. We’ve seen fantastic results from our pilot participants and have been blown away by their enthusiasm and commitment to addressing the climate crisis, we look forward to continuing this work with more VCSE organisations.”
The project is currently gearing up to redevelop the Going Green Together website and to launch a new programme of events and training opportunities in Autumn 2024. You can keep informed about opportunities through this programme by signing up to the Going Green Together monthly mailing on our eBulletins page. You can contact the project coordinator at Nathaniel.Spain@vonne.org.uk.
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