Genee Consulting Ltd, a B Corp certified, Gateshead-based environmental consultancy is celebrating its continued involvement in the Going Green Together (GGT) programme. GGT is a subsidised initiative supporting the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector across the North East to embed sustainability into their operations, and 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.
The pilot of Going Green Together reached over 200 VCSE organisations through events, resources, and training to help them take action on the climate crisis by reducing their own impacts and communicating this agenda with their communities. Over 100 of these organisations had access to Investors in the Environment (iiE), a nationally recognised environmental accreditation scheme, designed to guide organisations through the development and maintenance of an environmental management system, through which they can monitor, measure, and reduce their environmental impacts.
Genee holds the North East franchise for delivery of the Investors in the Environment and has been a key delivering partner in the GGT project since it’s conception. As well as having access to the wealth of resources, templates, and training that the iiE platform offers, the participating organisations receive one-to-one support and consultancy from Genee, to further demystify the path to sustainability.
Over three years, the project aims to support more organisations to reduce their carbon footprint and develop sustainable methods of working, enabling the organisations to make a meaningful contribution to a greener future as well as adapt to a changing landscape of environmental requirements from funders and partners. Going Green Together looks 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.
The VCSE sector is worth £1.65 billion in the North East alone, which increases to £5.86 billion if you include the ‘added value’ these organisations provide, and the sector can be a significant player when it comes to tackling the climate emergency. However, this is also a sector made up of organisations who typically have very little expendable time, money, or resources to tackle this agenda in-house. Going Green Together has been formed with this in mind, and this ethos will be taken into the continuation of the project through their commitment to subsidised environmental support.
Thanks to funding, the scheme is able to subsidise participation and provide access to a framework which may not have been available otherwise. The iiE programme is so well suited to the Going Green Together project, as the platform enables participants to be flexible with their time; training videos vary in length and templates are already created to make the process of establishing an environmental management system simple and undaunting. As well as this, participating organisations get the chance to be part of a cohort of other likeminded organisations, providing an excellent peer support network, made up of organisations who are experiencing similar issues and impacts within their day-to-day work.
One organisation who has completed the programme and achieved accreditation is Emmaus NorthEast. Their CEO Ruth Parker said of the process: “In 2022, the team at Emmaus North East recognised that work needed to commence on reducing our carbon footprint and environmental impact. In truth, we didn’t know where to start. The first meeting I had with Jo Holmes from Genee reassured me that we were doing the right thing, embarking on our journey to achieve iiE Bronze accreditation and that she would be there to support us every step of the way. Although the process seemed really daunting, Genee supported us throughout, sharing best practice and making recommendations. We were absolutely delighted when we achieved the iiE Bronze award. The final report has been really useful and will guide Emmaus North East through the next steps.”
The beauty of working with VCSE organisations is that the work and knowledge provided extends far beyond those initially receiving it. VCSE organisations provide a crucial intersection of diverse communities, workplaces, and local authorities to create a linked-up approach to the climate emergency, ensuring a Just Transition as we move towards a greener future. 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 continuingthis work with more VCSE organisations.”
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 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 or contact the Genee team to find out more about Investors in the Environment.
