What we do…

“If everyone in the world consumed natural resources at the rate we do in Wales we would need 3 planets to support us” - WWF Cymru 

Purpose

To improve quality of life and help Welsh individuals, households, organisations and communities to reduce their environmental impact and live more sustainably.

Aims

• To promote ‘one planet living’. 
• To influence behaviour and thus policy change to achieve more sustainable lifestyles. 
• To support the local ‘green’ economy. 

 Objectives

• To encourage citizen involvement in local decision-making and community action, increasing well-being, skills, confidence and self esteem.
• To encourage and increase use of local, green, ethical and fairly traded goods and services by society.
• To reduce waste of resources and level of waste disposal whilst providing support for durable products, reuse and recycling.
• To save energy and promote renewable energy to combat climate change and further encourage development of a low carbon economy.
• To promote policy change which supports sustainable development.

Actions

• To involve volunteers, local people, artists, scientists, practitioners and politicians.
• To offer initial support for green and ethical policy development to Welsh organisations and networks 
• To organise training, workshops, seminars, conferences and public events. 
• To use various media and our website to advance awareness of sustainable living
• To fundraise via events, grants, sponsorship, consultancy and training fees.

Community groups involved:(get in touch if you would like to join)

a) SUSSED Volunteers – serve in our ethical shop; cover stalls and offer catering support -         baking regularly for local events and festivals; run the occasional tombola and raffle; organise the book- keeping and finances and media work. 

b) Arts For The Earth Group

The charity has encouraged the development of a local ‘arts’ group which has been running for 2 years. Members represent artists from all walks of life and they have been sharing activities, performance and conversation together over that period of time. Various ‘gigs’, poetry and fashion evenings have been organised.

The group have created ‘The Green Room’ located on the first floor of Sustainable Wales’ offices as a cultural space which is a where they meet, bring outside artists, plan events or chat. Future activities discussed have been wrapped around food and music events, eco/chic fashion events and swishing swap parties and philosophical debates.

A very successful weekend Rock Club for 9-15 years olds was helped to establish. They perform at various events.

c) Bridgend County Fairtrade Group  

Members have campaigned and achieved fair trade status for the borough and are intent on maintaining it.  A new action plan for the year has been developed.

d) General Volunteering, Work-based learning and Training

Increasing numbers of volunteers and unemployed people are available and in 2010/11 six young people we helped via the goevernment’s Future Jobs Programme. All reinforcing the need for work-based training opportunities. Currently SUSSED has employed 2 part-time graduates after completing, via the Welsh Government’s Jobs Growth Wales Programme, a 6 months contract. Recently 2 more graduates have been taken on through the scheme gaining valuable work experience advancing their CV’s. Communication, accounts, fundraising, research, volunteer management are all part of a day’s work.

Newsletter

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Sustainable Wales (SW) has initiated and is involved in a wide variety of sustainable development activities, which all involve PR and media work. A flavour of our work is outlined below:

Wales-wide:

 Information and Training

• From Here to Sustainability - Community sector training programme introducing environmental and ethical policies and practices to organisations.
• Reducing Your carbon Footprint Training Carbon Audits – for community groups or SME’s
• Spearheading the Real Nappy Campaign across Wales - provision of a wide variety of campaign resources, media/awareness raising/training/network development working with Waste Awareness Wales, LA’s and NHS across Wales. 
• Advocacy 
• Finding Our Voices 1 + 2 - All Wales conferences on Participatory Democracy
• Write On! - Series of breakfast seminars on office recycling and buying recycled paper
• Various Conferences and Seminars - Fashion Conscience? - Seminar on the unethical Fashion Industry
• 21^st Century Living - Local Solutions to Climate Change Conference
• A Resilient Local Economy? - conference
• Climate Change Exchange Day - community sector training and information.

Publications include:

• Community Connections’ – a periodical magazine focused on sustainability issues (good and bad) in the borough of Bridgend.
•  Conference and Event Organising Guide - Encouraging people and environment friendly events. Bilingual.
• ‘Write On!’ - initiating a ‘buy recycled’ paper campaign in Wales. Bilingual. 
• ‘Dumping The Diaper’ - Real Nappy Campaign Guide - English and Welsh.
• ‘Have I Got News For You’ - local groups campaigning and media advice. Bilingual.
• ‘Deepening Democracy’ - a Civic Forum proposal for Wales drafted for Llias Cymru. Bilingual. 
• ‘First Class’ - a guide to developing a school’s recycling policy

SW Videos and DVD Production:

• ‘It’s Time for a Real change’ Real Nappy Promotion (for new mums and midwives)
• ‘It’s Time for a Real change’ Real Nappy Campaign (for councils and campaigners)
• ‘From Radioactive Mines to Radioactive Bullets’ - Uranium pollution (used also in America)

 Local and replicable activity:

 Community based Sustainable Development  activities - operating in Bridgend:

• Production of Community Connections – series of magazines 12,000 copies widely distributed;
• Fairtrade, Farmer’s Market and local food network development and promotion; 
• Sussed Café at Farmer’s Market;
• Real Nappy Awareness;
• Advancing green and ethical purchasing, supporting SUSSED WALES activities;
• Organisation of 21st Century Sustainable Living Festivals;
• Profiling climate change and sustainable energy;
• Local community group and partnership development;
• Helping groups develop SD policies and practices;
• Feasibility into developing urban pocket parks;
• Many cultural/arts events;
• Fundraising.

Download the latest Annual Report