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 enable Welsh individuals, households, organisations and communities to reduce their environmental impact and live more sustainably by facilitating behavioural change through the innovative provision of information, education and practical opportunities, which in turn will indirectly influence policy change towards sustainable development.
Aims
- To promote one planet living.
- To lobby for policy change to achieve more sustainable lifestyles.
- To support the local economy.
Objectives
- 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 global warming/climate change and further encourage development of a low carbon economy.
- To promote policy change which supports sustainable development.
- To encourage citizen involvement in local decision-making and community action, increasing well-being, skills, confidence and self esteem.
Actions
- To promote, educate and advance awareness of sustainable development via various media activities, PR/marketing, information/resource production, public events and festivals.
- To offer information, advice, support and facilitation to help Welsh citizens, organisations and networks work towards sustainable development through their activities, projects, policies and practices.
- To organise training, workshops, seminars, conferences and events.
- To encourage and develop community-based activities that are replicable.
- To collaborate to influence other sectors.
- To involve volunteers, local people, artists, practitioners and politicians.
- To fundraise via grants, sponsorship, consultancy and training fees.
Community groups involved:
a) SUSSED volunteers – who service the shop and stalls
The cafe element has a strong commercial potential in its own right and this plan is based on providing a targeted small ‘local food’ and ‘ethical food’ service.
SUSSED volunteers cater regularly at local events and festivals. (One of the Directors of SUSSED was a former Home Economics teacher.)
The charity has encouraged the development of a local ‘arts’ group which has been running for 18 months. 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 has also been developed by an experienced tutor in this same space. They perform at various events throughout the year.
c) ‘Power For The People’
In this time of economic uncertainty, when one in four Welsh households are in fuel poverty and electricity prices set to rise even further, local communities need to pull together to ensure that there is a safe, renewable and cost effective way to power and heat our homes.
This new group has embarked upon a campaign to encourage wider uptake of PV panels within the area. We are working alongside the G Cel consortium but our aim is to also enlist the support of local groups who in return will be helped to gain a secure income via the government’s FIT’s programme to support their activities.
d) Bridgend County Fair trade Group
Members have campaigned and achieved fair trade status for the borough and are intent on maintaining it. A new action plan is being developed.
e) General Volunteering, Work-based learning and training
Increasing numbers of volunteers and unemployed people are available and the 6 young people we helped, involved in the Future Jobs Programme last year, has reinforced the need for work-based training opportunities. Currently we have a number of unemployed graduates gaining valuable work experience which is also advancing their CV’s.
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
- 21st 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.