Environmental Policy |
|
The Place approach to Environmental Policy has three components:
a) a Statement of Intent (but you can call it whatever you like). This is a punchy easy-to-grasp statement of what matters to you. It also explains briefly who your organisation is, what it does, and what environmental responsibility means to you. This is also a great place to celebrate what you are already doing.
b) an Action Plan. The Place process collates suggestions from your leadership, staff, clients and stakeholders as to what specifically you might do to become more environmentally sustainable. Ideas are assessed through a process to determine effectiveness, cost and viability. You then choose which to include in your Action Plan for this year, which to tag for next year, and set a process to review and plan for the future.
c) Other Policies. Those areas identified as priorities in your Action Plan will need to be further developed into specific policies to guide your practice. Place provides a wide range of policy templates and samples. Choose a couple of specific policies to work on each year.
a) a Statement of Intent (but you can call it whatever you like). This is a punchy easy-to-grasp statement of what matters to you. It also explains briefly who your organisation is, what it does, and what environmental responsibility means to you. This is also a great place to celebrate what you are already doing.
b) an Action Plan. The Place process collates suggestions from your leadership, staff, clients and stakeholders as to what specifically you might do to become more environmentally sustainable. Ideas are assessed through a process to determine effectiveness, cost and viability. You then choose which to include in your Action Plan for this year, which to tag for next year, and set a process to review and plan for the future.
c) Other Policies. Those areas identified as priorities in your Action Plan will need to be further developed into specific policies to guide your practice. Place provides a wide range of policy templates and samples. Choose a couple of specific policies to work on each year.
Environmental Policy Statement
An Environmental Policy includes a statement of intent around environmental responsibility.
- This needs to tie in with your values as an organisation.
- It needs to be aspirational and inspirational ... connect with where you are and aspire to where you are heading
- Tell your environmental story.
- Tell it creatively (see the Creativity page)
- Articulate your heart for the places you work.
- Celebrate what you are already doing for the environment. What sustainability practices have you already developed?
Sample Environmental Policies
Sample church environmental sustainability policy: St Yolanda's Church
International Standards
Currently there are no externally set requirements for how organisations in NZ plan or report on their environmental impacts and goals. Internationally there are various standards for reporting, including:
ISO
The International Standards Organisation sets standards across a breadth of areas for organisations and businesses of all types. Standards in the 14000s cover environmental impact. Number 14001 (2015 update) is covers environmental impacts generally. Other standards go into specifics about greenhouse gas emissions etc. Organisations can be accredited in achieving the standards (but through other bodies, not ISO). Standards aim for continuing improvement. ISO 14001 requires organisations to have an Environmental Policy: “environmental intentions and direction of an organization (3.1.4) related to environmental performance (3.4.11), as formally expressed by its top management.”
GRI
The Global Reporting Initiative has developed global standards for reporting and strategic planning. Their vision is “a sustainable future enabled by transparency and open dialogue about impacts. This is a future in which reporting on impacts is common practice by all organizations around the world.” GRI encourages a holistic understanding of development across economic, environmental and social aspects.
In NZ Go Well Consulting provides sustainability reporting and planning using the GRI framework.
SDGs
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are becoming increasingly recognised as providing a helpful framework for sustainability planning. They set out to achieve the impossible - to be both aspirational and applicable across every context on earth. They do not include targets for carbon emissions - this is addressed in other international agreements. But they do cover a breadth of issues in ways that any organisation can pick up and say, "Yes, actually, we are doing this ... or we could be doing this better."
The UN has set 17 goals to target a wide range of aspects including environmental sustainability (and make for a very colourful interactive clock pattern!). A rigorous reporting process enables comparisons between countries internationally, and highlights key aspects for attention. SDG NZ works “to ‘hold the mirror’ on New Zealand’s progress towards the attainment of the Goals (both relative to our own history, and in comparison with other countries) and serve as a catalyst for conversations on how we can make progress towards the attainment of the Goals.”
DOWNLOAD: "TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD: THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT" (the SDGs) here
ISO
The International Standards Organisation sets standards across a breadth of areas for organisations and businesses of all types. Standards in the 14000s cover environmental impact. Number 14001 (2015 update) is covers environmental impacts generally. Other standards go into specifics about greenhouse gas emissions etc. Organisations can be accredited in achieving the standards (but through other bodies, not ISO). Standards aim for continuing improvement. ISO 14001 requires organisations to have an Environmental Policy: “environmental intentions and direction of an organization (3.1.4) related to environmental performance (3.4.11), as formally expressed by its top management.”
GRI
The Global Reporting Initiative has developed global standards for reporting and strategic planning. Their vision is “a sustainable future enabled by transparency and open dialogue about impacts. This is a future in which reporting on impacts is common practice by all organizations around the world.” GRI encourages a holistic understanding of development across economic, environmental and social aspects.
In NZ Go Well Consulting provides sustainability reporting and planning using the GRI framework.
SDGs
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are becoming increasingly recognised as providing a helpful framework for sustainability planning. They set out to achieve the impossible - to be both aspirational and applicable across every context on earth. They do not include targets for carbon emissions - this is addressed in other international agreements. But they do cover a breadth of issues in ways that any organisation can pick up and say, "Yes, actually, we are doing this ... or we could be doing this better."
The UN has set 17 goals to target a wide range of aspects including environmental sustainability (and make for a very colourful interactive clock pattern!). A rigorous reporting process enables comparisons between countries internationally, and highlights key aspects for attention. SDG NZ works “to ‘hold the mirror’ on New Zealand’s progress towards the attainment of the Goals (both relative to our own history, and in comparison with other countries) and serve as a catalyst for conversations on how we can make progress towards the attainment of the Goals.”
DOWNLOAD: "TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD: THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT" (the SDGs) here