On Thursday 22^nd September 2011, Seacourt staff, family and customers gathered to celebrate Seacourt’s second Queen’s Award forEnterprise in Sustainable Development.  HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, made a special visit to theOxford –based family firm to commemorate the day and partake in the celebrations.

Amongst their many previous accolades in water reduction, green energy and being carbon neutral, the firm is now officially zero-waste (their last bin collection to landfill was in October 2009), a world first in the printing trade, and certainly among the first in all trade categories in the UK.  Everything is either recycled or reused.  HRH took a special interest in the recycling bay where all containers were clearly labelled and organised.

Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Tim Stevenson stated “It is known that winning a Queen’s Award is no mean achievement, you have to jump through some quite tricky hoops. It’s very much a sense of many are called but few are chosen”

The Duke of Kent presented Chairman Jim Dinnage with the award saying “Seacourt are a remarkable company and should be used as an exemplar for sustainability.  I do not think anyone can underestimate the work involved over many years, it has taken a great deal of determination.”

Turnout at the celebrations was overwhelming, with guests, civic representatives, press and media as well as staff, family and friends all there to celebrate the grand achievement.

“We won our first Queen’s Award for Sustainable Development 4 years ago, which was a wonderful achievement in itself” stated Jim Dinnage.  “But to win a second award alongside the first is just amazing.  Our greatest thanks must go to our wonderful staff for their hard work, and to our loyal customers who supported our efforts all these years.”

Seacourt Ltd is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

As cuts in the Public Sector populate the media, Vicky Kenrick at International Sustainability Recruitment Consultancy, Allen & York, explores how these cutbacks have highlighted the value of Environmental professionals with Health and Safety experience and skills.  In addition, Allen & York discuss the impact of the cuts to The Environment Agency and Natural England, as Defra recently find their budget cut by 30% compared to government average of 19%.

The self-proclaimed greenest government ever had announced in October, some of its most vicious spending cuts to the environment. Environmental and Health & Safety Recruitment Specialists, Allen & York, have looked into the impact these, cuts have made to job opportunities within Environment. This year alone, Defra’s budget will shrink – from about £3bn and by about £700m by the end of the four-year spending period, in 2015. As a result, the department and its delivery agencies, including the Environment Agency, which monitors pollution and protects against flooding, and Natural England, which helps look after the natural world, will have to shed 5,000-8,000 out of a total of 30,000 jobs.

Nevertheless, demand for environmental expertise continues to soar as the consultancy sector goes from strength to strength and new corporate roles are created for climate change, sustainability and social responsibility specialists.  Whilst compliance based roles continually reward professionals that have both Environmental and Health and Safety qualifications.

In light of the Environment Agency and HSE cut backs; senior level compliance based roles consistently require Health and Safety, as well as Environmental experience.  Chris Saunby, Environmental Recruitment Manager at Allen & York, suggests that some jobs roles are being combined and there is a demand for an Environmental Manager with NEBOSH certificate qualified and knowledge of 14001 and 18001 management systems.

Cuts to the HSE and the Working Environment

With cuts of 35% to the Health and Safety industry’s watchdog – the HSE, coinciding with the fact that employers will no longer face automatic health and safety inspections, health and safety, specifically, within the construction industry has been recently scrutinised in the media. With job losses within this area, more attention is being given to how the role of the Environmental Manager can be built upon in order to include Health and Safety responsibilities.  For example, with pressure from the government on the HSE affecting the safety of the workplace, specifically construction sites, the importance of assessing and preventing dangers in a workplace environment is in the limelight. George Guy, UCATT’s acting general secretary, said: “The Conservative-led government’s financial attacks on the HSE will make workplaces more dangerous and will lead to increased deaths and injuries of workers in future.” Reports suggest the number of construction related deaths is already on the rise. The HSE’s figures were revealed by its head of construction, Philip White, at the London conference on Safety Schemes in Procurement, earlier this month. The provisional statistics revealed that the 2010/2011 period saw an increase of 15% on last year’s low of 42 deaths.

How will Environment Cuts Affect the Industry?

Meanwhile, by delving a little further into the proposed cuts for Defra we are able to better assess the impact of the cuts on career opportunities in the Environment sector.

Defra’s biggest cuts in money terms are in resource spending for administration and front-line services, which will be reduced by 29%, from £2.3bn this year to £1.8bn in 2014-15.  Specifically, capital spending, mostly on flood defences, will drop from £600m this year to £400m each year. With cuts in place, it is the quality and qualifications of employees that become important.

With The Environment Agency needing to reduce staff numbers by 3,000 in three years’ time; Environmental professionals are up skilling in order to not only secure their role but to progress within their career.  Recognising the value of the combination of Health and Safety and Environment combinations is Dr Paul Leinster Chief Executive of the, Environment Agency who said is pleased to support a recently launched NEBOSH Diploma for Environmental Management, “as it provides the core knowledge for practical environmental management in industry”.

Meanwhile, catastrophes, at high risk environmental sites, such as The Big Creek mine disaster, the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform and the death-defying rescue of the Chilean miners put health, safety and the environment in the headlines. Combined with HSE cuts, fewer workplace inspections and a tighter budgetary situation for The Environment Agency, Health and Safety skills will be increasingly required within senior compliance based Environment roles.

Meanwhile, with the HSE under pressure from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to limit the number of on-site inspections it carries out. HSE Chief Executive, Geoffrey Podger, also said the department would have to adapt and cut up to 350 jobs.  With fewer inspections, the responsibility to ensure a safe working environment lies even more with the corporation.  Sources have revealed that industry bodies will be asked to ensure their members self-regulate while HSE inspectors focus mainly on high-risk sites. Self regulation provides another reason for corporations to allocate these responsibilities to existing Environmental professional and those with a NEBOSH qualification and previous Health and Safety experience make them a very valuable asset.

To discuss your Sustainable recruitment requirements or our latest job opportunities, please contact Allen & York at www.allen-york.com

Allen & York is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

September 13-16, 2011

Teachers: Julia Ponsonby, Wayne Schroeder and Dave Hamilton

September is a month of abundance for gardeners and for food lovers. Every year the College finds new and inspiring ways to work with the wide variety of seasonal produce grown locally and in the College gardens. Out of this seasonal plenty our team of celebrated cooks conjure up delicious meals, soups, preserves, and baked products which are internationally renowned.

Join award winning cookery author Julia Ponsonby, along with chef Wayne Schroeder, and self-sufficiency expert Dave Hamilton to learn how to harvest and transform Nature’s abundance into delicious and inspirational meals. Revitalise your cooking by learning new recipes, new techniques and celebrate Nature’s bounty with fellow food lovers in the beautiful surroundings of Schumacher College’s 15th Century building.

The activities on offer will include:

• Seasonal soup making
• Creative uses for abundant vegetables
• Baking and bread products – including baking in outdoor cob oven
• Jams, preserves and pickles
• Forest garden salads and fruits
• Inspiring a new relationship with food, and reflections on health and dietary choices
• Foraging and seasonal treats

Cost: £300 – All course fees include accommodation, food, field trips and all teaching sessions.

www.schumachercollege.org.uk

admin@schumachercollege.org.uk

01803865934

Schumacher College, Dartington is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

David Orr uniquely combines a pioneering approach to education, design, community, innovation and practice that has always embodied a whole worldview. His work not only has direct impact but is visionary and therefore inspiring for individuals and groups around the world. The Oberlin Project is innovating through rich collaboration, a response to making the community much more resilient into the future.

He is well known for his efforts in designing the first substantially green building on a U.S. college campus. The Adam Joseph Lewis Center was later named by the U.S. Department of Energy as “One of Thirty Milestone Buildings in the 20th Century,” and by The New York Times as the most interesting of a new generation of college and university buildings.

David Orr is now working to bring together a collaborative venture within the community of Oberlin from schools to private sector. The Oberlin Project joins the many strands of sustainability including urban revitalization, green development, advanced energy technology, sustainable agriculture and forestry, green jobs, arts and education into an integrated response.

The heart of the project is the redevelopment of a 13-acre block designed to catalyze the renewal of the downtown area and initiate a process leading to a prosperous post-fossil fuel powered economy, while improving its facilities and continuing one of the most important educational experiments in the United States.

The investment in construction, renovation, and energy technology is intended to stimulate the expansion of existing businesses and create new enterprises that meet emerging demands for energy services, solar technologies, green products, and locally grown foods and forest products.

David Orr’s approach to sustainability is an essential, rich dialogue on how we integrate responses to crisis and environmental challenge – where there is a role for every voice from industry and science to art and music. The Oberlin Project has already been heralded as having the potential to be an international model for change and development. Mid-project David Orr comes to Schumacher College to discuss the implications of such a cutting edge and innovative approach to a more resilient future.

Schumacher College is proud to be hosting David Orr talking about The Oberlin Project alongside Steven Mayers and Transition Town’s Rob Hopkins in an exploration of urgent collaborative responses to climate change, food security, economics.

The Road Ahead: Building Community in the Long Emergency, June 27 – July 2, 2011
David W. Orr, Stephan Mayer & Rob Hopkins
http://www.schumachercollege.org.uk/courses/the-road-ahead-building-community-in-the-long-emergency

To listen to an interview with David Orr about The Oberlin Project at Sustainable Industries http://sustainableindustries.com/podcasts/sustainable-industries-interviews-david-orr

Schumacher College, Dartington is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

This article presents a vision for corporate sustainability and highlights how organisations can add value to not only their bottom line but also to the environment and society at large. With current examples of organisations putting their corporate sustainability strategy into action, this article provides a run down of who’s doing what and the skills and people required to initiate and maintain the drive to a low carbon economy.

Highlighting the increase in auditing and tighter sustainability regulation, this article also provides some useful advice on how to avoid the association with ‘green washing’ and ways in which an organisation can really embed sustainability within the heart of their corporate culture. Investors are becoming increasingly receptive to sustainability.

Corporate sustainability is coming of age. An overwhelming majority of FTSE 500 companies now voluntarily measure, manage, and publicly disclose their carbon emissions; and a collection of hi-tech solutions, clean technologies, and market tools have evolved in recent years to meet these demands. Examples of successful corporate sustainability reporting can be attributed to Siemens and GE, recording environmental revenues of £16bn and £11bn respectively, and M&S showing how a CEO-led sustainability strategy can account for 10% of profit at a FTSE100 retailer. The Co-Operative Group has also launched an ambitious sustainability plan at the beginning of March 2011, which promises to cut carbon emissions by 35% by 2017 and deploy over £1 billion of green energy finance by 2013. By 2017, the Co-op wants to generate an equivalent of a quarter of its energy needs from renewables but aims to be carbon neutral in its operations by next year. The Group also pledges to reduce its water consumption by 10% over the next three years.

Driving change to a corporate sustainability strategy is a constant challenge, however an impressive 81% of the CEOs surveyed by The Guardian stated that sustainability issues are now ‘fully embedded’ into their companies’ strategy and operations, with many extending this focus to their subsidiaries and supply chains. It is clear that sustainability is no longer seen as a marketing fad and is now embraced at Board Level within leading corporations. This is also reflected in recruitment trends witnessed by Allen & York, leading international sustainability Recruiters. Boardroom commitment to sustainability helps build a framework for robust corporate governance.

Writing in Ethical Corporation, Raffaello Raimondi, Principal Search Consultant at Allen & York comments on the rise of the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO), “The first job on a CSO’s list is often to challenge accepted norms and radically change a corporation’s culture”. Describing the ideal CSO’s background, Raimondi highlights that several years industry experience coupled with a MBA/Masters Degree and quite possibly experience in a leading strategic or environmental position features high on his check list. By employing a dedicated CSO, Sustainability Director or Head of Sustainability, organisations can ensure the corporate sustainability strategy is not only overseen and managed accordingly but is also implemented to the highest standard so that oversights are not made. When discussing his role at UPS, Scott Wicker, CSO at UPS highlights that: “The long-term success of our company absolutely requires a balance of the environmental, economic and social aspects of the business. Sustainability encompasses all of those areas.” Sustainability offers a proven and legitimate framework for exploiting new avenues for innovation and growth. Initiatives such as the Carbon Plan, Green Investment Bank and the Electricity Market Reform demonstrate how the UK coalition government is well on the way up the regulatory escalator towards encouraging zero-carbon emissions within business. The Carbon Plan, being a Government-wide plan of action on climate change and the Green Investment Bank are primed to invest in low-carbon infrastructure such as renewable energy and the development of new, clean technologies. Both, along with the Electricity Market Reform point towards a movement to monitor and regulate sustainability within business.

In addition, the UK government’s CRC Energy Efficiency scheme which came into effect in 2010 is a mandatory carbon emissions reporting and pricing scheme, with the first report due from organisations, which use more than 6,000MWh per year of electricity, in July 2011. Whilst there has been some controversy about the scheme, it still remains that from 2012, participants will be required to buy allowances from the Government, each year, to cover their emissions in the previous year. This means that organisations that decrease their emissions can lower their costs under the CRC. Companies better positioned to improve their energy efficiency, and save on CRC costs, will be those with a CSO or Head of Sustainability in place, who is able to oversee energy management, sustainable procurement and corporate social responsibility issues, coupled with implementing accurate carbon reporting. A severe management deficit exists in the governance of climate change and sustainability risks and opportunities. Being a key driver to corporate innovation and growth, a top down approach to corporate sustainability is required. Regulation, the role of the CSO and embedding sustainability into business practices also ensures that ‘green washing’ is avoided. Green washing is the team used for the deceptive use of green PR to embellish a company’s green credentials. With a firm policy and strategy in place run by a dedicated CSO or Head of Sustainability, the company is able to produce clear and transparent evidence of their sustainable measures.

Further trends that Allen & York predict for 2011 include:

• The embedding of sustainability as a core business strategy
• Establishment of a consensus on the role of the sustainable development professional
• The rise of the Chief Sustainability Officer
• Increased transparency, an open society and a decrease in green washing
• Supply chain engagement, where supplier’s performance is also monitored and reported on, forming part of the corporate sustainability strategy
• IT for green purposes growing at an exponential rate

Allen & York are a leading international Sustainability Recruitment consultancy, offering jobs and candidates in; Energy & Environmental Management, CSR & Sustainability, Low Carbon and Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Health and Safety Management. For further information, please visit: www.allen-york.com

Allen & York is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Led by powerhouses like GE and Google, the corporate sustainability movement in the U.S. is gaining momentum and proving “going green” saves the planet while saving money. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has encouraged companies to work off waste through its second annual Battle of the Buildings competition. 245 buildings across the country are now engaged in a friendly fight for green supremacy.

Commercial buildings in the U.S. spend more than $100 billion annually on energy, accounting for 20% of the nation’s total energy consumption. Buildings with energy star certified plans emit 35% fewer greenhouse gasses and burn 35% less energy than typical structures. Water, waste, insulation, lighting, and building materials all become fair game, leaving the participating building both energy efficient and cheaper to operate.

The sustainability groundswell packs a big punch. GE’s Ecomagination initiative has saved the company $130 million in energy resources and shaved 22% off their own energy consumption. Google has invested millions in wind power to cool its massive data centers. Sustainability is proving not to be just a grassroots movement.

The Battle of the Buildings competition pits office buildings, schools, churches, hotels, and banks against each other to measure whom, over the course of a year, can reduce their energy use intensity (EUI) by the largest percentage. EUI is a measure of a building’s energy use and is calculated by taking total energy consumption and dividing it by total floor space.

The EPA selects finalists in July and the 2011 winner in November. “We’re harnessing our nation’s innovative capacity to save money on electric bills, create a cleaner environment and protect the health of American families,” says EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.

ENERGY STAR symbolizes the government’s standard for energy efficiency. Although the EPA’s competition focuses on commercial buildings, individuals can benefit from the same ENERGY STAR quality, performance, and efficiency. Homebuilders, partnering with the program, now offer green-building designs and responsible construction, delivering results similar to their commercial peers.

Malli Homes in Yelm, Washington personifies the new green builder by constructing homes given the ENERGY STAR approval. North Carolina’s Vincent Properties Construction delivers ENERGY STAR homes designed to be 20-30% more energy efficient than those built to standard residential code. Michigan’s Ferraro Builders constructs high-performance, custom homes implementing the latest in building sciences, bringing the ENERGY STAR to more discriminating buyers.

Skyscraper or single-family home, green building means hope for both the environment and budgets.

About the Author:

S. M. Combs produces articles for the solar panels blog and the solar battery chargers blog. She has a master degree in sciences and worked as consultant for the South West Scotland Energy Agency. Now she is retired and provides free resources to help people get additional info on energy efficiency starting from small devices (i.e. cell phones) to home solar systems.

Photo Credits: Shannon Combs

Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Over countless millennia, nature has developed some of the most inspiring and sustainable solutions to a multitude of different problems. Bio-design is a compelling and inspiring method of both seeing and doing for problem-solvers of every discipline, and can be a powerful tool for promoting sustainability.

More and more often science and the private sector are turning to design inspired nature. Possibly one of the most obvious architectural examples are the Eden Projects ‘biomes’ which were inspired by soap bubbles consequently an incredibly efficient structural form that has one hundredth of the weight of a glass solution. The result is one of the lightest structures ever created and a building that is largely self-heating using passive solar design principles.

Participants on these dynamic course will be presented with a fresh design lens by looking at the natural world. They will be offered dynamic examples of successful applications of biomimetic innovation from a surprising range of professions, including: architecture, product design and medicine. Participants will practice techniques for discovery, analysis, ideation and implementation of creative solutions using experimental, problem solving and team based learning.

How Would Nature Do That? Bio-Inspired Design, taught by Tom McKeag runs from June 13 – 17, 2011 followed by

Biomimicry and Buildings: Innovation and Sustainability in Architecture taught by Michael Pawlyn and Robert Somerville runs from June 20 – 24, 2011

To find out more about these course:

Email: admin@schumachercollege.org.uk

Tel:+44 (0)1803 865934

Schumacher College, Dartington is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

How much is enough?

This question has never been more relevant or important than it is today, and Vicki Robin has been at the forefront of these issues ever since the publication of her seminal work Your Money or Your Life?

During the 5 day course she will work with participants to find joyful ways of living at your “enough point” – the point where you have all you need and nothing in excess.

How do you have everything you want and need, but nothing in excess?

Individuals, communities and organisations can benefit from this rich exploration of what makes transformation possible through to practical action and impact.

Vicki Robin

Vicki Robin is co-author with Joe Dominguez of the best-seller, ‘Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship With Money and Achieving Financial Independence’, an international best-seller which has been translated into eleven languages.

For more information and to book:
Tel: +44 (0)1803 865934

Schumacher College is the perfect space for reflecting, sharing ideas and engaging in change for the individual, community and the environment.

Schumacher College, Dartington is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

What is the New Forest Food Challenge?

The New Forest Food Challenge is a community based project run by New Forest Transition that is getting people thinking about the food they eat and where it comes from. We want everyone to be more aware of the impact of what they eat, environmentally, economically and health-wise.

Mainly through our interactive web site we have helped develop a number of initiatives from local food markets to community garden schemes. We have organised and attended many events throughout the New Forest including Seed Swaps, a Local Food Summit, School projects, Food Demonstrations and Green Fairs.

We believe it is especially important to involve young people and to teach them about the creative solutions that exist to help us all out of the difficulties we are facing. By being positive we can change direction. The project has been successful in helping to develop networks and bringing communities across the Forest closer together but there is much to be done.

What are we trying to do?

We want to reach out to a wider audience through the medium of drama and challenge more people to think about, and act on, the vital issue of sustainable food production and consumption.

Education for sustainability in the 21st century

Contemporary debates on sustainability increasingly recognise the importance of education, suggesting that greater participatory involvement of stakeholders in discourses leads to greater empowerment and increases knowledge generation for key groups within education economics, environmentalism and social activism.

There is an urgent and unprecedented task in enabling learning around the many complex issues involved in sustainability.

Making inroads into these complex issues without support can be a daunting task, consequently finding a suitable course to establish a good theoretical and practical understanding of the issues is vital for any educators who wish to incorporate sustainability into their teaching and practice.

A centre of learning for sustainability

Now celebrating 20 years, internationally renowned Schumacher College continues to host its highly successful Ecoliteracy course, which provides participants with a comprehensive overview of the key concepts within sustainability including systems theory, complexity theory, economics and ecological design. The course empowers participants to view all aspects of their work and private lives from a sustainability perspective, and to understand how those ideas can be applied to their actions at work, at home and in the community at large.

“I can think of no more important mission than helping students acquire the knowledge, skills, and values to participate effectively in creating sustainable communities.” (Fritjof Capra)

Course facilitator Emily Ryan notes that the course gives a broad sweep of key subjects, allowing participants to discover and focus their own interests.

Learning as a community

Teaching on the course is very much about community learning. Participants, teachers and staff work together to combine and learn from their diverse experiences and knowledge, in this way individual and group learning provides a powerful platform for deep and holistic engagement with transformative learning for sustainability.

“Professionally, the teachings inspired me to find ways of incorporating experiences of nature and the wild into my work with youth and small enterprises.” (Jess Schulschenk – Programme Coordinator, Sustainability Institute, South Africa)

Experiential learning

Throughout the course Emily Ryan leads the group through a dynamic process where practical work, contemplation and the development of community are all important parts of the learning experience. As a facilitator specialising in the design of unique learning environments in the fields of transformational education and sustainability Emily notes that one of the course’s key strengths is that participants gain access to a variety of Schumacher’s on-site projects and the associated experts who run them. This helps to render abstract concepts more meaningful and engaging.

Inspiration and transformation at the heart of learning

Caroline Harlow, a Brain Injury Case Manager from Exeter, attended the course last year and found the teaching and content of the course inspirational: ‘Emily was the most charismatic, funny and inspirational facilitator, and has a great sense of ‘joie de vivre’. Like many past participants Caroline says that the course has led to a change in the way that she lives her life. ‘I used to be tied up with wealth and growth, but through Schumacher I have changed the way I interact with myself, the people around me and the planet I live on.’

An international panel of experts

A unique strength of this course is in the calibre of the course teachers who have the knowledge and experience to answer difficult questions and guide course participants to answers that invariably lead to exciting and transformative practices.

What is systems theory and how does it apply to my life/work?
Dr Fritjof Capra, physicist, systems thinker and founding director of the Centre for Ecoliteracy in Berkeley, has lectured extensively on the importance of sustainability education and provides insights into the theoretical underpinnings of systems thinking.

How does changing the way I interact with the wider environment make a difference?
Dr. Stephan Harding, ecologist and author, has worked alongside many of the world’s leading experts on ecological thought and action, including Jonathon Porritt, Brian Goodwin and James Lovelock. His contribution to the course focuses on the importance of understanding the ecological mechanisms which surround all our futures.

How does creativity and innovation, which is so integral to education, feature in sustainability?
Anne Miller is an authority on creativity and innovation, having spent 20 years developing and inventing innovative products for the world’s leading companies. In 2000 she founded The Creativity Partnership, providing consulting and training for some of the world’s most successful organisations. She is also author of ‘How to get your ideas adopted (and change the world)’.

It seems like such a complex issue, how can we achieve a sustainable future?
Satish Kumar, world renowned environmental campaigner, co-founder of Schumacher College and editor of Resurgence magazine, ensures participants also take away with them a greater sense of the importance that hope and inspiration play in developing new and innovative work/life practices.

‘Schumacher always gives that wonderful feeling of hope and I think that’s so refreshing.’ (Caroline Harlow, Brain Injury Case Manager, Exeter)

Course details

The popular two-week course runs from March 28 – April 8, 2011 and provides participants with all teaching, accommodation, meals, and field trips. For those new to the college this course is also an exciting and valuable introduction to the central themes of Schumacher College and to its other courses in areas such as new economics, business, design and science.

The course fees are: one week £750, two weeks £1,450. A limited number of bursaries are available. Details of the course can be found at www.schumachercollege.org.uk/courses/ecoliteracy-first-principles-for-radical-change or contact +44 (0)1803 865 934 to make a booking.

Schumacher College, Dartington is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more