As an organisation committed to a better future for 16 – 25 year olds, and with young people leading the fight against a climate crisis, St Basils is committed to reducing its impact on the environment. The Green Achiever Scheme recognised our actions recycling waste, repurposing equipment donations from supporters, and reducing energy consumption through a programme to replace existing fittings in our properties with low-energy consumption versions. Almost a quarter of St Basils buildings have some form of controlled lighting, ensuring they’re only on when in use.
Now in its tenth year, the Green Achiever Scheme, run by environmental consultancy E4 Environment Ltd, has more than 1500 members nationwide. The scheme provides a simple and effective means of communicating a business’ commitment to reducing its environmental impact. In its first audit, St Basils received a four star rating, a significant achievement which shows the dedication the organisation has to reducing its carbon footprint.
Wendy Harlow, policy review officer and convener of the Environmental Action Group at St Basils said; “At St Basils, we are committed to integrating environmental best practice into all our activities. As an organisation which puts young people first, we accept our environmental responsibilities and recognise our obligation to provide a quality service which minimises our potential impact on the environment. The Green Achiever scheme has been supporting St Basils to reduce our environmental impact and advising us to ensure we have an effective environmental management system, helping us to achieve environmental performance and economic goals.”
St Basils has committed to a five-year Environmental Action Plan, which has seen the formation of a working group that reviews the use of resources within the charity and looks at ways to reduce or replace them with recycled, recyclable or renewable resources and products, where possible. The group reports directly to the senior leadership team with its progress.
As part of its commitment to sustainability, St Basils has recently commissioned a new waste disposal company for their headquarters. Ash Waste Services employ innovative and environmentally-sound solutions to divert as much rubbish from landfill as possible, finding secondary uses wherever possible. Most of the waste that is not able to be recycled is shredded and converted into fuel.
St Basils is also encouraging supporters to help us raise funds whilst diverting printer cartridges away from landfill. We are able to raise money for each used inkjet printer cartridges sent to Recycle4Charity via freepost or arrange a box collection.