Environmental advice for charitable organisations
We recognise the growing climate emergency and the need to take positive climate action at a local level. So, we are taking steps to reduce our own carbon footprint and provide the organisations we work with guidance to reduce their own.
You can read about our support for climate and nature here. We can’t tell you what is and isn’t possible within your own organisations, but we hope the following suggestions and links to further advice will be helpful.
Guidance
- Reducing travel
- Protecting the natural environment
- Office property and equipment
- Building works
- Food consumption
- Virtual meetings rather than travelling for in-person meetings.
- Use video conferencing or other online collaboration facilities. Online tools offer the bonus of increasing accessibility (taking care to note any digital exclusion issues of those you are working with).
- If you are booking in-person events or meetings, use venues that can be easily reached by walking, cycling or public transport.
- Encourage staff and volunteers to lift-share, use car clubs, walk, or cycle.
- If your organisation uses transport, consider buying or hiring electric vehicles.
The Walk Wheel Cycle Trust has information on the National Cycling Network.
Better by Bike has resources that information to enable people to cycle.
Travel West provides useful information to help you plan journeys usingpublic transport.
Travel West has a map where you can find your nearest car club.
- Plant native flowering species, pollinators and trees that provide food for birds. Avoid non-native species and those that have not been grown in the UK.
- Install wildlife features like bug-hotels, bird/bat boxes or hedgehog holes in fences.
- Leave grass uncut over spring and summer to help insects, birds, and small animals. Consider taking part in No Mow May.
- Use peat-free soil, composts and avoid harmful chemicals like weedkillers and pesticides.
- Encourage active participation in the maintenance and growth of outside space. This pursuit is linked to positive mental health as well as being positive for the environment.
- Re-use items, recycling materials and source pre-loved items where possible. Recycling centres often sell recycled and good quality items.
- Review the efficiency of the electrical equipment you use.
- Where possible, prepare for extreme weather like flooding, cold or heat.
- When purchasing new equipment, check that it can be recycled at the end of its’ life. Be sure to check it can’t be fixed before you dispose of it.
- Plan and design building work to reduce any environmental impact.
- Conduct an energy audit to improve the building’s energy efficiency.
- Use sustainable and low-carbon materials, e.g. sustainably sourced wood.
- Re-use existing facilities and materials where possible.
- Use heating controls effectively. Simple steps can help improve a building’s efficiency and cut fuel costs. Insulating buildings and ensuring the efficient use of heating and cooling systems can help.
- Encourage your staff to think about their own energy efficiency, both in and out of the office.
- Use renewable energy suppliers.
Food consumption
- Use locally produced and seasonal food, which has a lower carbon footprint.
- Reduce your environmental impact by serving less meat.
- Share leftover food and compost any food that cannot be eaten. Try to avoid single use cutlery and plates when catering.
- If you are catering events, consider vegetarian or vegan food.
Meeting the future needs of our communities
One of the most significant things that charities and community groups can do is educate, encourage, and enable the people they work with to act.
The most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in our society are those who will experience the impacts most and find it most difficult to adapt. Your organisation may be well placed to identify solutions that work for them and share them with the communities you support.
Once you have thought through the environmental improvements you can make, consider adopting an overall environmental policy or strategy. This document will ideally be created with input from those who manage, deliver, and receive help from your services. Having a policy and showing the positive actions taken to support it, is a fantastic demonstration of your organisation’s commitment to reducing climate change.
Ideas and resources
Latest news
What’s happening on the ground
Celebrating 40 years of impact
February 2026 newsletter – making an impact locally
Funding in action: Bath Digital Divide Collective
Find out more.