OYCI acknowledges the connection between the climate and other environmental crises and the threat of current and future homelessness, disease, food and water shortages and poverty for millions of people around the world, as well as the major damage being caused to our natural eco-systems.
It therefore recognises its responsibility to reduce its carbon and environmental footprints and formally commits itself to being an environmentally responsible charity.
To take this forward it commits to the following actions:
1. OYCI mandates the Chief Officer to take executive responsibility for taking forward and implementing this commitment, this should include an annual sustainability audit. This might include:
- Energy carbon footprint
- Electricity
- Water
- Transport fuel
- Gas
- Total waste production
- % of waste recycled
- Total paper consumption
- % Recycled paper
- % Renewable energy used
- Any other relevant sustainability criteria.
This annual sustainability report will be presented at the same meeting as the annual accounts.
OYCI’s Trustees Annual Report. Will include a sustainability statement.
2. Progress on improvement of OYCI’s sustainability performance will be a standard item at team quarterly review meetings. At these meetings the team will consider the Waste Hierarchy and the organisation’s progress towards this. The waste hierarchy identifies ways to be more environmentally friendly, in priority order.
- Eliminate – Avoid producing waste in the first place
- Reduce – Minimise the amount of waste you do produce
- Re-Use – Use items as many times as possible
- Recycle – Recycle what you can only after you have re-used it.
- Dispose – Dispose of what’s left in a responsible way
As part of the quarterly planning, we will actively consider youth led activities that promote sustainability in the community.
3. All staff job description’s will include a responsibility for staff to help OYCI in carrying out its aim of being an environmentally responsible organisation, in how they carry out their day-to-day duties.
4. Induction procedures for new staff will include information on the charity’s sustainability practices.
5. OYCI will consider supplier sustainability policies and implementation of such policies as one of the criteria for supplier selection.
6. OYCI will seek to have relevant sustainability clauses included in any future contracts agreed with outside bodies.
7. OYCI will include sustainability training in any future staff training programmes.
8. OYCI will observe existing environmental legislation as a minimum standard and seek to out-perform current legislative requirements where practical.
9. OYCI will develop and maintain a sustainable transport policy for their staff, seeking to reduce unnecessary travel and making the transport that is necessary as sustainable as possible and will monitor progress annually.
Review – This sustainability policy shall be reviewed annually upon its adoption.
