Policy Statement

Stroud Valleys Project is an environmental charity working to make the Stroud Valleys a better, healthier place for present and future generations.  The aim of Stroud Valleys Project is to protect and enhance the local environment by working with local communities to embrace sustainability and biodiversity.

We look after a number of sites around the Stroud Valleys and beyond, from nature reserves to allotments, ponds and canal-sides to walled kitchen gardens.  We work with a diverse and dedicated team of staff and volunteers to enhance and protect these sites for the benefit of the communities in which they are situated and the wildlife that lives there.  We help volunteers to get out into nature in their local communities, to learn new skills, meet new people and enjoy themselves!

In addition to our outdoor sites, we are also a part of the Going the Extra Mile (GEM) project, which works with people in Gloucestershire to overcome challenges to employment and move them closer towards work. We provide environment-themed educational resources.

We also run an eco-shop, situated in the heart of Stroud’s town centre, which allows consumers to purchase eco-friendly, wildlife-supporting, and locally produced items.  We also offer a refill service for eco-cleaning products and toiletries, actively reducing the impact of single-use plastics in our community.  We offer a recycling service for some plastic items that cannot be left for kerbside recycling, which prevents approximately a tonne of rubbish entering landfill or requiring incineration every year.

We run a series of events, including educational and informative talks on nature related subjects, workshops teaching rural skills or the creative arts and nature walks in the local area.  We provide opportunities for members of the public to learn about their local environment and understand ways in which they can take wildlife-friendly actions in their own lives.

We have achieved Gold status in the NUS Green Impact Scheme, a United Nations award-winning programme that supports environmentally and socially sustainable practices in organisations.

As a charitable enterprise with a primary focus on community and environment, it is vital to our ethos and our work that we adopt sustainable and environmentally focussed practices in all our activities.  We believe that small, incremental, local actions can combine to provide a powerful counterpoint to the current level of global environmental degradation.  This policy provides details of how these practices and actions manifest themselves in our all our activities and thus provides a blueprint for minimising our environmental impact and making caring for nature an intrinsic part of our daily lives.

Whilst as a charity we must try and limit costs wherever possible, cost cannot be the only consideration in a sustainable organisation.  However, solutions that are both sustainable and cost-effective will be sought wherever possible, recognising that these two things should not be considered mutually incompatible. 

Corporate Social Responsibility Statement

As a locally based environmental charity, corporate social responsibility is not an add-on to our activities but is instead intrinsic to our ethos, our projects and operations, our ways of working and our objectives.  We aim to operate with honesty, integrity, and openness at all times.  The charity runs to enhance the lives of both people and planet, with all ‘profit’ existing purely with the objective of ensuring the viability and longevity of our operation.  Any ‘profit’ made enables us to effectively serve the people and planet aspects of our triple bottom line in the interests of both current and future generations.

All our charitable activities, as well as the way that we run our organisation, are focussed on enhancing community, practising sustainability, and making the maximum contribution possible to countering environmental damage and degradation, whether this is occurring at a local or global level. 

The policies and practices outlined in this document demonstrate these intrinsic commitments.

Objectives

The objectives of this policy and procedures documents are as follows:

·         To ensure that a focus on the environment and sustainability are at the heart of everything that we do

·         To give clear information about how that commitment is reflected in our everyday actions and activities

Biodiversity and Nature

Nature is being pressured on many fronts, both globally and locally.  From the global climate crisis to localised urban development, nature is being squeezed, resulting in a net decrease in all measures of UK biodiversity, including species abundance and distribution, with 15% of the UK’s assessed species considered to be threatened with extinction (UK State of Nature Report, 2019).

Against this challenging environment, Stroud Valleys Project works on projects that actively and practically seek to reverse the decline of species in the Stroud District.  All sites are treated organically, and we use traditional methods where possible to manage our projects.  Planting and management on sites are actively engaged in increasing native species abundance and distribution.  We run projects to plant and manage wildflower meadows, native hedging, species rich ponds and native trees, amongst others.  We also manage allotment and market garden sites with all produce grown organically. 

We have a full programme of educational activities that support the local population in making a difference to nature, from walks and talks to teaching practical traditional rural skills, such as hedge laying and scything.   Our volunteers make a variety of bird and bat boxes that are sold in our eco shop and we provide advice to purchasers on siting and use of these boxes.  We are also involved with the Stroud Swift project. 

Additionally, we lead and participate in biodiversity surveys in support of good ecosystem management, in collaboration with other local institutions and for educational purposes.  We form active collaborations with landowners, other interest groups and charities and local authorities to promote biodiversity in the Stroud Valleys.

Energy

Office and Shop

Energy Provision

The energy we use to run the office where possible is derived from renewable sources for example through Good Energy, or another equivalent green energy supplier. Stroud Valleys Project also conserves energy by endeavouring to switch off unused lights and equipment whenever practical.

Heating                                                                                                

There are a number of straightforward steps Stroud Valleys Project can take to reduce its impact on the environment from heating the office. To control the heat we generate carefully, the thermostat will be set at 20-degrees, or lower if comfortable. Every 1-degree reduction can save up to 10% on the annual heating bills and also reduces CO2 emissions.

The timer will be set, whenever possible, to switch on half an hour before the office opens, and switch off an hour before it closes, and will be off on Sundays, during holidays, and at other times when the office is empty. To retain the heat we do generate the office needs to be fully insulated where Stroud Valleys Project has authority to implement. Stroud Valleys Project will consider fitting secondary glazing and thermal underlay under any carpets that are replaced. To ensure the water heater is working efficiently, we will have it serviced regularly. If it is ever replaced, Stroud Valleys Project will urge the landlord to fit the most efficient available.

Lighting

We will try to use the lowest energy versions of light bulbs whenever possible and will ask the landlord to consider lowest energy usage options when renewing.

General Electricity use

·         Office Equipment – We endeavour to switch off the computers, printer and photocopier when not in use.

·         Kitchen area - The water heater in the kitchen should not be left on constantly and will be switched off when the office is not in use. The kettle will only be filled as far as necessary and excess water will be conserved in a thermos flask to reduce waste.

·         Fridge - To save energy, it will be kept on a low setting (around 2) and kept as full as possible (by using filled water bottles or scrunched up paper, etc.). As it is generally only used for milk, Stroud Valleys Project will consider fitting a smaller efficient model when it needs replacing.

Sites

Energy consumption on site is limited.  We have installed solar energy for lighting where this is practicable and are committed to sourcing renewable energy alternatives where electrical equipment is needed (e.g. solar water pumps).  Several of our sites have no mains electric and therefore mechanical solutions (for example lawnmowers) are employed in these circumstances.

Water

Office and Shop

Water usage in the office and shop is kept to a minimum.

Sites

Wherever possible, rainwater is harvested on sites, or water is sourced from natural sources.  The use of tap water is kept to a minimum.

Waste and Recycling

The following are listed in priority order (i.e. we seek to reduce first, reuse second and recycle third).

Reduce

Stroud Valleys Project seeks to reduce its waste output by purchasing products with minimal, returnable, or reusable packaging, and by avoiding disposable products whenever possible. Plastic packaging in particular will be avoided whenever possible.  We use paper ‘sticky tape ’ and seek to minimise stocking products with new/single use plastic packaging to our customers.

All paper will be printed on both sides whenever possible and wastepaper used only on one side will be saved to be put through photocopier again when appropriate. 

We harvest seeds from our sites for use in future planting.  Seeds are shared between sites, for example wildflower seeds from Capel’s Mill in Stroud are being used to develop a wildflower area at Sarah’s Field in Berkeley.  We also run an annual seed swap where members of the public can either bring harvested seeds from their own plots and exchange them for others that have been brought along, or else take seeds for their own use in exchange for a donation to Stroud Valleys Project.

Reuse

Stroud Valleys Project is committed to reusing products. We will continue to use scrap paper for draft printing and note writing, and re-use envelopes.  All waste/scrap paper left over from promotional activities (e.g. raffle tickets or leaflets) will be re-used for office purposes.  We will ensure any furniture or office equipment we no longer require is offered second-hand elsewhere. The plastic bottles that we use for cleaner, soap and washing up liquid are refilled. We recharge batteries where possible, and source the least environmentally damaging non-rechargeable batteries and devices.

Stroud Valleys Project uses non-disposable cutlery and crockery in the office, and for outdoor events we endeavour to source paper or corn starch products which can be composted on one of our sites. Stroud Valleys Project encourages the re-use of plastic carrier bags in its shop and by its staff and volunteers by keeping a stock of bags in the office or providing only paper bags.

We provide a refills service of eco-friendly cleaning products and toiletries for our customers, so that they can reuse their bottles. 

Recycle

All wastepaper, cardboard, tins, cans, tin foil, bottles, and most plastic is currently recycled through a local collection. For other waste, reuse and recycling possibilities are investigated before sending to landfill.  Additionally, where possible, we provide facilities for members of the public to recycle plastic items that may otherwise go to landfill or incineration, including pet food pouches, crisp packets, biscuit and cake wrappers, disposable gloves, pens, printer cartridges, small electrical items, dental and personal care packaging.

Composting

Office and Shop

All used kitchen towels and the cat litter used in our refills area for spillages is composted on one of our sites.  Additionally, we have a bokashi composting system in our kitchen area for all food waste.  We endeavour to only use compostable teabags which are composted in the bokashi system.

Sites

All static sites have composting systems, or else garden waste is left where possible outside to naturally decay, providing habitat and food whilst it does so.  We use compost generated on our sites for planting and soil enrichment.   

Procurement

Whenever something needs to be bought, second-hand versions will be considered in the first instance. If it requires to be bought new, both the product and the supplier will be assessed to find out how environmentally friendly their ethos is.  The aim is to find products which are greener in terms of packaging, durability, waste minimisation, energy consumption, toxicity and recyclability, from suppliers who have an effective environmental policy. A key part of the purchasing policy will be to buy things locally whenever possible. For items used regularly, such as paper and pens, the options for them to be purchased in bulk will be considered to reduce transport implications.

We seek to procure items from local businesses in the first instance wherever possible, in order to reduce transportation impacts and to support local enterprises.

SVP eco shop Stock

Items procured for sale in our shop are sourced from ethical suppliers with high environmental standards.  We also support local producers by providing a retail outlet for the sale of locally produced items such as honey, greetings cards and shopping bags.  Our eco shop stock is designed to support customers in reducing their own environmental impact and encouraging biodiversity.  To this end we stock cleaning materials made from natural products, eco-friendly toiletries, reusable food containers and packaging, educational and informative material on relevant topics and wildlife friendly gardening products.  We endeavour to only stock products where sustainability and minimising environmental impact are inherent in the design, supply chain and manufacture. 

Office Supplies

·         Paper, Envelopes and Card - For paper and card products, Stroud Valleys Project will always buy recycled. Compared with virgin products, recycled manufacturing consumes up to 50% less energy, up to 50% less water, and involves fewer chemicals. It also uses a resource which would often otherwise end up in landfill or incineration sites.  The most environmentally friendly papers are those which have been recycled from waste office paper or newsprint and magazine waste, so Stroud Valleys Project will aim to use products with the highest percentage of paper recycled from this source.  Stroud Valleys Project will reuse envelopes whenever possible or those made from this post-consumer waste.

·         Toner Cartridges – Stroud Valleys Project will use remanufactured/refilled cartridges whenever possible. When Stroud Valleys Project upgrades office equipment, new equipment will be assessed for suitability to ensure that future cartridges can be reused or recycled. The current photocopier manufacturer collects empty cartridges when new ones are delivered.

·         Pens - When buying pens, ones made from recycled materials, such as plastic or wood, from plant-based materials, or ones which can also be refilled will be researched in the first instance.

·         General - We encourage the reuse of folders, suspension files, ring binders etc. Any new paper-based stationery such as folders or labels will be made of recycled card or paper, whenever possible. Stroud Valleys Project uses unbleached recycled toilet tissue and environmentally friendly cleaners, such as liquid soap and washing-up liquid preferably refilling an existing container. Stroud Valleys Project is a customer of ethical providers such as the Phone Coop for its telephone and internet services.

Travel

The use of the car will be considered as the last resort when travelling to and from the office on Stroud Valleys Project business. However, because cycling, walking, and public transport can often be impractical, car sharing will be encouraged when possible*, particularly for meetings held at the office.

Stroud Valleys Project has a copy of ‘Travelling To & Around Stroud Sustainably’ document in the Sustainable Office folder in SVPData/Admin/Office for staff and visitors.

Stroud Valleys Project pays mileage allowances in line with the Inland Revenue Approved Mileage Rate, for both car and cycle use.   We have purchased a trailer that can be towed behind a bike, so that items can be transported to and between work sites by bicycle. 

We have enabled all staff members to carry out admin-based work remotely, so that journeys into the office can be minimised where staff require this.

Purchasing locally and in bulk reduces pollution from delivery transportation. Additionally, we facilitate home working and conference calling to reduce the need for travel to and from meetings and the office. 

* It should be noted that car sharing is not considered acceptable by Stroud Valleys Project in a COVID-type situation unless absolutely no suitable alternative exists.  Where car sharing is not possible, we will necessarily have to restrict numbers on site, or, in exceptional circumstances, provide taxi transportation to volunteers.  However, this policy is subject to ongoing review.

Policy Updated: October 2021