Some of the achievements of Trócaire

The GLAS group has much more work to do but has achieved a lot since 2016 towards gathering and monitoring data on and driving a reduction in our organizational carbon footprint. Senior management is committed, and this commitment is documented in our Annual Report. We have a sponsor on our Executive Leadership Team, representatives in each of our offices in Ireland and in the field committed to driving change and a Working Group at Headquarters. We have incorporated GLAS Policies into our planning and budgeting processes and as we look towards our next Strategic Plan, we want to ensure that our carbon commitments are considered as we decide what we do and how we do it for the next 5 years.

Some of the achievements of FEC

Because of FEC’s work in fostering sustainable lifestyles, for nearly 10 years, in different contexts and with different target groups, we can see change happening in individual and collective behaviour, to promote a sustainable world. At the same time, FEC is now recognized as a credible and knowledgeable organization on this issue, by schools, civil society organizations and decisions makers. FEC is regularly invited to run workshops, speak at conferences and meet national and Europeans decision makers. Through its activities in fostering sustainable lifestyles over the last three years (2016-2019), it has succeeded in reaching a wide audience of students, the general public, young activists and decision makers.

Sharing experience on your ecological footprint with other organizations, partners and networks can be very valuable and beneficial. Over the years, several CIDSE members have engaged in dialogue with other CIDSE members, partners and allies and have been a real catalyst for change. Some members have been instrumental in starting the process of ecological conversion in parishes and dioceses; some have opened their working groups on green policy to representatives of other organizations housed in the same building; some have shared their experiences with other civil society organizations at workshops and events – both formally and informally.

Close cooperation with individuals, organizations and associations at various levels and joining strategic alliances across denominational, religious and ideological boundaries will become increasingly important for the CIDSE network. CIDSE fervently believes that sharing and discussing ways to reduce its ecological footprint further is not something to be done in isolation but should be part of an ongoing dialogue with its members, partners and allies both in the Global North and South.

Working on an ecological footprint is a joint responsibility in an organization. However, making sure everyone is ‘on board’ is not always easy. Nothing is more frustrating than constantly having to remind people via email, signs, telling them in person, etc. The key is to get people more and more used to the changes and have them care about them, so you can celebrate your achievements together and continue to inspire each other. It really must become part of the organizational ‘culture’. As one CIDSE member put it: “If you don’t bring staff along with you, it is not going to work”. 

Members’ experience shows that certain ‘actions’ can support this process of ensuring there is broad-based support at all levels of your organization. These include:  

• Clarity from the leadership about what the work on assessing ecological footprint means in practice, and incorporating this in policies or guidelines can be very useful;  
• Besides that, it is also crucial to provide people with the tools to implement such policies and guidelines; 
• Moving the conversation away from the impact some measures will inevitably have on certain teams or individuals to a broader discussion on the organizational impact can be a good way to go about it. For example, by clearly linking it to the organization’s mission or inspirational resources like Laudato Si’; 
• Including information about environmental provisions and systems as a fixed component of introductory training and/or adding it to an induction pack; 
• Applying for an environmental label can help in getting people on board and motivated to work on sustainability and your ecological footprint; when a label is only valid for a certain period this can incentivize an organization to continue to improve. 
• Developing a communication and engagement strategy to inform staff and volunteers about work on your ecological footprint: 

• • • • This could include organizing a staff briefing on ecological footprint work, where, for example, different team members speak about steps taken and the achievements made and at which there is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate them.  
      • Informing staff how they can actively participate in this work (e.g. setting up a sustainable office champions group);  
      • Organizing an annual training programme, where the environmental team discusses environmental topics and staff can get involved and ask questions; 
      • Providing a space where staff can share changes made in their own lifestyles and where they can learn from each other about how to reduce their personal ecological footprints;  
      • Using an internal newsletter to report on achievements or raise awareness among staff about the importance of working on your organisation’s ecological footprint. This can also be used to include actions that challenge everyone to use Lent, for example, to examine one of their own less sustainable choices; 
      • Sharing information regularly on the ecological footprint on your organizations’ Intranet;  
      • Organizing office activities, such as a climate-friendly breakfast, lunch talks or meals where everyone contributed a dish; 
      • Encouraging volunteers and followers to consider the ecological footprint of their own lifestyles and provide them with concrete tools [See examples in our resource section].

That said, while you can take certain steps to create staff engagement, some things remain voluntary and only come with personal commitment.  

Developing policies around an ecological footprint and assessing the environmental impact of your activities is resource- and time-consuming. As a result, work on ecological footprints cannot happen without dedicating adequate resources to it, both in terms of budget and staff.

If the goal is to reduce environmental impact, then this also means that budget needs to be available to implement such measures. Some examples:

• If videoconference is preferred over physical meetings, then this will imply investment. In some cases, it may necessitate setting up videoconferencing facilities in overseas offices.
• Some CIDSE members conducted an energy scan of their offices/buildings, leading to many recommendations. However, while some of these recommendations could be carried out quite easily, others often involved significant financial investment.
• Rail travel within Europe is often more expensive and time consuming than air travel. Organizational choices on travel footprints need to be reflected in travel budgets.

Members’ experience also showed there is a clear need to have a dedicated team in an organization responsible for monitoring and follow-up. For some CIDSE members, having passionate, driven staff is what really drove their work on their ecological footprint forward. Nevertheless, time and space need to be allocated for their work to be sustainable in the long run and systems need to be put in place that promote adequate knowledge management and transfer. Some members set-up an environmental team or working group to provide continuity and consistency in their work on their ecological footprint and green policy. Having a broad-based team representing the relevant parts of the organization that is supported by the general management is key.

One way of taking a more systematic approach to working on an ecological footprint is to incorporate this work in your organization’s strategic and planning instruments. For CIDSE, addressing its own ecological footprint has been incorporated into its strategic framework and operational plan since 2016. Consequently, CIDSE has a clear mandate to continue to work on assessing and reducing its environmental impact more consistently, including creating opportunities for sharing and learning between members and monitoring and evaluating efforts to date. This has also permitted this work to be included in its organizational planning and any implementation measures required added to its budget.

Communicating externally about work on your ecological footprint can be a good incentive to help hold everyone in an organization to account. Some CIDSE members have been doing this for example by:

• including it in their annual report;
• showcasing their sustainability or carbon footprint policy on their website and creating a dedicated space on the website to communicate baseline and target reductions to volunteers and supporters;
• displaying any environmental label on their website as external recognition of the work they do;
• informing guests to their offices or participants at events of their organizational sustainability policy or guidelines; for example, displaying environmental activities in meeting rooms;
• including ecological considerations in campaign materials; for example, mentioning that a brochure is printed on recycled paper.

For many CIDSE members, travel represents the largest percentage of their operational carbon footprint. However, many see travel as essential to running their organization and to their work with partners and country offices, forming an inherent part of their core business. Reconciling environmental concerns with the international mission or mandate of their organization is not always easy. Nevertheless, it remains crucial to consider both the amount and impact of our travel. Monitoring the ecological impact of staff travel and, where possible, opting for the least carbon-intensive form of transport will be key. CIDSE members have already taken various steps to address this issue. Some members have quite comprehensive travel policies in place while others rely on their staff to take account of the impact of their journeys.

Some general travel principles that CIDSE members have adopted:

Considering the necessity and purpose of travel: For international travel, some make the distinction between ‘necessary journeys’ and ‘unnecessary journeys’. Air travel is ‘necessary’ to achieve the objectives of the organization. If those objectives can also be achieved in another reasonable way, the journey is ‘superfluous’. When a travel request is made, people are asked to explain whether the journey is necessary or not. A decision is then made on a trip-by-trip basis. If there is a justifiable need to travel, some CIDSE members have introduced ‘efficient travelling’ where they recommend combining multiple objectives/countries in one trip, if this adds value.

Considering the cost of the whole journey: It is important to note that for some CIDSE members travel considerations do not simply focus on ecological aspects, but rather the ‘cost’ of the whole journey when a decision is made and the form of transport chosen. This includes environmental considerations (e.g. carbon emissions), ticket price, and possible additional costs (such as taxis or parking) but also the costs in time, productivity and family life. Another important element from the point of view of employee welfare is the issue of ‘safety when travelling’ – it is, for example, not always possible to avoid domestic flights during international missions.

CONCRETE ACTIONS TAKEN IN THE CIDSE NETWORK

DOMESTIC OR EUROPEAN TRAVEL

• Domestic and European flights are only permitted if the availability of the person travelling does not permit any other travel option and management has approved;
• Staff are encouraged to choose rail travel for journeys of up to 6 hours;
• Having a basic rule that for destinations of less than 500 km or with a total travel time (from home to final destination/hotel) of less than one working day (7.5 hours), public transport should be chosen;
• Prefer rail to air whenever possible;
• Travel by train (and bus), whenever possible, required when travelling within Europe;
• Requiring all employees to use rail or public transport wherever possible in business travel regulations;
• Travel by car (car sharing) is only permitted in special cases, such as when the destination is difficult to reach or when transporting equipment and materials;
• For destinations that cannot be reached by rail efficiently, taking the train is still recommended but it is likely that these destinations will be reached by air;
• Considering a more environmentally-friendly form of transport if the cost is less than 50% higher than an average scheduled flight;
• If public transport cannot be used on business trips, hiring electric cars or hybrid vehicles or car-sharing services should be preferred;
• Combining multiple objectives and multiple countries into one trip;
• Asking staff to add a calculation of CO2 emissions to their travel request form.

INTERCONTINENTAL/INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

• Combining multiple objectives and multiple countries into one trip;
• Restricting the number of intercontinental flights a staff member or department in the organization can take per year.
• Asking staff to add a calculation of CO2 emissions to their travel request form.

COMMUTING

• Encouraging employees to cycle or use public transport to come to work;
• Providing free and secure bike racks at the office;
• Paying cycle fees for commuting between home and work;
• Providing showers on site for cyclists;
• Offering service/company bikes and some basic rental equipment (including helmets, rain capes and cycle bags);
• Contributing to employee’s monthly public transport costs or reimbursing 100% of commuting by public transport
• Offering staff bicycle- or car-sharing systems
• Producing a “working from home” service agreement to allow employees to work from home in a flexible and demand-based manner to avoid travelling to the office.

Some of the options necessitate offering alternatives, such as other forms of transport, teleworking and teleconference options, and imply investing in such alternatives. Experience of CIDSE members shows that having a travel policy can help communicate more clearly some of the trade-offs organizations face and some of the decisions made. It can also help organizations set clear reduction targets. Some CIDSE members have set an annual CO2 emissions target in their organization that must not be exceeded, including all forms of travel. Others are considering working with carbon budgets or limiting the number of intercontinental trips their staff (or a department) would be allowed to make.

PROCUREMENT

Each year, the CIDSE secretariat and CIDSE members spend significant amounts on procurement. As a network, this gives us enormous leverage to promote change by opting for social (fair), environmental purchasing. In the last fifteen years, there has been an expansion, consolidation and intensification of favouring an abusive model of using “natural resources” throughout the world. This model has devastated and degraded vast areas and intensified conditions of climate injustice. As many CIDSE partners have reported, this model imposes a logic of accumulation on local economies that benefits corporations in the sector, imposes change and back-tracking on social and environmental protection legislation, and impacts the daily lives of local communities by violating human rights, especially affecting the lives of women and children. Since we consistently campaign for fair, sustainable production and consumption patterns in our advocacy, we too need to apply this to be consistent in our own purchasing. To this end, some CIDSE members have adopted guidelines on sustainable procurement.

As one CIDSE member put it in its environmental statement “in addition to the price/performance ratio and the quality of the product, ecology is an important criterion in procuring office supplies. Even if the environmental relevance of an individual product is low, consistent implementation of this concept has a marked effect” (Misereor, Environmental Statement 2018).

Action taken in the CIDSE network:

OFFICE SUPPLIES 

• When purchasing office equipment, give preference to ecological and fair-trade office supplies and products with ecological production certification, if available;
• When purchasing furniture, attention should be paid to the lifespan of the furniture and to environmentally-friendly manufacture. In case of a lack of transparency, seek information on production conditions;
• Using equipment as long as possible. This applies to hardware and software in the IT sector and to office supplies and equipment. Only when equipment is no longer useable or repairable should it be disposed of in such a way that it can be recycled;
• Favouring ecological and bio-degradable cleaning products and supplies; working with local cleaning companies; making sure that the safety data sheets submitted for cleaning materials used confirm they are not (environmentally) hazardous;

FOOD

• Buying local, seasonal and if possible organic produce;
• Prioritising organically-certified local or fair-trade produce;
• Joining a food cooperative and purchasing (most) food supplies there.

COMPUTER AND ICT DEVICES

• Buying high quality equipment;
• Buying computers from companies with high environmental and ethical standards;
• Buying energy-saving equipment;
• Switching to laptops as they generally use less energy and are more efficiently made;
• Considering environmental compatibility and sustainability when purchasing and using technical equipment;
• When purchasing computer and electronic equipment, the evidence of research from campaigns on extractives should be considered (e.g., HTNR campaign).

ENERGY

Action taken in the CIDSE network:

Some of the actions in this area are very practical such as:

• Unplugging equipment when not in use and when leaving the office;
• Providing switchable power boards for each work station;
• Turning off lights when not in use;
• Setting the thermostat a few degrees lower and adopting after-hours and weekend settings;
• Switching to compact fluorescent bulbs;
• Making sure the lighting in all offices is technically up-to-date and highly energy-efficient;
• Equipping lighting with a combination of motion and presence detectors as well as daylight-dependent dimmers;
• Equipping the hand basins in toilets with cold water so that no water heating is required;
• Switching to a green energy supplier or to 100 percent renewable electricity is another step that some of our members have taken.

Other measures to reduce energy use further require much more investment, such as installing solar panels or replacing heating systems. Besides the investment cost, not all energy-saving measures are technically feasible. Renting a building versus owning it also has an impact on how much an organization can reduce energy consumption further. For the assessment of their energy consumption, some CIDSE members have had an energy survey done to help them identify areas where progress could still be made. All these practical steps are rooted in CIDSE analysis and advocacy on climate and energy. For more information, please see the resources section.

EVENTS

Events represent a good opportunity to inform participants about your environmentally-friendly practices, demonstrate what is possible in green, sustainable gatherings, encourage them to take part and start a conversation with them. Just like travel, questioning the need to hold/convene an event and weighing up the negative against the positive effects is crucial. In preparing an event, some of our members check whether it makes sense to hold it for ecological reasons and whether the benefits outweigh the costs. If the assessment is positive, it is important to keep climate-friendly implementation to the fore.

ACTIONS TAKEN IN THE CIDSE NETWORK:

VENUES

• Opting for a venue that meets as many criteria of their sustainability policy as possible;
• If possible, promoting sustainability criteria at the venue;
• When organizing an international meeting, carefully considering the number of participants needed. Certain international meetings (involving 10 international journeys) require an institutional decision.

TRAVELLING TO THE VENUE

• Providing participants with comprehensive information about public transport ahead of the event to increase the likelihood they will use public transport; and strongly recommending them to use public transport on arrival;
• Selecting a venue that they can be reached easily by public transport. This should apply to internal activities (staff party, reflection days, excursions, etc) and external activities (workshops, events, etc);
• When organizing activities with participants, consider the location’s accessibility;
• Distribute materials among the team evenly to ensure everyone can use public transport.

CATERING

• Meat-free catering at events: all lunches, dinners and snacks are strictly vegetarian;
• For larger events, contract local businesses and catering companies and favour local and organic produce or ensure catering is based on regional, seasonal and fair-trade produce;
• Select caterers who work with local producers and seasonal and fair-trade produce;
• If possible, provide fair-trade coffee, tea and juices. Adopt a no soft drinks policy;
• All tableware should be reusable (china, glass, metal, etc.) – no plastic dishes or cups; use textile instead of paper tablecloths and recycled paper napkins;
• Providing tap water, if clean tap water is available, instead of buying bottled water.

PROMOTION AND COMMUNICATION

• Try to reduce printed materials to the precise needs of the event;
• As much as possible, only distribute communications and promotional materials digitally;
• Invitations and registrations are increasingly being sent digitally in preference to letters and reply cards.

MEETINGS

• Using videoconferencing whenever possible;
• Equipping additional offices and rooms with videoconferencing technology;
• Projecting documents on the screen during meetings so that staff do not have to print out individual copies of preparatory documents.

CAMPAIGNS (MATERIALS)

ACTIONS TAKEN IN THE CIDSE NETWORK:

• Having a clear strategy about the need for promotional/campaign materials to avoid purchasing unnecessary gadgets;
• Considering quantity when ordering;
• Giving preference to products that are produced locally, nationally or in Europe when buying campaign materials;
• When buying campaign materials and giveaways, give preference to goods produced sustainably. In case of a lack of transparency, seek information on production conditions;
• Where possible, materials should be produced from recycled material and be climate-neutral. Many materials are increasingly available online;
• Try to distribute materials in a climate-neutral way.