The charity has achieved a silver accolade from Investors in the Environment (iiE), an accreditation scheme that is designed to help organisations reduce their impact on the environment by cutting resource use and waste production.
The Rise team have implemented a range of initiatives that supports their goal of tackling the climate crisis, including:
- The appointment of two ‘green champions’ Kaye Scott and Jack Liddle. They have engaged with national campaigns such as Great Big Green Week, where the whole team did a litter pick, and World Plant Milk Day to encourage more sustainable choices amongst staff.
- Driving down emissions in key areas; reduction in electricity use by 50%, use of gas by 73% and reduction in waste by 17%, since Rise’s last accreditation.
- A “brilliant” travel plan which actively encourages sustainable travel, e.g. introducing access to electric bikes for local meetings and improving facilities for those who can cycle to work.
Clare Morley, chief executive officer at Rise, said: “We’re really proud to have achieved our silver award and we look forward to achieving the green award, the highest level of accreditation.
“Our staff have worked hard to secure this award and are always looking at ways to reduce waste, recycle more and embrace more sustainable ways of working – and it’s a key objective for us as an organisation. We also hope that the knowledge we are gaining in the workplace can translate into the home lives of our team so that the impact is even greater.
“In addition to the iiE award, we work with partners to look at all the ways that physical activity can be used to support the climate change agenda and reduce harm to our environment. We have also made a formal commitment to being net zero as part of the United Nations Future Net Zero campaign, and are developing new ways of working in order to become more sustainable.”