This is a sample environmental policy for a charity.
As the environmental impacts will vary from organisation to organisation, it will need to be adapted to your particular circumstances.
Charity X 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:
Management
1. Charity X mandates the CEO to take executive responsibility for taking forward and implementing this commitment.
They are also requested to report annually on progress made, including statistical information on Charity X’s annual:
- Energy carbon footprint
- Electricity
- Water
- Transport fuel
- Gas
- Total waste production
- % of waste recycled
- % vegetarian meals provided
- Total paper consumption
- % Recycled paper
- % Renewable energy used
- Any other relevant environmental criteria.
This annual environmental report will be presented at the same meeting as the annual accounts.
2. Charity X’s annual impact statement will include a summary of this annual environmental audit of the charity.
3. Progress on improvement of Charity X’s environmental performance will be a standard item at senior management meetings.
4. All staff contracts will include a clause stating that staff will be expected to help Charity X in carrying out its aim of being an environmentally responsible organisation, in how they carry out their day-to-day duties.
5. Induction procedures for new staff will include information on the charity’s environmental practices.
6. Charity X will ask all our current and future suppliers for their environmental policies and for evidence of implementation of such policies and indicate that such performance will be used as criteria for supplier selection.
7. Charity X will seek to have relevant environmental clauses included in any future contracts agreed with outside bodies.
8. Charity X will include environmental responsibility training in any future staff training programmes, especially for those involved in providing advice to vulnerable clients.
9. Charity X will observe existing environmental legislation as a minimum standard and seek to out-perform current legislative requirements where practical.
10. Charity X 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 environmental policy shall be reviewed annually upon its adoption.