This network members discussion took place on 11 July 2024.

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How can volunteers help with environmental sustainability in your organisation?

TOP TIPS FROM NETWORK MEMBERS

• If you have one, link in with your sustainability team.

• Look at the green initiatives already happening in your organisation and investigate how volunteers could help. By joining any green initiative group or panel within your organisation you can better include volunteers as stakeholders in some of the initiatives.

• Keep asking the question “How can volunteers help?”

• Break goals down into bite sized achievable chunks so that people are not too overwhelmed. For example: Encourage the use of refillable water bottles and car sharing.

• Use Hyper-local volunteering where possible. For example: This might work for a settling in service to reduce the carbon footprint where there could be pockets of volunteers across a county.

• Green Champions. A network of volunteers and staff championing sustainable practices within the workplace.

Education on Waste Management

• What is the meaning of ‘Carbon Footprint’. Great little video by the BBC for schools.

• Knowing what to put in each bin and what happens to it afterwards.

• Demonstrate what can be saved environmentally and financially.

• Generating energy from waste: how it works

Recycling mobility aids

Getting mobility aids returned is difficult enough but what happens to equipment that is no longer fit for use?

• Check with your local Red Cross.

• Find local scrap metal companies. Some will often donate a percentage of the metal's worth to local causes and projects.

• Walking Aid Recycling: NHS England » Walking aid reuse

• Donating and recycling used disability equipment | Disability charity Scope UK

Roles and initiatives already in place

• Cycling Volunteer Lead

The Cycling Lead volunteer is a role created by West London NHS Trust. A forum has been set up (Bicycle User Group) to bring together cyclists and potential cyclists to encourage cycling, improve facilities and generally support staff who want to cycle.

Through giving staff, the confidence to use cycling as an alternative to a car they are also helping to alleviate a lack of parking spaces and have recently received accreditation for being a cycling-friendly organisation.

Find out more:

Our Green Plan, one year on :: West London NHS Trust

West London Get Fit - new cycling volunteer leads join the trust :: West London NHS Trust

• Horticultural Volunteers

James Paget has a horticultural project supported by the veteran services.

James Paget Volunteers’ Week garden project

• Volunteers running gardening and walking groups for patients and staff.

How can collaboration between organisations help to implement green initiatives in volunteer services?

“I would definitely encourage partnership working because I think it's wonderful to bring the community into the different settings and it builds up a relationship with the community.”

• The Volunteer Centre in Dorset are working with an organisation called Little Green Change

• Link into universities that have environmental management courses, horticultural courses or an environmental student group.

• The Volunteer Passport scheme is running and working in Norfolk, and the ICB has a dedicated post that coordinates, oversees and helps develop the service.

More useful links

• Greener NHS (england.nhs.uk)

• Green Social Prescribing – National Academy for Social Prescribing | NASP (socialprescribingacademy.org.uk)

• New report proves nature-based health projects save NHS time and money | The Wildlife Trusts

• NHS England » Greener Allied Health Professional hub

Previous discussions

• Focus discussion on green initiatives - 4 January 2023

• Focused discussion on Go Greener volunteers - 2 August 2022