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May events: Green skills and your workplace

Session 1

What do we mean by green skills?

Tuesday 14th May | 1pm | Online

Green economy, green jobs, and green skills! What’s the difference and what do they mean in practice?

This event is suitable for anyone

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Session 2

MERGED WITH SESSION 3

Green recruitment and inclusive job descriptions

Tuesday 21th May | 1pm | Online

This session focuses on how to rewrite job descriptions to be more inclusive and attract a wider pool of green talent, emphasizing skills beyond just technical expertise.

This event is suitable for employers and recruitment teams

Session 3

Greening every job

Tuesday 28th May | 1pm | Online

This session explores how every job in a company can contribute to sustainability goals, emphasising broader green skills beyond technical expertise.

This event is suitable for employers

Book now

All upcoming Cynnal Cymru events can be booked via Ticketsource

Explore all events

Session 1: What do we mean by green skills and why are they needed?

Tuesday 14th May | 1pm | Online

Hosts: Karolina Rucinska and Camille Lovgreen

Green economy, green jobs, and green skills! What’s the difference and what do they mean in practice? Are these just for engineers and energy specialists or can anyone acquire these skills? Why they matter to every business and how they can help address changing legislation around energy, waste and social impact?

‘Green skills’ are the competencies required to create greater resilience and adapt to an environmentally flourishing and socially just present and future. Noticeably, these skills are broad and vary from technical to soft skills. Yet, many soft skills, ranging from the ability to think creatively, empathetically and analytically, are crucial for transition as they enable a reimagination of current ways of doing to allow new system designs that address the challenges we face as a society.

This session will:

Unpick key terms related to green skills so we can all better understand the skills we need for a future-fit society – how to nurture them and why they are important. It also outlines the main Welsh organisations that provide training and support in relation to climate, nature, and social justice.
Touch upon opportunities associated with green skills.
Provide useful names of organisations and resources to employees and employers alike.
Explore how green skills can help stay ahead of different legislation for environmental protection and just workforce conditions.

And of course, the session gives a chance to exchange contact details to make the most of this networking opportunity!

Postponed and merged with session 3

Session 2: Green recruitment and inclusive job descriptions

Tuesday 21st May | 1pm | Online

Hosts: Karolina Rucinska and Camille Lovgreen

This session focuses on how to rewrite job descriptions to be more inclusive and attract a wider pool of green talent, emphasizing skills beyond just technical expertise. It will cover:

Identifying Unconscious Bias: Recognise language that might exclude potential candidates with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and communication styles. Offer alternatives for commonly biased terms and highlight the value of empathy and cultural understanding in sustainability work.
Highlighting Green Skills: Showcase the specific green skills required for the role, including creativity in problem-solving, system thinking for holistic approaches, and strong communication skills for building partnerships with diverse stakeholders.
Action-Oriented Language: Reframe job descriptions to focus on the impact of the role, promoting inclusivity and building a more sustainable future.
Inclusive Hiring Practices: Briefly discuss strategies for ensuring diverse interview panels and accessible application processes, emphasizing the importance of recognising the value of different perspectives for achieving sustainable solutions.

Please bring your own challenges and experiences to share.

Session 3: Greening every job

Tuesday 28th May | 1pm | Online

Hosts: Karolina Rucinska and Camille Lovgreen

This session explores how every job in a company can contribute to sustainability goals, emphasising broader green skills beyond technical expertise. It will cover:

Sustainability Integration: Discuss how seemingly unrelated roles can contribute to making the company more environmentally aligned and socially just. For example
- Marketing & Sales: Highlight the importance of storytelling to engage customers with sustainability and collaboration with design teams to ensure products and services are truthful and do not perpetuate overconsumption and inequalities.
- Finance & Accounting: Show how life cycle and circular economy principles (system thinking) can be integrated into financial decisions; and how to ensure investments are ethical and long-term.
- Workforce Development: Explore strategies for building a fulfilled, diverse and inclusive green workforce.
- Front of house, shopfloor and admin roles: Highlight the importance of the client facing roles in demonstrating the sustainable values of any organisation; ; and highlight the value of the on-the-ground knowledge that can aide in creating realistic solutions.
Everyday Green Practices: Offer practical tips for integrating sustainability principles into daily work routines while promoting collaboration and inclusivity (people skills).

May events: Green skills and your workplace Read More »

An image of two people walking in the park, one holding a bike

Reconnecting face-to-face in a climate-conscious world

While convenient, virtual meetings can’t fully replicate the power of in-person interactions. Non-verbal cues, spontaneity, and the energy of shared space contribute to trust, understanding, and ultimately, sharper collaboration. Pre-pandemic travel patterns could have been better, but dismissing in-person meetings entirely ignores these significant benefits.

The answer lies in strategic, mindful choices with multiple co-benefits:

Reducing emissions: Connecting locally

Prioritise local clients: Connect with nearby clients face-to-face, favouring trains or carpooling for reduced emissions and increased productivity during commutes.
Embrace hybrid approaches: Combine virtual elements with smaller, local teams for distant clients, fostering strong relationships while saving travel time and costs.
Optimise travel when necessary: Choose the most fuel-efficient mode – trains, buses, or carpooling – for reduced emissions, individual cost savings, and potential networking opportunities.
Advocate for change: Encourage clients and organisations to prioritise sustainable travel options and infrastructure development, contributing to a wider positive impact on the environment and society.

Beyond the footprint: Optimizing for more than the environment

Maximising time: Careful planning and efficient travel modes can minimise travel time while maximising productivity, boosting your personal efficiency and client satisfaction.
Boosting well-being: Balancing virtual and in-person interactions offers both focused solitude and stimulating social interaction, contributing to increased personal well-being and potentially enhancing creativity during client meetings.

Leading the way: Beyond words, actions that speak volumes

As consultants, we have the opportunity to champion sustainable practices in a post-pandemic world. By demonstrating that face-to-face connections can thrive alongside environmental responsibility, we can:

Inspire clients and organisations to embrace sustainable travel solutions, driving positive change within the business community.
Drive wider change by advocating for infrastructure development that prioritises sustainability, contributing to a more liveable and environmentally friendly future for all.
Become exemplars of walking the walk, showcasing how success can be achieved while minimising our environmental impact, building trust and respect with clients who share similar values.

Leading by example: Cynnal Cymru’s commitment to sustainable client meetings

While the pandemic sparked the widespread adoption of virtual meetings, the desire for face-to-face client interaction is undeniably returning. At Cynnal Cymru, however, we recognise that prioritizing the planet shouldn’t come at the expense of strong client relationships. That’s why we’ve implemented specific measures to ensure our consultations are both fruitful and environmentally responsible.

Our travel policy: Walking the talk

Active Travel First: We prioritise walking, cycling, and public transport for all local meetings. By making this the default option, we minimise emissions and promote healthy lifestyles.
Open Communication: We openly discuss our travel policy with clients, explaining our commitment to sustainability and encouraging them to explore eco-friendly travel options when visiting our office.
Transparency and Tracking: We’ve added a dedicated line in our expense claims for employees to specify their mode of travel and destination. This allows us to monitor our impact and identify areas for further improvement.
No to Flights: As an organisation, we’ve made a conscious decision to avoid air travel entirely. While this may restrict our geographic reach, it underscores our unwavering dedication to minimising our carbon footprint.
Sustainable Directions: We provide clients with detailed instructions on reaching our office using public transport, cycling routes, and walking and wheeling paths. This empowers them to make informed choices that align with their own sustainability values.

Beyond the policy: Continuous improvement

While we’ve made significant strides, we acknowledge that there’s always room for growth. One area we’re focusing on is onboarding new staff. We recognise that not everyone instinctively integrates active travel into their business travel routines. We have incorporated sustainability awareness training into our onboarding process to ensure everyone understands and embraces our travel policy.

Join the conversation

We invite you to share your thoughts and experiences on navigating the balance between client relationships and environmental responsibility. Together, we can pave the way for a sustainable future for all.

Reconnecting face-to-face in a climate-conscious world Read More »

Make 2024 your Carbon Accounting year

What is Carbon Accounting?

Carbon Accounting is a process that assesses your organisation’s impact on the climate (known as your carbon footprint), from the electricity your office uses, to the travel-to-work habits of your staff, to the supply chains you use. It can be an extensive process that often takes several months.

Most businesses, especially small businesses, can’t afford to employ someone to focus on carbon accounting, which is why you can hire a Carbon Accountant to do this for you. You know you’re getting someone qualified, who understands carbon accounting inside-out, and can lead your staff through the process of getting all the necessary data and documents together. Cynnal Cymru has just launched a Carbon Accounting service for small and medium businesses across Wales!

Can I do my own carbon accounting?

You can absolutely do your own carbon accounting. If you’d prefer to do it yourself, Cynnal Cymru can provide advice on the best tools to use – or you can become a member for free advice on the process from our Sustainability Advisors.

If you do choose to do your own carbon accounting, you’ll need a lot of different data, including:

Number of staff
Company turnover
Metered gas, water, and electricity usage
Weight and type of waste
Types, number, and weight of goods purchased
Money spent on services
Transportation in type and distance for business travel and staff commutes

Even just collecting this information and ensuring you don’t miss anything out can seem a daunting task, which might not feel worth it for small businesses. Hiring someone to guide you through that process, ensure you get all the right information, and then do the calculations for you can lift a weight off your shoulders – and for a fraction of the price of a full-time employee!

Why should I care about carbon accounting?

It’s a great question that we hear often – why does my organisation need carbon accounting? Is carbon accounting just for big businesses with huge carbon footprints?

While big businesses should absolutely be leading the way on carbon footprinting, all organisations of every size should be thinking about their carbon impacts. We are currently in a climate crisis, and if we ignore our own contributions then we will end up causing further harm. In Wales, we are legally committed (through the Environment (Wales) Act 2016) to reduce our carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. That’s only 26 years away! Whether you have just started a new business or are an established not-for-profit that has started looking carefully at its carbon output, you’ll want to start working towards net zero emissions in your organisation sooner rather than later.

Beyond your legal requirements, going through carbon accounting helps you better understand your emissions and gives you opportunities for reduction. If you base your organisation’s sustainability decisions on guesses, you may overlook big areas for improvement and mislead your staff, suppliers or community. With Carbon Accounting, you can set targets based on real data, which you can monitor based on international standards and targets. With the support of a Carbon Accountant, you can compare your performance year after year and see your progress towards your goals. You will feel more secure in your carbon targets and your team will be able to see the results of the changes they make.

Can I afford to do Carbon Accounting?

We know that small businesses, charities, and nonprofits operatre within very tight budgets. We get it! As a charity ourselves, we understand that you can’t afford to pay for services you don’t need.

At Cynnal Cymru, we’ve developed a model that works best for organisations like yours and takes into account the pressures on both your time and resources. From £2,250 plus VAT, you can get a full carbon footprint assessment, recommendations for emissions reductions, and a final report that can be shared with your board, customers, and stakeholders.

We also see our role as educational, so as we go through this service, we’ll explain each step to you and give you tips on understanding and improving your carbon footprint. That means that, after your initial carbon accounting process, you may well be equipped to go off and do it yourself in future years. If you want some support and guidance without going through the whole process every year, you can become a member to get free support from our Sustainability Advisors on your carbon accounting needs.

Do you provide any discounts to certain organisations?

Yes! At Cynnal Cymru, our Carbon Accounting package has been developed for small and medium organisations.

Our service is best for (but not limited to):

Organisations of 1-49 employees
Not-for-profit organisations
Organisations in one building or location — including rented offices
Organisations that offer services rather than sell and manufacture goods

We provide a Membership programme for organisations like these, which provides you with benefits such as networking, events, and added support from our team. As a Cynnal Cymru member, you will receive a 10% discount on your Carbon Accounting services, as well as free consultancy from our Sustainability Advisors.

How do I start my Carbon Accounting journey?

Ready to speak to the team? You can contact us to speak to a Sustainability Advisor and begin your journey!

If you’re not sure yet, read more about our Carbon Accounting service here.

Make 2024 your Carbon Accounting year Read More »

9 April | Deforestation Free Business (DFB) Champions

Do you want to be part of a growing movement of socially responsible Welsh businesses who are leading the way in protecting tropical forests?

Cynnal Cymru and climate change charity Size of Wales will be holding an in-person, peer-to-peer learning event to help businesses take practical steps to address tropical deforestation and social impacts within their supply chains.

During the event, participants will hear from organisations who have already started their Deforestation Free journey and learn the practical steps to help them reduce their tropical forest footprint. It will include a forest-risk surgery to help identify areas for action, with support and advice from the Size of Wales team. The event will provide a fantastic opportunity to meet a supportive business network committed to acting for forests, people and nature.

The event will be hosted by Orchard Media at their premises on Trade Street, Cardiff, and ethically sourced coffee and pastries will be provided.

Reserve your place >>

9 April | Deforestation Free Business (DFB) Champions Read More »

A large wave crashes onto the edge of the pier with a visible lighthouse in Porthcawl.

National Infrastructure Commission for Wales (NICW) launches climate research project

This week NICW has launched a new climate research project run by Cynnal Cymru to explore how climate change is communicated to communities. Over five months, the research team will analyse current trends and meet with communities to ultimately help public bodies engage better with the public to manage long-term climate risks.

Climate change is a serious issue that will transform landscapes worldwide, including Wales. The impact will be particularly significant here in Wales, where 60% of the population and the infrastructure we depend on are located in coastal areas. Many communities in these areas are situated below the high tide line, and rising sea levels and increased storms will gradually erode coastlines at a rate of 20-67m every 100 years. This rate is expected to increase to 82-175m depending on the level of carbon emissions.

However, rising sea levels are not the only change that the people of Wales will experience. Prolonged heat waves, heavy storms, and droughts might become the new norm, posing significant challenges to everyone. Therefore, it is essential to consider these impacts when maintaining and upgrading the infrastructure, which is often over 200 years old.

It is also crucial to recognise that the likelihood and severity of these risks will increase in the coming decades. Public bodies, the Welsh Government, and other important stakeholders must make critical decisions on responding to this risk, which may require responding to this risk and ensuring that communities are also engaged in the difficult decisions around planning and investment.

About the project

The new project launched on November 6, 2023 and is set to end in March 2024. Its main objective is to help public bodies make better decisions and engage with the public to manage long-term climate risks. This learning will be applied to other climate threats as well. The project will focus on engaging those who are directly or indirectly affected by the risks, as well as the wider public, who may be affected in the future by the use of our nation’s infrastructure assets or in their homes.

To accomplish these goals, the project will analyse current and emerging data about climate threats and ways to communicate these threats through interviews with stakeholders, including the NICW. Additionally, the analysis of the call for evidence, which is currently open, will be considered. Ultimately, this is a scoping project that aims to assist NICW in establishing a wider research program for 2024/2025 and provide recommendations on governance.

Cynnal Cymru, a sustainable development charity, was chosen to run the project due to their innovative approach to how the public, including policymakers, can act in the face of uncertainty.

Cynnal Cymru

“We are excited to contribute to this important initiative by providing direct insight on climate, engagement, and decision-making to those whose decisions will directly impact the well-being of communities in Wales”.

Helen Armstrong

“We commissioned this project because we wanted to be pushed and challenged about how we think and communicate climate change with the public and decision-makers in Wales.”

Steve Brooks

“Climate change affects us all, but its effects vary across Wales and we want to ensure diverse voices are part of our strategy.”

About the National Infrastructure

The National Infrastructure Commission for Wales (NICW) was established in 2018 as an independent, non-statutory advisory body to Welsh Ministers. Its key purpose is to analyse, advise and make recommendations on Wales’ longer-term strategic economic and environmental infrastructure needs over a 5-80-year period. Welsh Ministers have recently set the NICW a new remit for this Senedd term which includes investigating and making recommendations to the Welsh Government on climate change resilience.

About Cynnal Cymru

Since 2002, Cynnal Cymru has paved the way for sustainable development in Wales. We aim to help organisations create a fairer and more secure future for all through training, consultancy, research, and facilitation. A fair and secure future is sustainable and climate literate, which is why we provide training and consultancy as a partner of the Carbon Literacy Project and across other sustainability areas. Our Fair Work team help businesses create fairer working practices as the Welsh accreditor of the real Living Wage.

National Infrastructure Commission for Wales (NICW) launches climate research project Read More »

Cynnal Cymru welcomes two new staff members

In the last month, Cynnal Cymru has welcomed two new employees to support our growing work programme. Our team of 17 sustainability specialists work to support organisations across three core programme areas: (i) low carbon economy, (ii) natural environment and (iii) fair and just society.

To support our connections agenda, we welcome our new Policy Engagement officer Phoebe Nicklin. They will primarily be working on the Foundational Economy network that Cynnal Cymru facilitates on behalf of Welsh Government.

To support our internal operations, we welcome Beli Evans as our Communications and Marketing Officer. They will be part of a team of creatives, advisors, trainers and facilitators, who are passionate about supporting our clients, members and communities to take bold decisions for a fairer and more secure future.

Phoebe Nicklin

Phoebe is the Policy and Engagement officer supporting the Foundational Economy network that Cynnal Cymru currently facilitates on behalf of Welsh Government. She also works to build collaboration around sustainability issues including fair work, a just transition, climate and biodiversity.

Phoebe has a diverse set of skills and knowledge from previously working for Cardiff University on research and community engagement projects to connect Welsh communities to nature for health and wellbeing. Phoebe has a strong background in innovation, working with the NHS on healthcare initiatives to encourage engagement with green spaces, increasing biodiversity through rewilding, pollinator and citizen science projects.

Phoebe is excited to be supporting the Foundational economy network as she is passionate about equality and access to essential goods and services.

Outside of work Phoebe enjoys spending time in nature, ice skating, gaming and gardening.

Beli Evans

Beli joins Cynnal Cymru as the Marketing and Communications Officer. They have spent the past decade in similar communications roles across the nonprofit sector, including most recently as the Marketing and Communications Director for SpokesPerson CIC, improving cycling accessibility across Cardiff and South Wales.

Beli is excited about the opportunity to delve more into climate and sustainability communications and engage more closely with Cynnal Cymru’s wide array of communities and stakeholders. They are an expert in trans and disability accessibility and look forward to bringing that to the role.

Beli’s life and career so far has been varied in kind and location – ask them about living and working in LA or their early career as a dog trainer! Outside of work, you’ll find them singing in Songbirds Choir, organising with Disability Collective Cymru and South Wales Drag King Collective, or hunkered down finishing their novel.

Cynnal Cymru welcomes two new staff members Read More »

Cynnal Cymru Strengthens Board with New Trustee Appointees

The charity turns these sustainability values into practical action by providing advice and training to assist businesses on their sustainability journey. Cynnal Cymru also works to spread fair working practices across Wales, including by managing Living Wage Wales and delivering pay rises for the lowest paid in Wales’ economy. These actions make Cynnal Cymru a catalyst for a just transition to a greener and fairer society.

The journey towards sustainability however is a challenge that needs to involve everyone. With this key objective in mind the Charity’s Board set out to seek broader representation of skills and lived experience amongst its trustees – from a wide range of applicants that exceeded expectations. From a diverse range of candidates, each bringing different insights, skills and perspectives, three new trustees have joined the Board to steer the Charity’s future work.

Dan Tram grew up in Cardiff and has worked for Arup, a global sustainable development consultancy, for six years. As a senior engineer in Arup’s water team, he advocates and delivers sustainable solutions to the many challenges we face, with a particular focus on using nature and sustainable water management to reshape our towns and cities. Dan was listed as a Future 100 Changemaker by the Future Generations Commissioner.

Sam Stensland works for Business in the Community, which aims to bring about a fairer and greener world driven by fairer and greener businesses. He is a Trustee of Tylorstown Welfare Hall and is a Grants Panellist with WCVA, bringing strong experience of place-based grant-making, cross-sector collaboration, and strategic marketing. He has a strong sustainability background, holding an MSc in Political Ecology.

Nirushan Sudarsan is deeply embedded in the agenda to bring fair working practices to all people and communities. He runs two social enterprises, Ffair Jobs CIC and Grange Pavilion Youth Forum CIC. His work with Ffair Jobs has been instrumental in establishing the Community Jobs Compact, which has been signed by major employers such as IKEA, ITV Wales, Careers Wales, and the Welsh Parliament.

Diane McCrea, Chair of Cynnal Cymru’s Board, said: “All charities rely on small groups of committed volunteers to step up and take on the role as trustees. They safeguard the organisation’s mission, oversee key financial and governance tasks, and provide critical thinking, challenge and support to help staff deliver their best work. Dan, Sam and Nirushan bring with them skills and insights from a broad range of professional and a wide range of lived experience, strengthening our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. I am delighted to welcome them to the Board Trustee team to help further Cynnal Cymru’s mission.”

Cynnal Cymru Strengthens Board with New Trustee Appointees Read More »

Cynnal Cymru and the Circular Economy

In 2022 the Cynnal Cymru team contributed to a project funded by the Wales Innovation Network to help businesses and public services develop their Circular Economy knowledge and skills. The project, which ran from July to October 2022, was a joint venture between Cardiff Metropolitan University, Aberystwyth University, Bangor University, Swansea University, Cwmpas and Cynnal Cymru.

Central to the project was identifying businesses in Wales that have already successfully implemented circular economy principles and harnessing their experience and expertise to share with others. The project outputs include a report that outlines 21 case studies of Welsh businesses that have successfully implemented circular economy principles, and a series of inspirational video clips. Their aim is to provide ‘how to’ examples for practitioners to better understand circular economy principles and their implementation.

The project also looked at available resources for learning about the circular economy, which have been mapped out on a capability development matrix. Ranging from Level 1 content, which provides short videos and briefing notes that develop CE understanding, up to Level 7, which features intensive programmes to enable practitioners to implement CE principles within their organisation, the aim is to help organisations find relevant resources to develop appropriate knowledge and skills for individuals and groups.

Our own circular economy journey

Our Sustainability Advisor Dr Karolina Rucinska also took part in a training programme, organised by Cardiff Metropolitan University, that led to a formation of the Cardiff Circular Economy Network (CCEN)). As a result, Karolina has started introducing the concept of a circular economy to our members and clients and has mapped out how we at Cynnal Cymru can become circular too. Click here to listen to Karolina describing the value of the network, and if you think membership might be for you, get in touch via Twitter or the CCEN website.

For those of you who are interested to learn more about the circular economy, its roots, history and recent development, read Karolina’s post ‘Back to Nature: Circular Economy Then and Now’

Cynnal Cymru and the Circular Economy Read More »

Nature Wise for business – ‘Give it a go, because the clock is ticking’

Tell us about Orangebox and your role

We design and manufacture office furniture and the company is sustainability-led. Our HQ and two factories are in south-east Wales, and three years ago we were bought out by Steelcase, a big American company.

I joined as a furniture designer around 20 years ago, but just over a year ago I became Head of Sustainability. I’m interested in minimising our carbon footprint and I also look after our energy efficiency.

Why is nature important to you and the businesses?

I do a lot of cycling, I’m a keen birdwatcher and part of a conservation group. So I’m passionate about biodiversity and I’m helping Orangebox acknowledge that climate change isn’t the only big risk.

Part of the Orangebox team volunteering at the Stump up for Trees nursery outside of Abergavenny.

How important is nature in your sector?

Increasingly so, but we are at the first rungs on the ladder. Orangebox prides itself on being environmentally-led, but it’s always felt like we’ve been pushing. Now customers are asking how they can reduce their carbon footprint. The biodiversity and nature discussion is nowhere near as mature, but as we see more media exposure of biodiversity loss that will increase exponentially in the next 5 years.

What do you think are the best things about nature in Wales?

It’s the variety. I love where I live because in half an hour I can be on top of a mountain, on a cliff looking out to sea, or at Newport wetlands surrounded by thousands of starlings.

I work in a design studio on the banks of the Taff, where I’m lucky to look onto woodland. Every time we see a species of bird we print out a picture and put it on the wall. You won’t believe how many species we’ve seen!

Why did you choose to do Nature Wise?

The minute I saw it, I wanted to deepen my knowledge of how ecosystems work and get a better understanding of biodiversity loss. Because I’m with Cardiff Conservation Volunteers my course was essentially free, as it was funded by GWR.

How was the course?

I really enjoyed it. The trainers knew the content and had passion for it, and it was just the right level in terms of complexity.

What changes are you making, following the course?

Personally, I’ve pledged to do more in my village and have been talking to my neighbours. But more impactful will be how I can help at Orangebox. We’re thinking harder about the materials we use and where they come from. For example, we use a lot of wood, and while that is low impact compared to plastics and metals, we still have to buy most of it from abroad. So we’re working hard on developing partnerships that allow us to source wood from well-managed forests in the UK.

Litter Gareth collected from a local stream.

What would you say to others about why they should sign up for Nature Wise?

Give it a go, because the clock is ticking.

Nabod Natur – Nature Wise is a science-based, action-focused course to help individuals to understand the relationships between people and natural systems. It shares knowledge, builds understanding and provide the tools to motivate and catalyse action.

Nature Wise for business – ‘Give it a go, because the clock is ticking’ Read More »

'It's important for people to disconnect from work and get out in nature' Julie Longton, Associate Director (Grasshopper Communications)

Nature Wise for Business – ‘being outside and close to nature is crucial for wellbeing’

What is your job at Grasshopper Communications?

I’m a communications professional at Grasshopper, a communications agency with an office in Cardiff. Our work is all about social value, we create campaigns that change attitudes and actions in positive, lasting ways. We partner with like-minded organisations, such as renewable energy companies, environment agencies and local and Welsh Government, supporting campaigns on active travel, regeneration, net zero and conservation.

What are the best things about nature for you?

I work remotely and I’m usually in front of my laptop, so it’s critical I spend any free time out by the beach, or in the woods walking with my kids and spotting birds and beetles.

I want to bring my children up so that they’re really fond of nature. Our local beach, Maenporth (near Falmouth), has lots of craggy rocks and little tunnels which kids love. We can go whatever the weather – they just love it!

How important is nature to your sector?

I think that for communications – for most industries – people have realised that the environment is important for staff wellbeing. The pandemic was a bit of a turning point, when we realised that we need human connection but also that being outside and close to nature is crucial for wellbeing.

Why is nature important to you and the business?

Personally, being closer to nature was part of the motivation for moving with my family from London to Cornwall. I wanted my children to be close to the woods and the beach, to have more work-life balance and be closer to wildlife.

As for Grasshopper, wellbeing is a real focus for us – it’s part of our culture. It’s important for people to disconnect from work and get out in nature. In fact, this year we’re hopefully starting some team voluntary work to support a local conservation charity.

Grasshopper Communications team on a wellbeing day.

Why did you do the Nature Wise course?

I was keen to do it because at the time I was putting together a communications strategy for a project for Natural Resources Wales, called Natur Am Byth. The aim is to bring people closer to nature and protect endangered species. So Nature Wise was really helpful for that role, particularly for the work I was doing on how to inspire people.

How did you find the course?

I thought it was brilliant. The trainers were really good and it really was a two-way course with lots of discussion. Doing it over two days meant you could go away and digest it before coming back to the next phase.

What would you say to others about doing Nature Wise?

Go for it! Whether you’re a junior member of staff or a senior manager, it’s relevant for anyone with an interest in the environment who wants to take a more active role.

Nature Wise for Business – ‘being outside and close to nature is crucial for wellbeing’ Read More »