Creating an “ah-ha” moment to help embed sustainability into ColegauCymru’s DNA

ColegauCymru is a membership organisation that represents the interests of further education institutions across Wales. In recognising the collective need to embrace sustainability, ColegauCymru joined Cynnal Cymru seeking advice and networks towards creating a more sustainable future.

Challenge:

Like many other organisations, they have become increasingly aware of their need to coordinate actions on emerging sustainability trends, goals, and regulations, and to be able to set a positive example. As a result, the team approached Cynnal Cymru seeking support on how best to proceed.

Solution:

Instead of making a series of recommendations on a report that would have gone unnoticed, we proposed creating an “ah-ha” moment.

We were fortunate that the team who spoke with us said, “We think everyone in this organisation should be part of it” ! It was music to our ears. After all, as we often say, everyone, no matter what title they hold, can have insights and expertise about sustainability.

So, on a rainy Monday morning, we turned, for a few hours, an entire organisation into researchers, system thinkers and consultants!

ColegauCymru have mapped out their operations to better understand their positive and negative impacts across the value chain and have outlined the key pillars of action. In doing so, the entire team appreciated how their organisation fits into the world and what they must aim for.

Impact:

As one of the participants said, “Perhaps our vision then should be about sustainability…?”

When we heard it, we knew the workshop created an “ah-ha” moment. How come? At Cynnal Cymru, we firmly believe that a tick-box approach to sustainability will not be able to address the challenges facing organisations and will most definitely not help societies and nature to meet their most basic needs, let alone thrive. So, to lead by example, organisations must embed sustainability into their DNA rather than have a separate, official version, vision, mission and strategy.

ColegauCymru Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Rachel Cable, said,

“We’re grateful for the support and guidance provided by the Cynnal Cymru team at this workshop, which was a great first step in our sustainability journey.

ColegauCymru is committed to making our organisation more sustainable, and we hope in time to be able to share our learnings with the colleges in our membership as well as our other partner organisations. This workshop was useful in encouraging us to think differently about how we work and how we can make improvements in all aspects of our sustainability journey, and not just our professional lives.

We look forward to continuing to work with Cynnal Cymru in laying the foundations for our onward journey.”

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

National Infrastructure Commission for Wales (NICW) launches research project into climate change and engagement with the public

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.

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Mind and Local Minds – linking mental health with sustainability

The challenge

Mental health charities are increasingly interested in issues around climate change and are eager to know what role they can play and how they can positively contribute to the sustainable development goals, and the seven wellbeing goals here in Wales. However, as with many other organisations, local Minds in Wales do not always have in-house experts, sustainability professionals, or the appropriate capacity to help them integrate sustainability into their operations. As a result, there is often concern and worry about not knowing where to start and what to do.

The challenge was to create a shared understanding of what sustainability means to local Minds in Wales, so that as a federation they are all on the same page. Local Minds in Wales are in the process of implementing their Network Strategy for 2023 to 2026, where plans around environmental sustainability feature within implementation plan tasks, and they have reached out to us for help.

The session came about from interest expressed by local Mind leaders to find out more about this subject area.

Our approach

We find that the best way to approach such complex challenges is to make their everyday impacts relatable within our clients’ own experiences and areas of operation. Their concerns and frames of reference need to shape what we are delivering and have space to be aired and explored. That way the priorities or solutions that emerge are tangible and relevant rather than theoretical or out of touch. In this case, we chose to show Local Minds that the current crises their clients are facing are only going to be exacerbated by the impacts of climate change. Since Local Minds are specialists in mental health, we approached the challenge by referring to emotions and lived experiences. That said, rather than showing statistics, we asked them to imagine what it is like to live in spaces affected by climate change and inequalities such as housing, access to public transport, costs of living, community spaces, and job insecurities – the structures that they and the people they work with are already having to navigate.

To deliver this interactive session we relied on key reports: The Links Between the Environment and our Mental Health and What Europe Could Do About It; The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change; and Health and wellbeing impacts of climate change by Public Health Wales (pdf)

How we helped

The CEOs of local Minds in Wales already knew about the importance of green spaces, such as the role they played during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our presentation widened this understanding to the connection between the wider environment and mental health. Attendees left with a full understanding that the challenges that climate change poses to mental health are unlike any experienced to date. Some of the impacts of the climate crisis are already being experienced by Mind clients and people new to the organisations are also accessing their services due to climate anxiety. They also understood that they have a key role to play in society in advocating for climate action as a necessary component of preserving and protecting public mental health.

The impact

The local Mind CEOs have already committed to integrated sustainability into their network strategy so that together they can take actions to lower their footprint on the environment, and make decisions that ultimately benefit the communities they operate in, their staff; their suppliers and contractors, and the environment.

They also decided they needed another session with Cynnal Cymru to support them do achieve this.

It was great to have Karolina join us to provide her expert knowledge, understanding and expertise into environmental sustainability and its connection not only to the third sector and our work, but also the prominent links to mental health.

We have made a commitment to developing plans around environmental sustainability as part of our Strategic Plan, and will very much look forward to working with Karolina and the team at Cynnal Cymru to realise these plans. Simon Stephens, Head of Networks (Wales), Mind Cymru

To find out more about the local Mind network and how you can access support through one of our 18 local Minds in Wales, visit the Local Minds web page.

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Carbon Literacy Consortium

Carbon Literacy
consortium model

Cynnal Cymru’s consortium model for Carbon Literacy training was first developed with the formation of the Carbon Literacy Cartrefi Cymru (CLCC) consortium of Welsh registered social landlords (RSLs) in 2019.

The CLCC’s aim was to increase Carbon Literacy within the member organisations, pooling money and resources to increase training capacity and knowledge across the consortium. Cynnal Cymru – Sustain Wales continues to provide secretariat, mentoring and expert training support for the CLCC, which currently has 22 members across Wales, representing 113,236 homes.

Consortium model for Carbon Literacy training

The benefits of a consortium

There are multiple benefits to delivering Carbon Literacy training via a consortium. The model provides a coordinated structure through which:

A course can be tailored for your sector or industry

A Carbon Literacy training course that is tailored to the industry can be designed and accredited

A network can be developed and nutured

A network of peer-to-peer trainers, knowledgeable about the organisation and industry, can be developed and nurtured

Knowledge is widely shared and understood

A platform for sharing knowledge across member organisations can be supported

Capacity can be increased

Carbon Literacy training can be delivered to all staff within an organisation, with the economic and operational benefits conferred by having a Carbon Literate-staff base

Costs can be shared

A central fund, to which each member organisation contributes, can be allocated by agreement to any further projects aligned with member needs

The structure and scope of a consortium are by its nature flexible; organisations looking to create a consortium for Carbon Literacy training can agree a model that fulfils their individual requirements.

This may include:

Structured planning and progression

Consortium-wide meetings on a monthly, quarterly or biannual basis to review progress and identify any further needs;

Continuous improvement

Regular Community of Practice (CoP) meetings to provide support, guidance and continuous improvement to trainers;

Collaborative communications

A communications team drawn from across member organisations creating joint content for social media, press releases and communications campaigns;

Collaborative success

A design team drawn from across member organisations working with Cynnal Cymru and the Carbon Literacy Project to ensure that the training course is industry-appropriate and fully accredited within a set timeframe;

Dedicated support

Any additional bespoke work agreed with Cynnal Cymru to support the core proposal.

Member organisations would determine the model during the initial phase, when a proposal would be drafted and agreed. The details of the creation, launch and ongoing management of the consortium would be agreed by the members, but would follow a similar process to the one detailed below:

Interested in creating a consortium?

Please get in contact and we will be happy to help you find the best approach for your needs.

Get in touch

training@cynnalcymru.com

029 2043 1746

We typically work Monday -Thursday, 9-5pm

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Integrated Sustainability Training

Learn how to create a sustainable development strategy for your business.

New legislation coupled with a significant and growing market demand for brands, products and services that demonstrate positive environmental and social impacts along their supply chain means that sustainability is now essential for every business.

This new training programme is proven to equip participants with the critical skills and practical know-how to build meaningful action plans and implement purposeful strategies that respond to both the climate and nature crisis, whilst satisfying customer needs and building commercial success.

Delivered as a series of tutor led modules, underpinned by best practice examples and supported by one to one guidance, our expert trainers will guide each participant to develop, test and refine their own sustainability plans and gain confidence to immediately take action where it matters.

Course essentials

Peer-to-peer learning

Up to 12 people

Committment

15 hours across 8 weeks

Learning options

Online or in-person

Certification

Subject to successful completion of the course

Who is this course for?

Designed by Cynnal Cymru and Ecostudio and informed by evidence-based practice, this training is for owners, senior and aspiring managers from ambitious businesses that want to:

Define what sustainability means in the context of their own businesses and communicate why it is vital to their future success
Adapt to rising energy costs and reduce carbon emissions.
Understand key concepts including Net Zero, Circular Economy, Social Value, as well as the Future Generations Act and the UN SDGs Framework.
Demonstrate how their business aligns with CSR and ESG objectives of trade buyers as well as meeting consumer needs.
Report progress to different stakeholders in ways that withstands scrutiny and avoids greenwash.
Gain access to tried and tested tools, explore different eco-labels and sustainability certifications and know which ones are right for their business.
Future proof their businesses, enhance their reputation and stay relevant to their customers.

Your course tutors

Iain is an award-winning sustainability consultant and business mentor. His experience is in designing training programmes, advising policy makers and delivering projects that build thecapacity and capability of project teams to do sustainability for themselves.

Since establishing Ecostudio in 2008, he has helped many organisations to build commercially sound strategies, create responsible brands and innovative products, packaging and services, that deliver measurable environmental performance and social value for their customers, clients and stakeholders.

About Cynnal Cymru

Cynnal Cymru – Sustain Wales is the leading organisation for Sustainable Development in Wales.

About Eco Studio

Ecostudio is an award-winning sustainability and circular economy consultancy.