ABOUT US
What is Richmond Environment Network?
Richmond Environment Network (REN) is a multi award-winning* joint venture between the Environment Trust for Richmond upon Thames, BTCV (Richmond upon Thames office) and the Thames Landscape Strategy and because of this unique partnership we are not able to be a registered charity (charities need to be wholly independent) and we are not a quango. We passionately believe that working in partnership achieves more, whether it's working with local environmental groups, local schools or advocating on behalf of both into local strategic bodies, a partnership approach gives us all a stronger voice. Working this way can also bring wider benefits to the community, charitable organisations and the Council and can be demonstrated through our fundraising or our support to local organisations with there fundraising efforts, which has helped raise £602,383 between April 2009 - March 2010*.
REN provides services in two distinct areas; an umbrella/hub for supporting community based environmental activity, working with residents, community groups, charities, schools and social businesses (and providing information to the public on their activities as a way of promoting volunteering and increasing their activity). Additionally, REN also delivers services largely in supporting the more prudent and efficient use of resources and fostering sustainable behaviours working with residents and local charitable organsiations with energy, waste and recycling.
REN works in a similar way to a council for voluntary service or voluntary action organisations (infrastructure bodies within the voluntary/charity sector) but fairly uniquiely REN works solely within the environmental and sustainability field. Our work sees us provide a support and development, networking and an advocacy role. We receive funding from a variety of sources, including a grant from the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames council through their Strategic Lead funding programme, the Greater London Authority, London Sustainability Exchange in addition to funding from the Thames Community Foundation. In addition to this funding we also receive donations in kind such as through volunteering or pro bono work from other sources. We also seek to develop new projects and areas of work to support our aims in supporting the development of local environmental activities within the community.
* £530,500 of this funding was secured from sources outside of Richmond upon Thames.
Our 2004 - 2010 Impact report download
Our Strategic Purpose
Vision
Our environment protected and enhanced by people thinking globally and acting locally for themselves and the future generations.
To enthuse and empower local residents, community and charitable groups, and organisations to live more sustainable lives and protect the environment by identifying solutions and delivering change.
Utilising Jim Collins Hedgehog Concept (from his book Good to Great) for REN, we can define what we do as: More information about the Hedgehog Concept can found at http://www.jimcollins.com/books/g2g-ss.html
Goals and objectives
Goal one: to improve the capacity of civil society* environmental and sustainability organisations, and to provide advocacy for them.
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To provide advice and support to organisations, particularly in regard to fundraising;
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To arrange networking meetings to increase shared learning;
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To spread information among organisations by e-newsletter;
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To act as advocate for the sector and its organisations.
Goal two: to increase communication with the public, and promote involvement in environmental issues and related voluntary activity.
- To provide event and activity listings for local media;
- To communicate with the public through our website;
- To attend local fairs and use them to engage public interest in environmental issues;
- To arrange networking meetings and discussions/consultations on particular issues.
· To host and provide support to the Biodiversity Group. The Group, which comprises local interested parties and landowners, writes and implements action plans to protect, conserve and enhance habitats and species deemed at risk;
· To provide support to working groups writing and implementing plans.
Goal four: to promote the prudent use of resources within civil society organisations, schools and the wider community.
- To provide environmental audits of buildings owned or leased by third sector organisations and schools;
- To disseminate information and provide support in promoting energy efficiency, the prudent use of resources, micro-renewable technologies and other ways of increasing sustainable living
* this includes social enterprises/social businesses
Culture
REN is working towards becoming a learning organisation. Pedler, Boydell and Burgyne define this as 'an organisation which facilitates the learning of all its members and continually transforms itself'. This is to ensure REN learns from its macro environment and beneficiaries to shape the services it provides as affective and responsive umbrella body.
Our History
REN was conceived in 2004 upon Environment Trust for Richmond upon Thames, BTCV (Richmond upon Thames office) and the Thames Landscape Strategy coming together to secure funding to appointment a full time Co-ordinator and develop the joint venture Richmond Environment Network. The first Co-ordinator remains with REN today, this being Colin Cooper.
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In 2007 there was a succession or mergers, which enlarged REN and added activities to our existing portfolio. In the Spring Sustainability Action Richmond (SustAR) (a working title of the then Richmond Environment Information Centre or REIC) approached REN to takeover the running of a number of their projects so that then REIC could formally wind up as a charity. This provided us with an increased focus covering sustainability and also working directly with the public/residents. SustAR/REIC had three projects; Zero Waste Intiative (ZWIN) supporting business, voluntary groups and organisations as well as schools to become more sustainable in their operations, The Sustainability Briefing Papers provide a simple to understand information on a number of sustainability topics, in particular information on renewables energy technologies suitable for domestic properties and lastly the Environmental Forum which provides a platform to raise awareness and encourage debate on topical environmental issues. Largely these projects remain within REN, a slight change is that ZWIN no longer works with business, instead working with local schools and voluntary sector organisations. In the spring of 2009 a number of Trustee's of the former Richmond Environmental Information Centre re-formed and registered the new REIC with the Charity Commission, with a new charity number 1129804, the charity's details can be found on the Charity Commissions website here. |
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In the Autumn of 2007 Richmond's LA21 Group (what is LA21?) merged into REN to provide a more consistent approach to the borough's environmental and sustainability voluntary and community sector. The merger brought the LA21 Group's public meetings - the LA21 Quarterly Meetings - into REN and this was amalgamated with the Environmental Forum that came from the arrangement with SustAR/REIC. REN's activities are wide ranging and a list can be found on Our Projects page. We are currently developing a new Strategic Management Plan that will provide a focus for our activities from 2009 to 2012.
* Winner of the Good Practice Award in the Richmond Council for Voluntary Service, Community Awards 2006
* Winner of the Green Trailblazer Award for Group/Project in the Green Guardian Awards 2007
* Winner of the Highly Commended Award for our ZWIN project for Group/Project in the Green Guardian Awards 2007
What activities we provide to which beneficiaries
Our work with residents
- Provide a listing of local environmental activities and events on our Events Calendar that people can get involved with*
- Provide listings of local environmental activities and events in the local press
- A listing of all local environmental groups in our Groups Database including pages on their behalf, providing further detail on their activities
- For those that don't have easy access to the Internet we can also provide this information over the phone~
- You can meet with us face to face at local fairs and other events
- Come along to our Environmental Forum, where we encourage debate on environmental issues. Each meeting has its own theme. The forums are often produced in partnership with other groups and organisations.
- Signposting to other sources of environmental/sustainability information
- Our Sustainability Publications provide information on a number of sutainability matters.
- Our Eco Teams project supports residents to lower their energy and water use, minimise their waste whilst increasing their recycling.
- Our work in the Ham and Petersham Low Carbon Zone in delivering a social marketing project (Ham and Petersham Street Champions) to support residents in this exciting scheme.
Our work with local environmental groups, organisations and schools
- Assistance with the formation of new environmental groups in the borough
- Your group being listed in our Groups Database to publicise your group and work with the public*
- We offer free hosting of a web page/s for local environmental groups on our site*
- Listings of environmental activities and events on our Events Calendar to recruit interest and potential volunteers*
- Listings of local groups environmental activities and events in the local press to recruit interest and potential volunteers
- A telephone information and referral service for groups and for people intersted in volunteering with the groups
- Attendance at local fairs to promote participation in environmental activities on behalf of local groups
- Our Environmental Groups' Forum (previously called the Open Spaces Forum) for local groups to enable effective communication and sharing of good practice between the groups, REN and the council
- Dissemination of training and funding information and advice for local groups
- Support for groups with funding applications and signposting to funding sources
- Signposting to other sources of information
- A Resource Library of items that can be borrowed by local groups, such as a laptop, projector, display boards and marquee
- Assistance for local environmental groups for their workdays/activities by fully trained leaders whom are First Aid at Work certified
- Promotion of and support in working towards the Guidelines for Volunteers and Voluntary Groups working in the Environment, covering health and safety, insurance, first aid and risk assessment and other good practice guidance for groups carrying out volunteer workdays
- Our Zero Waste Initiative (ZWIN) project carries out environmental audits of buildings for schools & voluntary and community groups.
- Representation and advocacy of the environmental voluntary and community sector to the Sustainable Richmond Group and the Voluntary Sector Strategic Forum (both sub groups of the Richmond Local Strategic Partnership)
- Our Environmental Forum provides an opportunity for residents to engage into local environmental debate, whilst also offering an opportunity for local groups to work with us to put on each Forum. Local groups also have the opportunity to put displays/tables at the Forums
Our work with schools and support to them
- we are currently looking to develop a project to help and support schools to grow food.
**in 2009 our website received 98,761 visits with these visitors going on to view 147,483 pages!
~ this service is only available when there is somebody in our office to take your call.
Strategy
Our current Strategic Management plan for 2009 to 2012 can be downloaded here. Broadly it has two aims; consolidation and growth.
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