Final chance to apply for environmental support

Through the Going Green Together project, the Become Green Together programme is supporting over 80 voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations from across the North East and Cumbria to make their workplaces environmentally sustainable.

VCSE organisations in County Durham, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tees Valley, and Tyne & Wear are invited to apply during a final application window, closing on the 30th September. Organisations of any size, working in any area of activity, are encouraged to join, including environmental beginners.

Become Green Together supports organisations towards making their workplaces more environmentally sustainable. It does this through:

• Building key knowledge and awareness around the climate crisis, carbon footprints, and sustainability
• Access to a network of peers, to learn alongside and support one another
• Helping organisations to develop an environmental management system, including a policy, strategy, and action plan
• Providing guidance on sustainability goals
• Providing participants access to the SmartCarbon carbon footprint calculator, to monitor their carbon footprint
• Supporting participants towards accreditation with Investors in the Environment — a nationally recognised framework, including an externally verified audit

By going through this process, participants will be guided through practical steps to reduce their carbon footprint; learn ways to have a positive impact on the environment; become more efficient through reducing resource and energy usage and cutting costs; meet environmental requirements for funding, legislation and procurement; and demonstrate their environmental commitments to their communities.

The programme is also heavily subsidised, with up to 75% off training costs. There are also a number of bursaries to help cover the remainder of the cost of training. Enquiries about bursaries can be made to hello@goinggreentogether.org. Applications to the Become Green Together programme can be made through the Going Green Together website.