Genee has been shortlisted for two North East Sustainability Awards
Genee (Greening the Economy of the North East of England), a North East environmental consultancy and partner of Going Green Together, has been shortlisted for two Sustainability Awards for businesses based in the region. The awards are the Tackling Climate Change Award through Gateshead Council, and Sustainable Innovation at the North East Innovation Awards.
The resourcefulness of the North East is something which genee celebrates within their own work, prioritising projects which will invest in the North East not just environmentally, but also socially and economically. With this in mind, genee has sought out ventures which adhere to this holistic approach, such as Going Green Together’s Become Green Together programme.
Within this project, genee works to embed environmental sustainability into the North East and Cumbria’s voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector by delivering the Investors in the Environment programme. Investors in the Environment is a nationally recognised environmental accreditation scheme designed to help organisations of all sizes and sectors identify, measure and manage their environmental impacts and save money in the long run. It is an accessible scheme which provides a clear route to sustainability, whether you’re just getting started or already influencing environmental change.
Become Green Together encompasses genee’s ethos and approach when it comes to environmental action, as it recognises the many different players it takes to create a significant impact. Through this programme, genee’s guidance towards embedding sustainability not only influences the participating organisations day to day processes, through involving the staff and senior management, but it also reaches the communities they are working directly with. The insight shared through the programme makes environmental action accessible, showing that becoming more sustainable doesn’t have to be rocket science. Existing participants have expressed that they are keen to share this knowledge with their clients and service users, and create not just a more sustainable organisation, but a more sustainable community.
Genee’s Managing Director Jo Holmes said “we are passionate about helping the North East reach net zero and we recognise that the VCSE and SME sectors have a huge role to play in this. By making sustainability accessible and straight forward by reducing the jargon and offering training and peer support opportunities, we can encourage more organisations to start the process. We had some wonderful feedback from our current clients and would encourage any other organisations thinking of starting their environmental journey to get in touch. We are so thrilled to have been shortlisted for these awards and wish all nominees the best of luck.”
As the saying goes, ‘it takes a village’, and this also applies to sustainability. Whilst it can seem overwhelming, the North East is adept at sharing resource and knowledge to ease the burden for others. Genee is grateful to be a cog in the wheel of an innovative sector working towards a more sustainable North East, and is delighted to be recognised in the shortlisting process for the Gateshead Awards and Innovation Awards.
Applications have reopened for the Become Green Together programme, and they close on the 31st May 2023. Please apply here.
