UPDATE: Fit for the Future Furlough - activities now on hold

In these unprecedented times, Fit for the Future will be taking a temporary pause as the central team go on furlough. The team is very much looking forward to reconnecting with members, partners and friends in a few months time. 

Welcoming New Members: Ditchley Foundation, Portsmouth Cathedral & Centre for Alternative Technology

We are delighted to welcome three new organisations to our membership this spring. Ditchley Foundation, Portsmouth Cathedral & Centre for Alternative Technology. 

Our Virtual Events are Live: Sustainable Procurement with Nestlé and Chatsworth

Our events have now gone virtual and Sustainable Procurement: An Introduction, took place live online today. Despite not being able to visit Chatsworth House as planned, there was plenty of energy and interaction during our virtual meet up. Over 40 practitioners from organisations including RNLI, Guide Dogs, National Trust, Cancer Research UK and British Heart Foundation joined the call. They heard from Nestle’s Responsible Sourcing Manager, Robin Sundaram and Head of Value Chain Sustainability, Andrew Griffiths. Chatsworth House’s Sustainability Officer, Tom Hendry, then presented on Chatsworth estate's procurement policy.

Fit for the Future Activity During Coronavirus

We are living in extraordinary times; many of our members will now be working from home, with business as usual on hold for the foreseeable future. Following the latest government guidance, which advises that all non-essential travel, gatherings and crowded places be avoided in order to protect the most vulnerable in our communities, Fit for the Future will be putting the principles of adaptation and resilience into practice when it comes to delivering our services. We believe we have a real opportunity to demonstrate the power of collaboration and networking in difficult circumstances, and we have all the tools at our disposal to ensure that our activity can continue with as much impact as ever.

Our 2019 Impact Report:'Collaboration vital to deliver changes we need at scale and pace required'

Our 2019 Impact Report reveals how Fit for the Future makes a difference for its 80+ members when it comes to addressing climate change, increasing business resilience and finding ways of working that benefit the natural world. 

Welcoming New Members:Royal British Legion, AHF & The Salvation Army Trading Company

We are delighted to welcome three new members to our network this spring: Salvation Army Trading Company, The Royal British Legion, and Architectural Heritage Fund. 

How will the Environment Act impact the Third Sector?

On 13th February Fit for the Future Network partnered with IEMA to deliver a webinar on the implications and impacts of the Environment Bill on charities, heritage bodies and other third sector organisations. Chief Policy Advisor for IEMA, Martin Baxter, explained the scope of the Bill, key areas of impact and involvement for third sector bodies, and next steps. The full recording is available here and you can find Martin’s presentation in our Members’ Area.

Here are some of the top takeaways:

How to Develop a Sustainability Strategy Part II

Our initial Sustainability Strategy event in July 2019 covered when and why a strategy might be needed, what to include, and how to put one together. We collated the top tips shared in Part I of this article. At a follow-up event on 22nd January, member practitioners from organisations including Historic Royal Palaces, British Mountaineering Council, Royal Yachting Association & Coventry City Council discussed how we embed a strategy across an organisation and start to deliver on objectives. 

CCC Calls for UK’s ‘Stewards of the Land’ to Drive Emissions Reductions in order to meet Net Zero

A report published today by the Climate Change Committee gives its first ever in-depth advice on the transformative UK agricultural and land use practices required to deliver on the UK Government’s Net Zero 2050 target. The paper outlines how emissions from land-use can be reduced by almost two-thirds, with CCC chairman Lord Deben stating that: “The options we are proposing would see farmers and land managers – the stewards of the land – delivering actions to reduce emissions…major changes are required and action from government is needed quickly.”

National Trust Announces Ambition to be Carbon Net Zero by 2030

National Trust’s Director-General, Hilary McGrady, today announced the organisation’s ambition to be carbon net zero by 2030. During an address this morning, Hilary said:“As Europe’s biggest conservation charity, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to fight climate change, which poses the biggest threat to the places, nature and collections we care for."