Active Kent and Medway understands how an organisation can affect the environment in a negative way and the importance of working beyond current legal requirements to minimise this.
Whilst Active Kent and Medway aim to achieve a more physically active community, we are also committed to doing this in a way that supports the wider sustainability agenda including the Kent Environment Strategy, the Kent and Medway Energy and Low Emissions Strategy, and the KCC Net Zero plan.
This policy applies to all members of the Active Kent and Medway team.
This policy supports the priorities outlined in the Kent County Council Environment Policy.
Outcomes
We will work to:
- Develop more environmentally friendly ways of working and to ensure that the team considers environmental impact and sustainability within our everyday operations.
- Embed and design-in a sustainable approach when creating projects and events.
- Advocate for the importance of physical activity in striving to develop more sustainable, active-by-default environments (e.g. active design, active travel).
Active Kent and Medway staff have a responsibility to ensure that we work towards these outcomes and in order to do this we will look to :
- Encourage physical activity that preserves or enhances the health of our natural environment and encourages people to value it further.
- Encourage physical activity in communities. For example, by working to facilitate walking, cycling and public transport – promoting a healthier and more sustainable way of life.
- Promote and encourage the active use of green and recreational spaces.
- Promote both local (Kent Green Action) and national/international campaigns (Earth Day) and where possible integrate this sustainable approach with physical activity.
- Keep up to date with environmental regulations, including monitoring and reviewing the policy annually to maintain an environmentally friendly organisation.
- Have a willingness to discuss, learn and adapt to new methodologies that deliver environmental benefits. Ensure that the impacts of climate change on our activities are understood and take actions, where possible, to mitigate the risks and adapt to our changing climate.
- Minimise our use of natural resources by reducing, re-using and recycling waste before disposal, while finding ways to recover value from waste materials.
- Engage with Kent communities, businesses, and partners to understand their expectations, minimise risks and maximise opportunities for innovation and shared resources.
Our team commitments
As a team we will endeavour to
- Not buy single use branded plastic pens – switch to pencils, or even better, pencils you can plant when they are down to a stub (Sprout World).
- Avoid buying plastic wallets or laminating materials.
- Where possible arrange for deliveries to come all at once if buying several different items, to reduce delivery journeys.
- Reduce business mileage: question if a face-to-face meeting is needed and if you could attend an online meeting instead.
- Ensure climate change is regularly discussed to ensure there is understanding about risks, impacts, and actions that can be taken to mitigate its effects.
- Unsubscribe from newsletters that are not a necessity.
- Do research to gain an understanding of your suppliers. Try and purchase environmentally sustainable products and services by suppliers that have environmental standards.
- Understand how the power of physical activity in the natural environment can be used to influence society’s relationship with the natural world and opinion towards climate change.
- Demonstrate leadership: for example, by having an environmental champion in the team.
- Have our Environmental Champion monitor figures on the team’s mileage and printing and seek to keep these to a minimum.
Active Kent and Medway will assess the environmental impacts of our operations and seek to benchmark and then continuously improve our environmental performance.
This policy statement was approved by the Active Kent and Medway Director, January 2022 and is due for review in November 2023.