London Sustainability Exchange (2012)

ANNUAL REVIEW 2012

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Introduction

Chair’s statement

For many years we have been at the forefront of challenging and supporting London to become more sustainable.

Whilst there have been many successes over the years the economic conditions have created the need for new paradigms. And this is challenging.

I am delighted to present the summary review for London Sustainability Exchange (LSx), from April 1st 2011 to 31st March 2012.

Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England, recently likened the scale of the challenge to that of our celebrated successful Olympic athletes. They had to rethink how they lived in order to win those gold medals. At LSx we have been working on new models and promoting new ideas that would enable us all to be 21st Century fit such as a move away from the Adam Smith ‘consumption is the sole purpose of production’.

This review highlights some of our key achievements from 2011/12 in supporting London and Londoners to live a new dream. It describes our work to promote sustainable lifestyles, our contribution to the Green Olympic success, how we’re helping people get the skills and knowledge around sustainability to influence the way we do business and to shape the policies that are fashioning our future.

This year has been about doing more with less.

LSx has shown great resilience and achieved impressive results. Our work empowering communities to create a sustainable London recognises that the key sustainability challenges of our time can’t be solved by individuals alone.

We need to work across organisational and personal boundaries. During the year, LSx brought together individuals from communities, businesses, public and third sector organisations to explore some of our key challenges in a series of events and through our learner networks.

2011/12 was a challenging year for LSx. We continued to experience the impact of tough economic times, with several of our large projects being affected by budget cuts and early termination. In response, we sought to diversify our funding sources, achieving success in attracting private sector funding through both memberships and working in partnership to advance sustainable living.

The support of our founding partners, our project partners, our funders and our supporters have underpinned our success. I am extremely proud of our team and everyone who has helped LSx over the year, and look forward to working with you over the next few years.

I would like to thank our board, staff, 160 volunteers, partners, and funders for their continued commitment, enthusiasm and support of LSx. I look forward to working with you to meet the challenges that lie ahead in 2012/13.

Samantha Heath, Chief Executive

Martin Pilgrim, Chair

London Sustainability Exchange (LSx) aims to accelerate the transition to a sustainable London by connecting and motivating people.

What we do LSx is a ‘think and do’ charity that seeks to create influential collaborations that support London in becoming a sustainable world city.

We work with business, government and the voluntary sector to improve Londoners’ know-how, influence lifestyles and contribute to policy and practice. We do this by:

Future plans Over the next three years we will: help businesses and community organisations across London green their operations develop innovative new projects that show how individuals and communities can reduce energy use and help tackle climate change

Reducing London's environmental footprint

help Londoners to tackle air pollution

Improving the lives of London's disadvantaged communities

improve Londoners’ health and well being working with whole communities

Improving the health of Londoners

encourage and enable greater civic participation through incentivised volunteering and time banking approaches.

Improving the knowledge and skills of communities to achieve these goals

Know-how Our health costs will soar, unless we learn to tackle issues such as obesity.

Energy prices could send many of us into fuel poverty, whilst the urgent need to reduce emissions is a key imperative for our work.

Opportunities, particularly for young people to work or gain new skills and contribute are critical. We know London has the capacity to realise its potential for transformation and innovatively meet the challenges we face.

190

3,02

people trained

people men

Training communities We trained a team of 17 local pioneers to conduct Green Deal readiness surveys and identified opportunities for people to benefit from the scheme.

180 Merton residents were reached as part of our Energise Merton project.

We are training communities in the Olympic Host Boroughs to reach out to their neighbours to reduce their waste and increase recycling to help transform derelict spaces in their locality.

Citizen science and air quality 17 teachers, pupils, parents and governors became air quality champions at three schools using science to monitor air pollution levels in their areas. The findings informed a peer to peer campaign to better understand the issue as well as reduce engine idling and car travel.

Learner Networks Through our Energise London, Wellnet and Healthier London Support Networks we’ve reached over 14,000 professionals and volunteers, with the learning from our work indirectly benefitting almost 1.4 million Londoners.

Policy+ practice LSx leads on creative ways to influence lifestyles. They get what works and why with communities across London and offer up to date knowhow on making change happen on the ground.

Professor Mike Kelly, Director of the Centre of Public Health Excellence, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

1,719

tonnes waste div

The social, environmental and economic issues we face today can only be addressed through sustainable policy and practice across business, government and the public sector. And by joining up these sectors for more dynamic and cost-effective outcomes.

More sustainable business The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games have exemplified how business can operate in London for the good. We teamed up with Heart of the City to inspire 160 London businesses to learn from these across wellbeing, community, environment and procurement themes.

23

209

14,000

ntored

individuals/organisations received an action plan

people reached through our learner networks

The expert advice has been invaluable. I really feel like I’ve got some actions to get on with – it’s been very motivating.

Participant from small health charity Managing Relationships at our Partnership and Consortia event

Publications and toolkits LSx produces a range of support materials that inspire, inform and prompt reflection. Our favourites from 2011/12 include: Making sense of the changes – helping small healthy charities prepare for localism, Big Society and NHS reform What really works: Hardly-reached communities on how to engage them on environmental issues

Conferences and events We’ve had a series of acclaimed events over the year including: Tools for Change – how to survive in a changing health sector Managing relationships through Partnerships and Consortia Going beyond the “usual suspects”: providing environmental services to “hardly reached” groups

9

verted from landfill

Cleaner Air 4 Schools toolkit to help teachers roll out the project across London Well London practical guide – how to promote well being on the ground Contributions to the Green Deal such as our Sustainable Merton Action Plan

3

475

6,033m

tonnes CO2 saved

water saved

What did we really learn from the Summer 2010 riots?

How can Londoners build resilience in the capital to social unrest? Our workshop Not Putting the Lid Back On looked at new ways to help communities prosper.

Delegates’ next steps included action plans to empower young people, improved communication between community and police and a coordinated open spaces project.

Health and well-being We are continuing our work to promote well being and personal resilience in more deprived communities through Well London by translating ‘on the ground’ experience for policy and decision-makers. This culminated in Not Another Behaviour Change half-day conference which explored theory and current practice across business, public and community sectors.

Wider policy and practice We submitted consultation responses to the National Planning Policy consultation, the Draft Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance and DECC’s plans for smart meters and the Green Deal.

As well as contributing to a number of publications, we continue to play an active role in pan London organisations that support innovation around health, wellbeing and climate change. Including: the London Climate Change Partnership the London Water Group the London Anti-Social Behaviour group the London Sustainable Development Commission the CREW (Community Resilience to Extreme Weather) project CIRIA led Communicating local flood risk management

Lifestyles 35,000

over 50%

Londoners benefited from events, training, mentoring and advice

of our beneficiaries were from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities

Whether it’s tackling obesity, getting more active, saving energy or reducing waste, LSx gives people access to the tools and encouragement they need to shape the future of their neighbourhoods, starting with their own habits and lifestyle choices.

Improving the health of Londoners Our Healthier London Support Network continued to support small organisations promoting health in disadvantaged communities in the face of the cuts and new policy directions.

We continued to deliver Wellnet, the Learner Network sharing learning and tips from Well London including a breakfast event and half day conference.

Not only are LSx running our Fit to Drink project and engaging with our hard to reach customers in East London, but are also represented on our Customer Challenge Group whose customer views are incorporated into our decision making processes.

Helen Newman, Head of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, Thames Water

We also produced the Well London ‘toolkit’, to inform replication and scaling up of “whole community” health promotion programmes.

Champions, trusted sources and peer-to-peer approaches Our 73 delivery team volunteers in London’s Low Carbon Zones have been coming up with some groundbreaking social marketing mechanisms to promote energy and water savings with householders and businesses.

We’re working with East London communities to encourage and enable the switch from bottled to tap water in our ‘Fit to drink’ campaign.

And our Ecovate Mentors successfully completed their work inspiring businesses to go greener.

Measuring behavioural change Our expertise in monitoring and evaluation keeps on growing. We continue to monitor the progress of Transform, a DEFRA funded Olympics Inspire Mark project, amongst others.

60%

141,000

of beneficiaries were women

people received information

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE 2011-12

INCOME £546,143 Trusts and foundations

£148,312

Public sector

£355,077

Corporate

£42,754

EXPENDITURE £526,072

The full audited annual financial statements of London Sustainability Exchange for the year ended 31 March 2012 are available on request.

Health

£150,592

Environmental footprint

£208,582

Improving lives

£27,353

Knowledge and skills

£100,745

Governance costs

£31,881

Fundraising and development

£6,919

LSx THANKS THE FOLLOWING ORGANISATIONS FOR THEIR SUPPORT IN 2011-12 Big Lottery Fund (administered by Greater London Authority)

MAIN SUPPORTERS:

administered by Groundwork London

FOUNDING PARTNERS AND BOARD MEMBERS:

British Gas The City Bridge Trust City of London Defra (administered by Groundwork London) European Regional Development Fund (the EcoVate project is managed by CESMB at Middlesex University) London Borough of Merton London Civic Forum

EcoVate project part financed by the European Union

London Councils London School of Economics

OUR MEMBERS:

Marks and Spencer Thames Water Urban Buzz The Campaign Company (funded through Kirklees Council

We are proud to be supported by new members including Shell, Thames Water, British Gas, Marks & Spencer and the Mermaid Conference Centre. Our membership programme provides vital support to the core activities of LSx, and provides fertile ground for collaboration between the private and third sectors.

London Sustainability Exchange 84 Long Lane London SE1 4AU

T: F: E: W:

020 7234 9400 020 7234 9419 info@lsx.org.uk http://www.lsx.org.uk

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