Focus on London Sustainability Exchange

A profile of VSF member London Sustainability Exchange

London Sustainability Exchange (LSx) works in partnership with businesses, government and the voluntary and community sector to help overcome barriers to sustainable development in London. Influential partners include Forum for the Future, London Councils, Business in the Community, Groundwork, Mayor of London, London First, LVSC and London Wildlife Trust.

LSx aims to:

· Reduce London’s environmental footprint
· Improve the lives of London’s disadvantaged communities
· Improve the health of Londoners
· Improve the knowledge and skills of our communities to achieve these goals.

To achieve these aims LSx provides organisations and networks of individuals with the motivation, knowledge and connections they need to put sustainability into practice, through learning networks and innovative exemplar schemes.

LSx’s objectives are to:

· Increase sustainability literacy in London
· Develop and influence policy and practice regarding London
· Learn from and broadcast good practice from all over the world

The ecological footprint of Londoners in 2000 was 49 million global hectares, equivalent to an area twice the size of the UK. If everyone in the world lived as Londoners do, we would need three planets. With a forecasted population growth of 800,000 by 2016, pressure on London’s strained transport and waste infrastructure looks set to increase.

To help Londoner’s improve the way they use natural resources, LSx runs the London Councils funded Energise London programme, which promotes energy efficiency, water conservation and renewable technologies across all 33 London Boroughs. The project builds on learning gained through Motivate London (2003 to 2008), which identified what works in persuading Londoners to take up environmentally sustainable lifestyles.

As one part of the Energise London pilot projects LSx explored the effectiveness of community (participatory) budgeting in greening a housing estate and encouraging householders to adopt energy and water efficient lifestyles. LSx worked with the Resident Management Organisation (RMO) and residents from Battersea Fields Estate in the London Borough of Wandsworth.  Strong support was received from the local authority, the community and partners, including L’Eau Ltd and Impetus Consulting.  Residents’ ideas to make the estate more environmentally friendly were developed into an Estate Action Plan and presented to the RMO General Meeting.  The committee voted to spend the allocated funding (£2500) on bicycle lockers.  They have also vowed to work towards implementing the other actions, including insulation and appropriate renewable energy technologies.

Environmental issues are now a regular feature of the monthly Board meetings, whereas previously they only came up occasionally.  The existence of the comprehensive Low Impact Neighbourhood Community Action Plan now gives a framework for monitoring progress and regular discussion.  Residents have agreed to use the Estate Magazine and notice boards to regularly communicate messages on behaviour change, resource efficiency and climate change to all residents.

Whilst motivating behaviour change, LSx is also generating the ‘know how’ to help build the capacity of London professionals who are working to promote such behaviours directly; LSx runs a 800 strong ‘Energise London Learner Network’ which shares knowledge, experiences and learning to improve the way we influence and motivate Londoners directly.

 

Further information regarding LSx can be downloaded below or contact  K.Balmer@LSx.org.uk

 

There are also some resources on the LSX website for voluntary and community sector organisations.

this page last updated 28th August 2009