My world tends to be very strategy and indicator centric, as I design social investment programmes for (on the whole) other people to deliver. So it’s a joy whenever I get to see the impact that my work makes.
About 2 years ago I worked with Land and Sky Media, working with them to articulate their values. Their enthusiasm and commitment towards environmental sustainability was a key element in this work, and we started talking about the complexity of carbon offset, and how it needs to be approached in a considered way. Reducing emissions, and then offsetting any remaining greenhouse gases which can’t be avoided. Tree planting is the popular choice, but there are many opportunities to contribute to carbon sequestration other than woodland schemes. The PeatLIFE project is one of these – a project to restore 1,353 hectares of peatland in the North Pennines, Yorkshire Dales and Forest of Bowland.
Peat restoration isn’t sexy or high-profile work, but it is incredibly important in both biodiversity and climate terms. If you’re interested in this, I talk more in my blog Let’s talk Dirty… Peat restoration as Carbon Strategy – The Shared Value Business (tsvb.co.uk)
For Land and Sky, combining their desire to make a carbon contribution and their interest in biodiversity, this project presented a perfect opportunity to make a difference both locally and globally – supporting landscape restoration on their doorstep and tackling the global climate crisis. But we discussed how their involvement with the project could go further, utilising the specific skills and expertise the company holds, in this case media production. This is a fundamental principle of Social Value – gifting both donation and also access to your skills and knowledge, creating opportunities for social purpose organisations and for local communities.
So now, I finally get to see the very tangible result of that first conversation, and the connection that I created between Paul at North Pennines AONB and Helen at Land and Sky, and I feel really proud. My part was teeny tiny, compared to the time, skill and investment given by these guys, but it’s nice to know that my suggestion initiated this, and for me to get to see some of the good my work creates.
