Buildings and Local Neighbourhood

For many organisations one of their main assets alongside their staff and volunteers is the building from which they operate. In order to be sustainable it is important that the building and surrounding area is welcoming to staff, volunteers and visitors and that the building is used in the most efficient way possible.

An example of how some organisations may not be fully utilising their buildings and local neighbourhood could be that your organisation does not make the most out of the outdoor space that you own or use. Whether its a large garden or a small amount of roof space there is an opportunity to develop this space for the benefit of your staff, volunteers and visitors.

The fabric of the building is very important. Your building may be losing heat and therefore loosing you money. An average building will lose around 20% of heat through draughts and poor ventilation (source: www.bbc.co.uk/bloom). Simple draught proofing of your building is an inexpensive way of insulating your building and will pay for its-self in a very short space of time.

The Sustaining Change programme can assist your organisation to make sure that you are utilising your building and surrounding area to it's full potential and identify any ways in which the building and surrounding area can be improved in terms of its environmental and social impacts. This could be through identifying potential energy saving measures through improved insulation during an audit or training on increasing the biodiversity of any outdoor space your organisation may own or use.