Dr Sidney Sullivan, Worshipful Company of Gardeners, Liveryman, Court Assistant, Deputy Chair of the Flowers in the City committee.
Identifying and accounting for an organisation’s carbon footprint (CO2e) is a vital part of an organisation’s strategic and day to day management. It is not about perfection, but concerned with long term effort and consistency.
However, it is often treated in the sense of ‘atoning’ for its very existence and size.
In the context of the circular economy, such a view overlooks the positive benefits that contribute to its carbon footprint. In particular when organisations undertake outreach work that focuses on educating and sharing best practice.
When they involve a younger audience, a school outreach programme for example, they are a vital contribution to informing the audience about how they can contribute to a better future for all. This is particularly the case when account is taken of the impact of the audiences’ individual and collective voice on their parents, guardians and friends-which can be considerable. Those younger audiences are also future ‘funders and tax payers’, their attitudes and voices are therefore of consequence.
The ‘Gardeners, (WCoG)’ have a very long history and practice of ‘Environmental Sustainability ’. Reusing and re-purposing, is ingrained in their approach to their profession and their personal delight in the natural world. With such a compelling and experienced approach, carbon- reductions is seen as an obvious and indisputable necessity.
Furthermore, with no ‘Hall’ or investment in maintaining one to concern us, the main impact on our reduction efforts is ‘en passant’. This occurs because we have the privilege to be allowed the use of other Livery’s ’Hall’s and that, rightly, that cost and accounting is included in the fee.
An important aspect of the Gardeners’ ethos is, to provide significant ‘out-reach’ initiatives that educate and enthuse all age groups; especially the younger generation. We regard this as an investment in the future. What begins as a response to provide a speaker can easily grow into a busy and much travelled path. Thus, it becomes at the expense of an increasing carbon footprint as demand increases.
How, then, can we value those programmes and off-set them against our carbon footprint in a meaningful way – applying best scientific methods and accuracy? Achieving those aims is neither easy, nor is their general agreement on the process or the veracity of the outcomes.
Our response is to minimise our unavoidable imprint whilst we seek other ways to continue to promulgate best practice. The options available include the use of social media programmes, workshops and electronic information sheets. Although, increasing use of social media, etc., has its own in-built carbon & environmental footprint issues, Scope 1, 2, & 3.
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The Gardeners’, with the explicit support of The Lord Mayor, organise and judge The Flowers in the City competition (since 1949). The ethos embraces the winder environmental aspects and societal benefits. Valuing that activity’s contribution to carbon footprint reduction and its impact in tandem with other programmes, for example, ‘Pollinating London Together (PLT)’, is a vexed problem. But one outcome from this programme is the increase in Rooftop Gardens (more than 150 now exists in the City of London) and ‘front of House plantings’ scemes.
The outcomes arising from those programmes are far wider than their general environment contribution, encompassing the ‘well-being’ aspects that contact with the natural flora and fauna implies-especially in a thriving capital city. Our approach involves commingles the small and big win scientific evidenced strategic methodology.
Off-setting is a useful practice in the context of Tree Planting. This is by no means as simple as signing up and paying a fee. At the heart of this matter is the science that provides its underpinnings and verifies its contribution. There is still much work to do in this regard as there are subtle differences and approaches used by the many different schemes and providers.
As a guiding principle, planting a tree should be, to paraphrase Mark Broadmeadow, “Right Tree, Right Place, and Right Reason”[1]. This comprehensive approach ensures trees might thrive and achieve their intended benefits, and minimize negative impacts on the built environment and, local habitats. It is also important to consider the time taken before trees can fulfil their potential ‘carbon off-setting’ activity, and that pruning regimes, for example aggressive lifting and reducing the crowns of trees, reduce their ability to provide carbon reduction benefits.
The debate about the ‘indigenous tree planting principle’ causes considerable debate. Some of what are described as indigenous trees are struggling with climate variability and may not be the best fit. Furthermore, the contribution of plantings of shrubs and perennial plants, that can contribute usefully to the carbon reduction strategy when taken en-masse, are not being usefully deployed.
In answer to the many stated and implicit questions raised above three particular approaches and ‘insights’ have been helpful to me. Firstly, that the process and its outcomes are a ‘work in progress’ and, importantly, of up-dating.
Secondly, is Lindblom’s, ‘The Science of Muddling Through with Excellence’[2]. It is the acceptance of the idea that nothing is ever completely explainable, simple, or finished!
This leads to my third point, Big Wins and Small Wins[3]. This introduces the idea, metaphor, that big wins’ are not the only way forward. It argues for the accumulation of ‘small wins’, into a meaningful big win. This is a very useful strategy especially whilst accumulating experience.
In conclusion, the value that I have experience from working with colleagues to develop a carbon footprint report arises due to the willingness of fellow Liveryman to share their data and approaches. And that, ‘none of us are as well informed as all of us’. Let’s continue to learn, share and discuss.
The views expressed in the above are the personal views and reflections of the author.
[1] Mark Broadmeadow, 17 July 2020 – Climate change and resilience, Woodland creation
[2] Lindblom, L. (1959) The Science of Muddling Through with Excellence. Public Administration Review, 19(2), 79-88.
[3] Bryson, J. M. (1988) Big Wins and Small Wins. Academy of Science, 30, 87-96.