The Big Response
Everyone has a role to play in response to climate change. The third sector’s size, reach into people’s lives, independence, influence and trusted status combine to make it a critical component. But for many third sector organisations climate change seems outside of their mission and, despite its future impacts, not something they have time to worry about.
In 2009, Green Alliance took part in the Baring Foundation’s special initiative on climate change. Its four projects explored ways of engaging non-environmental third sector organisations with climate change. In partnership with NCVO and Global Action Plan, Green Alliance ran The Big Response, which went into organisations working with vulnerable people – Equinox Care, RNIB, British Red Cross and Friends of the Elderly – to examine what climate change means for them and how they can take action. The other three pilots worked with community anchor organisations, children’s organisations and refugee and human rights organisations.
The final report, which brings together findings from all four of the projects, An unexamined truth (pdf - 371 Kb), was launched by the Baring Foundation at an event on 16 June. It provides useful insights for organisations working to secure wider third sector engagement with climate change. You can also read the reports of the four separate projects:
- The report of our Big Response project
- The toolkit produced by the Shared Energy project, working with community anchor organisations
- The outputs from Climate Smart, working with childrens organisations
- The toolkits produced by the project working with refugee and human rights organisations will shortly be available on the COIN website
As well as a report, the practical output of The Big Response can be found on the NCVO website in the form of an online guide for third sector organisations who wish to prepare for climate change.
The film below gives an engaging account of our work on The Big Response.
For more information on this project please contact Faye Scott.
Acknowledgements
Green Alliance would like to thank the Baring Foundation for their support of this work.
Related content
Third Sector Task Force on Climate Change, the Environment and Sustainable Development