Sustainability
Longhurst Group’s HR Directorate provides
specialist advice on sustainability issues, as well as
human resources
management and advice, and health and safety advice
and training. Our development
and regeneration team also has extensive experience of
sustainability issues, particularly in relation to new-build design
and meeting the
Code for Sustainable Homes.
We are one of the few housing organisations to
employ our own sustainability manager. Leonie Cooper joined us in
June 2010 and is helping both the Group as a whole and individual
member companies to take a more sustainable approach. This builds
on the Group’s commitment to reduce its environmental impact in
response to the Climate Change Bill
of 2008 as set out in our sustainability strategy.
Our priorities include:
- Reducing CO2 emissions from our own operations and homes in
line with government targets
- Minimising waste generated by our own operations and our
existing stock, as well as increasing recycling
- Achieving the zero carbon target for all new developments by
2016
- Working with residents to help them live in a more sustainable
way.
Our development team is also working with the
Centre for
Sustainable Architecture and Environments based in the
University of Lincoln’s School of Architecture in an innovative
collaboration to devise an accurate method for calculating the
carbon footprint of future housing developments. The government is
part-funding this project through its Knowledge Transfer
Partnership initiative, which encourages the exchange
of technology and skills. You can read more about this
ground-breaking project and our approach to other sustainability
issues in the winter 2010 issue of our business briefing,
InTune.
Our Blue
Skies Consortium development partnership naturally
plays a major role in raising standards and expectations on
sustainability issues, and has signed up the national
Halve Waste to Landfill campaign launched by WRAP.
One of our member companies, Spire Homes, is
also at the forefront of creating a more sustainable future, which
has been recognised with a Green Apple award. The accolade from
independent environment group, The Green
Organisation, was for the environmentally-friendly
features built into a new affordable housing development in the
Rutland town of Uppingham.
If you are interested in using our
sustainability services or discussing potential opportunities,
please email Leonie
Cooper.