These days the Trust is run on a 100% voluntary basis by a small team of volunteers namely the Executive Committee. Each year I am amazed at how much we manage to achieve in terms of events, communications and organisations and individuals we engage with promoting environmental sustainability on Merseyside. In a view to promote the Trust I have attached a copy of my report to the AGM on this year's activities.
December seems to be the month for annual general meetings. Last Saturday (5th) I had my fourth MET AGM, one as a trustee and the last three as Chair. These days the Trust is run on a 100% voluntary basis by a small team of volunteers namely the Executive Committee. Each year I am amazed at how much we manage to achieve in terms of events, communications and organisations and individuals we engage with promoting environmental sustainability on Merseyside. In a view to promote the Trust I have attached a copy of my report to the AGM on this year's activities.
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Earlier this week I attended my first AGM as a Trustee of Faiths4Change and whilst I have only been with them since June this year I would like to share with you the Chair's (Phil Leigh's) Report as it was a truly positive meeting despite the difficulties of the year just gone. Last year we celebrated ten years of success here at Faiths4Change. It was a great milestone, and very rewarding to look back over all that had been achieved. Now, looking forward to the future, the work of F4C has never seemed more relevant or more important. Projects undertaken by F4C are generally practical and always empowering. On our website we state our aim to connect social justice, local economy and people’s health and well being. Project summaries and photographs contained on the website demonstrate the transformative effect this can have on people’s lives. We strongly believe in this transformative effect and continue to grow in our ability and expertise to bring these strands together to the benefit of those involved in our projects and to that of the world beyond. Perhaps one of the most crucial aspects of the work of F4C at present is providing opportunities and safe places for people of faith and goodwill to come together in community? Whether it’s tackling flood risk or fly-tipping, improving language skills whilst cooking to share a meal (using locally sourced produce), embarking on training through a City and Guilds horticultural programme or promoting reuse and recycling through the sewing of trees from unwanted fabrics, our projects all bring people together in enjoyable, worthwhile and rewarding ways. They provide opportunities for people to meet to explore environmental issues whilst building relationships between individuals who might never otherwise have met. In today’s world of virtual networks, these opportunities to meet face to face and work side by side can be invaluable. Undoubtedly, the problems of financing charitable bodies continue to grow. Evermore competitive funding markets can present real challenges and, for small charities in particular, the consequences of the late settlement of invoices can be severe. However, with dedication, determination and hard work our team have continued to add significantly to the 300+ projects so far undertaken by F4C on Merseyside and across the North West. They continue to build on an excellent reputation, established over the years, for an ability to work in communities facing their own challenges. Our services remain in demand and, with the backing of our partners, funders and those that procure our services we deliver successfully on our charitable objectives with the added value that our people centred approach brings. In addition to our successful projects this year, we have also been pleased to bring about the implementation of a Living Wage policy, the achievement of the Workplace Wellbeing Charter Award and we celebrated the awarding of the Liverpool Echo Environmental Champions Award to our CEO, Annie Merry. Well done Annie! Thanks and Acknowledgements: Our projects could not go ahead without the involvement and enthusiasm of the people involved. As always we thank our team, our participants, our partners and our funders for their engagement and support. The Diocese of Liverpool continues to provide support through the provision of resources, including office space, for which we remain ever grateful. We must also thank Lilli, our previous Bookkeeper, for the work she has put in during her time with us and Mark and Peter for their service as Trustees and wish them all well for the future.This week I attended my first AGM as a Trustee of Faiths4Change I have ony been with the charity since June this year but I thought I would like to share the Chair's report as the AGM was a truly positive meeting despite the difficulties of the year just gone. Like I said at the begining of the post I left the AGM feeling very positive and ready for the challenges of 2016 Introduction
In today’s global markets, the requirement for organisations to demonstrate that they are a competitive, responsible and reliable supplier have never been greater. Gaining external accreditation to international environmental and quality management standards is becoming more and more a pre requisite for doing business. Since 2010 on average approximately 15,000 ISO 14001 certifications are issued in the UK per annum to the 2004 specification second in popularity only to the international quality management standard ISO 9001 (approximately 40,000 per annum). Both of these standards, after much global consultation have been revised and re issued in 2015 to adopt a common higher level structural language (Annex SL) to facilitate the increasing adoption of multiple certifications and the desire to integrate them. Annex SL is broken down into 10 standard clauses:- 1 - Scope 2 - Normative references 3 - Terms and definitions 4 - Context of the organisation 5 - Leadership 6 - Planning 7 - Support 8 - Operation 9 - Performance evaluation 10 - Improvement ISO 14001 has also changed as a result to improvements to the environmental management system itself and global environmental pressures. The main changes are highlighted below. Context The organisation is required to identify any external and internal issues that may impact on their Environmental Management System´s (EMS) ability to deliver its intended outcomes. These issues include any environmental condition that may affect or be affected by the organisation. The organisation is also required to determine the relevant needs and expectations of the relevant interested parties – that is, those individuals and organisations that can affect or be affected by, the organisation’s decisions or activities. Leadership Top management is required to demonstrate that it engages in key EMS activities as opposed to simply ensuring that these activities occur. This means there is a need for top management to be actively involved in the operation of their EMS and be accountable for its results. The removal of references to the role of “management representative” reinforces the requirement to see the EMS embedded into strategic and operational business operations, rather than being operated as an independent system in its own right with its own specific management structure and processes. Risk-Based Thinking The organisation must evidence that they have determined, considered and, where necessary, taken action to address any risks and opportunities that may impact (either positively or negatively) their EMS´s ability to deliver its intended outcomes. References to preventive action have disappeared. However, the core concept of identifying and addressing potential mistakes before they happen very much remains. Communication The communication with interested parties plays an important role in an effective EMS. The organisation needs to be sure that the information provided is consistent with the information generated within the EMS. Life Cycle Thinking The organisation needs to: a) Ensure that products are designed in an environmentally friendly manner. b) Determine environmental requirements on products and services to be purchased and communicate them to the suppliers. c) Provide relevant information to customers and users. Note: There is no need to carry out a formal and thorough life cycle assessment. Improvement This has been an issue in the previous editions of ISO 14001; organisations have to improve their EMS in order to improve their environmental performance. Now, it is clear that these are two independent improvement actions: the performance can be improved by just operating the EMS, not necessarily improving it. A note also recognises that incremental (continual) improvement is not the only improvement profile. Improvement can also arise as a result of periodic breakthroughs, reactive change or innovation. Enabling you to succeed Emansys has assisted many local organisations to embed, achieve and maintain ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certifications including Liverpool and Sefton Chambers of Commerce, Liverpool One, Total Glass Group, Davida (UK) Ltd and more recently Select Security Services and ATG Access to name but a few. Call now or visit www.emansysuk.com to find out how we can help you achieve certification for the first time and gain that competitive advantage or help you transition your existing systems to the 2015 standards. Sources: International Organisation for Standardisation – ISO Survey 2014 Chartered Quality Institute and International Register of Certified Auditors - ISO 14001:2015 Understanding the Standard White Paper |
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Stephen Sykes is a Merseysider born and bred, raised in St Helens and a rugby league fanatic. ArchivesCategories |