Istanbul Principles - how some CSOs are already implementing them (Principle 4)

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" An environmentally friendly way to work is often economical and healthy. "

KEPA EnviroMeter

Open Forum is glad to bring to your attention another implementation example concerning the Istanbul Principles for CSO Development Effectiveness. This time, we invite you to look at how Finnish KEPA has streamlined Principle 4 - Environmental Sustainability - into its development projects and daily operations.

Istanbul CSO Development Effectiveness Principle #4:

Promote Environmental Sustainability. CSOs are effective as development actors when they … develop and implement priorities and approaches that promote environmental sustainability for present and future generations, including urgent responses to climate crises, with specific attention to the socio-economic, cultural and indigenous conditions for ecological integrity and justice.

KEPA’s “EnviroMeter” is a checklist with encourages and assesses an organization’s environmental practices including project management and administration as well as sustainable travel, use of material/documentation, office equipment, etc. Perhaps you will come across ideas for your own organizational reality!

KEPA’s EnvorMeter case study presents a secondary education project in Tanzania, where:

• Decomposable waste, such as food leftovers are collected and composted at the school to produce manure for the school garden.
• Glass and metal are collected separately and sold to people collecting and recycling them. (Municipalities do not collect recycled materials in Tanzania, but some private individuals make money by buying and selling them.)
• As a result of mainstreaming environmental protection, it automatically becomes part of the mental capital that students attain from the school. For example, it is easy to implement composting at home, when you have learned to do it at school.

In internal operations, the EnviroMeter invites to consider these YES or NO questions and possible action plans:

SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL

• Our employees or members walk or use bicycles whenever possible.
• We use public transport to go on the field and for other long distance trips.
• We commute together: We have organized collective transport to work and home together with our colleagues.
• MORE on KEPA’s EnviroMeter webpage

ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS TRAINING OR WORKSHOP

• In order to save paper, we use electronic documents.
• We still use blackboard, chalk, notebooks and pens, because they still are relevant training materials.
• MORE on KEPA’s EnviroMeter webpage

ENVIRONMETALLY FRIENDLY OFFICE

• We use energy saving settings in our computers, copying machines and other electronic equipment and switch them off when they are not needed.
• Our office equipment is energy friendly (e.g. energy saving light bulbs, LED light bulbs, laptops).
• We maintain our office equipment (e.g. AC, copying machine) regularly.
• MORE on KEPA’s EnviroMeter webpage

KEPA’S EnviroMeter is one of the Resources in the Implementation Toolkit accompanying the International Framework for CSO Development Effectiveness which will be launched shortly by the Open Forum.