environmental statement

Progressio is committed to sustainable development both in our international development work and our office working practices.

We believe that it is important to see the connection between the choices we make as an organisation and the environmental impact of those choices for the planet as a whole, and particularly for people in the global South.

Damage to the environment threatens livelihoods and increases people's vulnerability to natural disasters. Invariably the poor are worst affected. We believe that communities have a right to a better quality of life through safeguarding the environment.

In our international development work, we therefore promote the sustainable use and local management of natural resources in order to help improve the lives of poor urban and rural communities. For example, we work alongside small-scale farmers to help them reduce both their poverty and their environmental vulnerability by farming in a way that protects and conserves natural resources. We also work to raise awareness and understanding of how policy and practice in the global North can contribute to environmental degradation and poverty in developing countries.

Sustainability is not just an aim of our development work. It is also a value embodied in the activities and practices of the organisation. By 2010, we aim to have incorporated environmentally sustainable approaches into all our work.

As a charity, Progressio must ensure cost-effectiveness in order to maximise the use of our resources for our charitable purposes. Similarly as an international organisation, some overseas travel is unavoidable for the effective management and implementation of our programmes. However, wherever possible within the terms of our charitable objectives, Progressio will seek to minimise the environmental impact of all our activities.

Read about the steps we are currently taking to put this into practice.

July 2007