Green Alliance

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Green Alliance aims to make environmental solutions a priority in British politics. It is an independent charity with a unique role in the environment movement. It works closely with the senior decision-makers in government and business, and with the other environment groups.

History Founded in 1979 to inject an environmental perspective into politics, Green Alliance has always aimed to set rather than follow the agenda. Its many interventions have resulted in positive changes and better environmental outcomes.

The organisation can claim many firsts throughout its history. The first ever policy statements from all the main UK political parties were a result of pressure from Green Alliance. It was the first organisation to recognise business as a part of the solution, promoting a common agenda between business and environmentalists in the mid-1980s. Green Alliance was also the first UK environment group to raise genetic modification (GM) as an environmental issue at the end of the 1980s. In 1990 it successfully campaigned for the first ever government white paper on the environment. Throughout the 1990s it worked on greening the government agenda, environmental risk and GM, EU policy, and the environment as a foreign policy issue, leading to the formation of the Green Globe Network of foreign policy experts, based at Green Alliance.

Now, under a set of four strategic themes, it targets the major agendas of climate change and resource efficiency through a range of projects, proposing new approaches and policy structures. The themes also focus on questions of fundamental change needed in society: how to improve political engagement and how to influence public behaviour for a better environment.

Influencing policy Green Alliance’s influence on government thinking and decision-making has been extensive and powerful. Here are just a few of its successes:

1983 securing the adoption of Environment Impact Assessments 1986 helping to found the National Food Alliance (now Sustain) 1987 improvements to pesticide regulation 1994 influencing the formation of the new Environment Agency 2001 developing a new initiative for the waste industry to measure its performance 2001 recommendations resulting in the formation of the Carbon Trust 2002 recommendations leading to the creation of the Renewables Obligation 2004 influencing planning policy to require on-site renewable energy in new developments 2005 recommendations influencing the creation of a new government microgeneration strategy 2005 informing Ofwat decision-making on sustainable development 2006 securing an extra £20 million spending on energy efficiency measures from the Treasury

Strategic themes Green Alliance works under four strategically important themes · Politics: deepening the debate between the three main parties; · Green living: new ways to shift public attitudes and behaviour; · Transforming energy: advancing our vision of a low carbon, decentralised system; · Closing the loop: from a waste to resources approach.

Support Green Alliance aims for an even funding balance from its supporter groups. Business and government provide approximately a third each, with environmental organisations and charitable trusts funding another third. A small proportion of funding comes from individual memberships and publication sales. The Business Circle is a membership scheme for major companies.

To find out more and sign up to Green Alliance’s enews go to [1]