| Type | Charitable trust |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1979 |
| Location | London, U.K |
| Focus | Environmental policy |
| Website | green-alliance.org.uk |
Green Alliance is a charity and an independent think tank focused ambitious leadership for the environment in the United Kingdom (UK). We have a track record of over 30 years, working with the most influential leaders from the NGO, business, and political communities. Our work generates new thinking and dialogue, and has increased political action and support for environmental solutions in the UK.
The organisation has six main strategic themes around which its work is based: political leadership, green living, climate and energy futures,designing out waste, third sector, and sustainable economy.
It was founded in 1979. Individuals involved early on with Green Alliance include Maurice Ash, Tim Beaumont and Tom Burke. The current director Matthew Spencer was previously head of government affairs at the Carbon Trust and is a member of the government's Renewables Advisory Board.
Green Alliance's staff is based in central London. It has an individual membership of approximately 400, including environment professionals and well known personalities. Around 20 major companies belong to its Business Circle scheme. Inside Track is the quarterly magazine for Green Alliance supporters. It features articles by prominent commentators on environmental policy issues.
In 2009 Green Alliance was voted for the 'Think Thank of the Year' at the Public Affairs News Awards.
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Green Alliance's work influences UK government policy and decision-making on the environment. It elicited the first environmental policy statements from all the main UK political parties in the mid-1980s. Green Alliance was the first organisation in the UK to raise genetic modification (GM) as an environmental issue at the end of the 1980s. Its risk analysis of the issue helped to inform new government regulation.
Its work on environment as a foreign policy issue led to the formation, in 1998, of the Green Globe Network of foreign policy experts, based at Green Alliance and supported by cross-cutting funding from three government departments: the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department for International Development and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Recommendations made in reports by Green Alliance have contributed to new government strategies on green taxes and microgeneration, increases to landfill tax and more investment in recycling. A number of new organisations and initiatives have arisen from Green Alliance's past work, including the National Food Alliance (now Sustain), the Environment Agency, the Carbon Trust and the UK's Renewables Obligation.
In February 2008, the independent consultancy Firetail conducted a detailed evaluation of Green Alliance and its work, this was through interviews with representatives of the three main political parties, civil servants, NGOs, businesses and other think tanks. It concluded: “Green Alliance’s key strengths are considered to be its influence within Westminster and Whitehall and its understanding of the political process. Green Alliance’s relationships with politicians, special advisors and civil servants are its primary strength. It is considered influential within government. Those in government value the ability of Green Alliance to bring them policy positions and mediate relations with NGOs.”[1]
Green Alliance works on various projects under six key themes: political leadership, sustainable economy, third sector, climate and energy futures, green living and designing out waste. Additionally, Green Alliance has a separate European Union work programme which aims for a low-carbon EU budget.
Green Alliance staff and associates are often quoted as expert sources in national and specialist news outlets such as The Guardian, The Independent, BusinessGreen, The Financial Times and The ENDS Report. Subjects which have recently been commented on by Green Alliance experts in mayor news outlets are; The Green Investment Bank[2]; The UK Comprehensive Spending Review[3]; Electricity Market Reform[4] and the Fuel Stabiliser[5].
External specialists providing advice and support to Green Alliance: