Consumer business The Co-Operative Group has announced that it will make a questionnaire available to its 3 million members and 85 000 employees on which environmental issues the organisation should support.

The move makes the Co-Op the first UK organisation to involve consumers in its future spend on environmental issues. Last year the firm invested £10 million in community activities. The questionnaire will ask consumers to decide whether it should support projects such as renewable energy, encouraging energy efficiency or waste reduction and recycling.

The Co-Op has already taken several initiatives to help reduce CO2 emissions and energy consumption. The organisation claims that 98% of its electricity has been obtained from renewable sources since 2005. In addition the group has committed to reducing its electricity and gas consumption by 25% by 2012. The group is also a joint venture partner in the Coldham Wind farm in Cambridgeshire, which had been built on farmland owned and farmed by the Group.

Peter Marks, chief executive of the co-operative group said:"In another UK first, we will be consulting our members and employees to help determine what community initiatives and campaigns we should focus on in the future”.

Source

Building Sustainable Design