World Environment Day: Celebrating our Customer Sustainability Champions!

Ideas for how we can boost biodiversity in our neighbourhoods, ways we can help customers to save energy and money during the cost-of-living crisis, and views on the best ways to communicate with customers about energy efficiency improvement work: these are just some of the ways our brilliant Customer Sustainability Champions are shaping our work and we're putting the spotlight on them to mark World Environment Day.

Making our customers’ homes and neighbourhoods and our business more sustainable is a priority and we are delighted that our Customer Sustainability Champions are helping us on our journey.

In 2022 we recruited eight FCHO customers from across the Oldham borough, each keen to help us tackle climate change in our homes and neighbourhoods and we’re very excited about the positive changes they are helping us deliver.

The group meets to learn more about how FCHO is addressing a range of green issues and share their views. The sessions are prompting lively debate with a range of opinions and important feedback to help us achieve the environmental targets in our Big Plan and Sustainability Strategy.

Here’s a snapshot of the ways our Customer Sustainability Champions are making a difference…

• Informing how we improve the energy efficiency of FCHO homes, in particular, how, what and when we communicate with customers.
• Reviewing how other housing providers are working to achieve net zero carbon targets with a visit to Mosscare St Vincent’s recently retrofitted Cosy Home, with a view to helping to shape our plans.
• Sharing their views on how we can support customers to save energy and money to help manage the cost of living.
• Influencing how we improve biodiversity in our green spaces, including suggesting a tree sponsorship programme which is now in development, identifying areas for wildflower planting and discussing opportunities for customers to get involved in local gardening projects.

Customer Alex is among our Customer Sustainability Champions and is passionate about the role they are playing:

"I believe it is important for FCHO to receive input from Sustainability Champions because it helps bring new ideas and improves services and quality of homes, as well as all working together to educate ourselves on sustainability and help protect the planet, build better communities and make our homes a better place to live and work. Doing our bit helps the planet not just for our generation but also the next generation and our children's futures.

"I really enjoy the fact that being part of the group helps me meet like minded people who want to look at ways of reducing their carbon footprint and hearing other people's views, opinions and ideas and hearing what FCHO has planned to reduce its carbon footprint.

"The best part of attending the groups is finding ways to cut down on my gas and electricity usage."

Simon Davies our Energy Efficiency & Sustainability Manager says: “We’re committed to providing sustainable and affordable homes for our customers and minimising our environmental impact and know our customers must be at the heart of this. We recruited our Customer Sustainability Champions to give a voice to those who live in our homes and their crucial views, feedback and recommendations are helping us deliver meaningful and impactful work in our customers’ homes and communities.”

Michael Webb, Customer Involvement Officer here at FCHO added: “I’m delighted to see our Champions so engaged about sustainability and they are really helping to make a difference. I’d like to thank them for their valuable contributions so far and look forward to what we can achieve together in the months ahead.”

Want to get involved and become a Customer Sustainability Champion?

Please email CI@FCHO.co.uk and a member of our team will contact you for a chat about the role.