Diversity, equity and inclusion

Our beliefs

1. At Greenhouse Communications, we embrace diversity and are committed to supporting and celebrating difference within our team across race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability, age, and many other characteristics and beliefs.
2. We take action to ensure everyone feels valued for their differences.
3. We provide opportunities and resources to make sure everyone can succeed in our organisation.

What are we doing

We still have a long way to go, so we are taking positive action to improve our approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I), working with a specialist DE&l consultant to challenge us, set targets, and embed diversity in all that we do, and ensure it has meaningful impact. Our progress so far includes:

• Sharing where we are now and setting clear and ambitious goals on where we want to be by end of 2025.
• Implementing all-agency training on bias and inclusivity, through the inspiring team at The Other Box.
• Developing Lunch & Learns on topics including transgender advocacy and neurodiversity, and building a programme of external speakers.
• Implementing a DE&I Working group within Greenhouse Communications, supported by ambassadors in each team, in order to embed DE&I in the culture and everyday operations.
• Auditing and updating all of our policies to ensure that they are inclusive, use appropriate language, and are accessible to all.
• Investing in recruitment across a range of inclusive platforms, including the Taylor Bennet Foundation, Creative Access, and People Like Us, to encourage applications from underrepresented groups.

Diversity, equity and inclusion in our community

We recognise that Black, Asian and ethnically diverse communities are underrepresented within our team at Greenhouse Communications. This is a challenge that cuts across our industry: the environmental sector has been identified as the second least diverse industry in the UK, according to research from PolicyExchange.

We want to help to support and drive change in our sector, making short and long term commitments to improve diversity, equity and inclusion at Greenhouse.

• We support Bright Green Future, an educational programme for young Black, Asian and minority ethnic individuals in Bristol aged 16-19, providing communications workshops and writing blogs about starting a career in PR and communications.
• Our employees are volunteer mentors through programmes coordinated by the Taylor Bennett Foundation and Babbasa, helping individuals from underrepresented backgrounds to establish and develop their careers in the communications sector.
• We support our Bristol neighbours Black and Green Ambassadors with digital training, helping empower and equip leaders from underrepresented groups within the environmental movement.
• We collaborate with and support external organisations such as the Taylor Bennett Foundation, People Like Us, and Creative Access, in order to attract and develop talent from underrepresented communities.

Equity and climate justice

We see the impacts of the climate emergency disproportionately impacting those living in the Global South, who have contributed the least to carbon emissions but who find themselves on the frontline of climate change. Fighting climate injustice is central to our mission.

A key focus for our team is empowering and supporting climate youth activists and future climate leaders from the Global South, equipping them with the resources, information and training they need to feel confident in telling their story.

We are doing this in the following ways:

• Youth activist training based in the Global South. Via organisations such as Youth 4 Nature and Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS) / Mock COP, we provide training, tools and resources to support activists in their work.
• Finance and training for the African Youth Climate Education Leaders Fellowship. We provide funding and support for the leadership team on planning, content and platforms, and help over 90 youth climate activists develop skills in communications and storytelling.
• Funding and support via the Savitri Foundation. We work with the Savitri Foundation to provide youth activists with ‘Love Trust Grants’ to support individuals in their work, recognising their valuable impact and ensuring they get the funding they need to focus on their mission.
• Supporting schools projects in Africa. We have worked with Vanessa Nakate on the launch of Vash Green Schools, a project addressing energy poverty in rural schools in Uganda, by providing communications support and funding three schools; with Kevin Mtai on the Bustani Schools Garden Project by funding four schools and a community garden; and with Elizabeth Wathuti on the Green Generation Initiative in Kenya.
• Ensuring that youth climate activists voices are heard globally. We are working to find ways to get 30 youth climate activists to take part in COP27, as well as inviting two activists from African countries to join our Greenhouse Communications team.