Our plan to increase biodiversity

We’re introducing new Carbon Literacy learning to increase the awareness of Southern Housing’s carbon footprint. Launched especially for Earth Month, the online module highlights the golden thread to each individual and what they can do in their role to help reduce our carbon emissions. From switching off their monitor at the end of the day to speaking to suppliers about their carbon emissions. Each one of our 2,500 colleagues have been asked to make a carbon commitment to help us achieve net zero.

Knowing the size of our carbon footprint is important, but knowing how to reduce it matters most. In the past year, we’ve retrofitted more than 400 homes – reducing energy bills, carbon emissions and creating healthier homes for our residents.

In addition, we improved the reliability of the heating for residents in projects such as Church Elm in Dagenham and the Vega Building in Hove. This increased efficiency from 23% to 49%, is saving 90 tonnes of CO2 per year and reducing residents’ energy bills by £490 per year. 

We gained also over £200,000 in funding to complete a major heat network retrofit in Brighton, aiming to save on energy costs and reduce carbon by 70%.

Through our Biodiversity Pathway, we aim to enhance 30 sites per year by 2030. Our dedicated workforce has already improved 60 green spaces in the first year – boosting biodiversity across our green spaces. We must keep up the momentum to ensure we’re providing high-quality habitats for wildlife to continue to flourish.

But it’s not just colleagues and suppliers. We’re working closely with our residents too, giving them tips through various communication channels on how to support biodiversity. For people with homes in high-rise buildings or without gardens, we’re providing funding for habitat creation and gardening support so they can encourage biodiversity in the outside space they do have in a safe and affordable way.

“Knowing the size of our carbon footprint is important, but knowing how to reduce it matters most”

We work with more than 40 other housing associations in the Biodiversity in Housing Networking Group to come together, share ideas and work towards a greener future. These are all huge wins for our industry, our organisation and our environment, and we have also found cost reductions in managing our green spaces while improving biodiversity.

However, the hard work doesn’t stop there. We must continue working together, with our colleagues, residents, partners and communities because we all play a role in improving our natural environment, helping all species to thrive and reducing our carbon footprint. Working together, making the small changes, is how we’ll make a difference and achieve a sustainable future.

Kerry Briffitt, biodiversity and sustainability projects lead, Southern Housing