Global Action Plan

Infobox Non-profit
Non-profit_name = Global Action Plan UK
Non-profit_
Non-profit_type = Limited company and Charitable trust
founded_date = 1993 as 'Global Action Plan '

founder = Trewin Restorick
location_city =
location_country =
location = London, UK
area_served = World
origins =
key_people =
focus = Sustainability, Sustainable development, Environmentalism, Environmental behaviour change training
method = training
revenue =
num_volunteers =
owner =
Non-profit_slogan = Creating the Climate for Change
homepage = [http://www.globalactionplan.org.uk]
dissolved =
footnotes =

Global Action Plan is an environmental charity that specialises in behaviour change training. The organisation works with schools, communities and businesses. The ethos is that small changes to the choices we make every day make a big difference when widely adopted.

History

In 1989 Global Action Plan was established in the United States and the Netherlands on the initiative of David Gershon and Bessie Schadee. The first design for a 'household EcoTeam programme' was presented at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. The programme was conceived to involve everyday people in creating solutions to environmental problems.

The Global Action Plan idea spread to a number of countries and was launched in its current form in the UK by Director, Trewin Restorick. The first programme engaged 30,000 households and was supported by thousands of volunteers, who participated and received action packs that offered practical tips on ways to use energy efficiently, reduce waste, cut water use in their homes and to shop ethically.

Since then new programmes have come online working with businesses and schools. More organizations have now jointed the Global Action Plan network worldwide to take up the challenge, with several countries adopting the UK programmes due to their proven high levels of success.

tructure

Global Action Plan GAP is an international network with 19 national and regional member organizations around the world. The member organizations are autonomous.

Members: * Belarus * Belgium (Flanders) * Belgium (Wallonia) * Finland * Iceland * India * Ireland * Korea * Latvia * Netherlands * Norway * Poland * Russia * Spain * Sweden * USA * Ukraine * United Kingdom * Vietnam

Existing UK Programmes

Environment Champions: trains staff in corporations to run internal campaigns to change behaviour to reduce environmental impacts

EcoTeams: trains groups of householders to monitor their resource use and reduce over time

Action at School: works with teachers and pupils to green their schools.

Global Action Plan UK's approach

On Global Action Plan's website they express their approach as being:

•Practical and positive - it can be hard for people to tackle overwhelming environmental issues like climate change so we break them down into small steps that everyone can take, like unplugging mobile phone chargers when they're not being used.

•Measurable - we help people to see the difference they are making by measuring the resources saved as a result of their actions and those of their community. For example, just 63 households in our Nottingham EcoTeams programme have collectively saved a massive 7 tonnes from ending up on the rubbish mountain.

•Interactive - changing habits alone is difficult. Watch a team of businessmen build a teetering tower of paper in their corporate lobby, and you'll see what's different about Global Action Plan. By supporting groups of people working together, we make taking action easier, more creative and much more fun.

•Inclusive - everyone gets switched on by different things. Working with all kinds of individuals and organisations has enabled us to come up with a range of imaginative ways to communicate. Try riding our Energy Bike for a totally different way of making the connection between energy use and climate change.

External links

* [http://www.globalactionplan.org.uk Global Action Plan UK homepage]
*UK charity|1026148
* [http://www.globalactionplan.com Global Action Plan International homepage]
* [http://www.ecoteams.org.uk/ EcoTeams homepage]