NHS LTHT – Carbon Literacy Training

LTHT have an ambition to be one of the Greenest Trusts in the UK. WRM Sustainability worked with the Trust to develop their Green Plan setting out how the organisation will attain this goal.  Following the successful adoption of this sustainability strategy, WRM have delivered Carbon Literacy Training which will enable the Trust to become a Carbon Literate Organisation.

Carbon Literacy Training requires the widespread training of the Trust’s workforce and involves educating and empowering staff on issues related to climate change. Following the training, which places the onus on individuals to drive positive change within individual job roles, it is anticipated that the Trust will achieve a 5-15% reduction in CO2 emissions.

WRM were tasked by LTHT with developing and delivering Carbon Literacy training which involved the development and delivery of a bespoke training course for the organisation.

WRM developed a modular approach to Carbon Literacy Training for LTHT.  As the Trust is comprised of multiple disparate departments, this modular approach ensured that Training could be tailored to the needs of each department and reflected the varying aspects and impacts. For example the issues and environmental aspects covered in the Estates department training were very different to those addressed in the training to clinical staff. As a result of the a modular training pack, WRM delivered relevant and highly engaging training for each individual department at LTHT.

The training pack was developed to meet the requirements of the Carbon Literacy standard. A key step in ensuring that the Trust could become certified as a Carbon Literate Organisation.  WRM designed the training sessions to be impactful, interactive, engaging and positive.

With an action oriented approach, WRM used the training to encourage staff to make positive changes by identifying simple yet substantive changes they could make in their daily roles. Whilst providing an education on the importance and urgency of addressing the issues of climate change, the training maintained a positive message.

LTHT are now on their way to becoming the first Carbon Literate NHS Trust in the UK. This has helped to advance their sustainability agenda, and their goal to become the Greenest Trust in the UK.

Training is being delivered on an ongoing basis to the 14,000 staff at the Trust, beginning with the Estates and Theatres departments. The ambition is for each department to becoming “Carbon Literate”. With these first departments becoming Carbon Literate, the focus is on engaging the whole organisation.

The ultimate aim is to educate and empower all staff to take meaningful action to reduce their CO2 emissions at work.

Speak to our service lead, Adam Newman, about the benefits Carbon Literacy can offer to your organisation.