Beatrice Vincent reflected on her positive experience working with us after she helped complete a brand audit of current internal and external communications, focusing on sustainability.
Beatrice, a third-year geography student at the University of Exeter, worked with us for two weeks after we partnered with the University’s award-winning Green Consultants programme.
Beatrice used her geographical and marketing knowledge to help review the effectiveness of our current sustainability policy in communicating effectively to customers and colleagues.
Whilst the programme was remote in line with government restrictions at the time, Beatrice says she felt fully supported throughout and was impressed with our dedication to our environmental strategy.
Beatrice said: ‘’During my two weeks with LiveWest I was involved in analysing current sustainability communications to ensure that existing projects and successes were being communicated effectively.
“I looked at ways to develop how the environmental strategy is communicated and how to encourage colleagues to better integrate ‘green tips’ into their everyday lives.
“I thoroughly enjoyed working at LiveWest. From the start I was given a warm welcome to the company and everyone I met was very happy to help out.
“I got a great insight into the internal workings of the company and how the different sections work together so holistically.
“Further, everyone seemed fully committed to going green, which was great to see especially from such a large organisation with a huge reach.
‘’I appreciated being able to get involved in the different channels of communication that LiveWest utilises, and seeing how each is tailored to effectively communicate to different audiences.
“Also, how ‘greeness’ is considered in all different aspects of LiveWest. From the offices, houses, colleagues, gardens and raw materials.”
We are aiming to beat the government’s target of boosting the energy efficiency of homes after partnering with the University of Exeter to launch a new environmental strategy.
We will change the way new homes are built and how our existing homes are maintained across the South West as the issue of sustainability in house building grows.
We partnered up with the University’s Green Consultants and their award-winning programme which is designed to provide students with the skills and experience required to work in the environmental and sustainability sector, whilst improving the sustainability of an organisation.
Central to our energy efficiency drive, we are targeting that all of our existing homes reach an Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) rating of band C and above by 2028 – two years ahead of the proposed government target of 2030.
Managing over 38, 000 homes across the region, we are one of the first housing associations in the country to have launched an environmental blueprint with measurable targets.
We have also committed to delivering our new homes to EPC band high B/low A using an enhanced fabric first approach to ensure our homes outperform current building regulations, reducing energy demand and carbon emissions.
We are also taking steps to futureproof our new homes by installing the infrastructure that can accommodate heat pumps at a later date to provide an alternative to a fossil-fuel based heating system.
We plan to gradually move away from gas and oil heating systems to electric-based systems in order to benefit from the National Grid’s drive to become greener in how it generates electricity.
Beatrice added: ‘’I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at LiveWest, especially learning from such a significant organisation who is placing environmental strategy at the forefront of their work.
“It was refreshing to see how committed all the colleagues I met were to going green, and this is translated into getting staff involved in sharing of environmental tips etc.
“The size and scope of LiveWest as an organisation is vital in rippling out positive influence and behavioural change into the housing sector and customers’ homes.’’
‘’Through their new environmental strategy, Creating Greener Futures Together and Green Advice, LiveWest have made significant pivotal commitments to recognising the importance of their environmental impact and capacity to enact change.’’
‘’It is great to see sustainability being recognised and embedded through all elements of the organisation, from renewables in the home to green advice suggestions. This drive and enthusiasm to greener thinking will undoubtedly prove successful in the future and aid the longevity of the LiveWest brand.’’
Find out more about our environmental strategy and what you can do to protect the environment here.