Carbon Co-op is a Community Benefit Society and our official, registered name is: The Society for the Reduction of Carbon Limited (trading as Carbon Co-op) – the word ‘co-op’ is excluded by the regulator as an acceptable Community Benefit Society name. We are governed by a board of directors elected by the membership at each Annual General Meeting. In addition, the board is able to co-opt up to three additional directors each year. If you’re interested in finding more about becoming a board member please get in touch.
Our governing rules can be found here.
Our Ethical Partnership policy can be found here.
‘Policy Governance’
Carbon Co-op operates an innovative governance model known as Policy Governance or Carver Governance. The approach is popular within consumer co-operatives in the United States and is a way to encourage member participation in co-operatives carrying out often complex and highly technical activities.
Organisational Ends
Within Policy Governance ‘Ends’, these are organisational goals that designates the results for which the organisation exists to achieve. These were set by Carbon Co-op members in 2015 and staff members report on progress against Ends at every board meeting.
Overarching-End: Domestic carbon emissions are radically reduced in order to avoid runaway climate change
The domestic carbon emissions of Carbon Co-op members and the wider public in Greater Manchester and beyond, are radically reduced to an extent sufficient to avoid runaway climate change.
- E1: Radical carbon emission reduction strategies are created and shared
Knowledge is openly shared and disseminated and well documented, open models for radical domestic carbon reduction are readily available to enable the public, policy makers and other community organisations to be inspired and be replicated.
- E2: 2050 retrofit is made possible
Owner occupiers can simply and affordably reduce their home carbon emissions to 2050 standards through the adoption of fabric first, whole house, energy efficient retrofit works. - E3: Energy Commons are achieved
Sustainable energy systems are realised, owned and controlled in common, by locally rooted and representative institutions, organisations and citizens, maximising social value. - E4: The energy system is de-carbonised
Our members, individually and in aggregation, have the tools and knowledge to optimise their interactions with the electricity grid, reducing domestic carbon emissions and generating income as appropriate. - E5: Collective action is taken
Our membership acquires and shares knowledge collectively and owns and controls the means (ie tools and processes) of their own carbon reduction descent. - E6: Aware of carbon footprint and reduction targets benchmarked
Our membership and the Greater Manchester population are informed of their personal contributions to the causes of climate change and understand their responsibilities for reducing these in the context of environmental justice. - E7: Environmental justice is demonstrated
Members, staff and wider stakeholders possess knowledge and understanding of energy justice and social equity and this knowledge frames their carbon reduction activities.
More on Policy Governance
One of the inspirations behind our adaptation of Policy Governance was this article by David Boyle that highlights its benefits. Our approach to Policy Governance is set out in our Policy Governance Manual: