SUSTAINABILITY STATEMENT
The CO Project Farm and the UnSchool of Disruptive Design are established on three main principles of systems change, active sustainability and creative design for supporting positive and significant change for a future that works better for all of us. Our mission is to make, demonstrate and share and activate leadership for creative and sustainable change.
We embrace the opportunity to take ownership of the decisions we make to actively reduce our impact on social and environmental systems that surround us. For us, to live and work sustainability is necessary to live and work ethically.
Our goal is to lead by example and to create a case study for positive change. We are committed to activating and expanding global sustainability goals, and sharing knowledge and tools through hands-on application of sustainability in our lives and communities.
Our hope is that our case study is replicated, copied, borrowed from across the planet to scale up creative, systemic, and well-designed sustainability in action.
CODE OF PRACTICE
In our programs and at our CO Project Farm facility we embed sustainability principles and practices in all aspects of our operations and practices.
In practice, we:
Minimize our environmental footprint through sustainable management of our resources including land, water, energy, materials, cultural heritage and biodiversity.
Conduct activities to avoid, minimize or mitigate negative environmental, social and economic impacts, and to maximize positive impacts. We bulk buy to reduce packaging, always use reusable shopping bags and purchase the highest level of recycled content products as possible (such as for paper or office products). When our staff and team have to travel we purchase carbon offsets, opt for lower carbon transport options where possible. We support digital platforms (like video conferencing, and digital production) to reduce carbon emissions.
When we decide to produce products ourselves we only work with producers who have a high environmental standards and offer recycled content, alternative energy production systems and low impact manufacturing.
Aim towards post-disposability in our operations by reducing consumption and increasing reuse. We go beyond recycling in our approach to waste management, and where possible we compost all organic materials, reduce and reuse before recycling, and are actively working towards zero waste where possible. What we do use we make sure is actually recyclable in the system we are in and ensure that all recycling is done correctly.
We only offer vegetable-centric, locally sourced meals to reduce carbon and land use impacts from meat production.
Advance the circular economy by incorporating circular design approaches and skills for sustainability in our facility design, programming and practices
Engage actively with staff, learners, contractors, suppliers, and community organizations to build their environmental sustainability capabilities to contribute positively to the environment.
Support local communities through measures such as locally sourcing goods and services, and employing local people.
Prioritize accessibility to our programs through equity access scholarships or through our volunteer opportunities based on value exchanges.
Foster open and respectful dialogue between local communities and international visitors.
Respect and appreciate diversity of and differences in ethnicity, Indigenous origin or heritage, age, gender, beliefs, language, sexual orientation, education, nationality, social background and culture or other personal characteristics.
Embrace our own learning and work to continually improve our performance. As people who both lead and follow, in both roles, we commit to identifying opportunities to learn and grow personally and professionally. We realize mistakes are part of the process and how we create our best work, and we welcome and offer caring constructive critique and feedback so that we continue to learn and evolve.
We acknowledge our power and privilege and the responsibility that comes with it. We create an inclusive, participatory environment with reciprocal, open communication.
We prioritize working with other organisations that have advanced environmental policies and seek out best practice products and services. We focus on sourcing products and services from local providers with emphasis on organic and sustainably motivated producers.
