What we do reaches beyond bricks and mortar

"Behavioural change is part of climate action. Some of that comes down to what we do as individuals, and some of it is what needs to happen to make things easier for us”. These are the words of Sir Patrick Vallance, Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK Government (published in The Guardian) speaking earlier this month at the COP26 summit.

It’s a sentiment we wholeheartedly agree with here at Abri: when it comes to tackling climate change, how we live in our homes can be just as important as the buildings themselves.

We’re in a climate emergency and each one of us has a role to play. As a homebuilder, landlord and one of the largest housing associations in southern England, we’re uniquely placed. Yes, we decide on the fabric of a building and how it’s built – but we can also help to influence how it’s lived in. What we do reaches far beyond bricks and mortar.

We know we’re in a position to make it easier for people to make meaningful behavioural changes that will positively impact climate change. Here’s how…

• We’ve hosted a number of sustainability focus groups with customers to understand their thoughts and needs. We’re also about to embark on a programme of customer engagement with customers taking part in the retrofit pilots. This means we’ll be able to look at existing homes and carry out work that will make them more environmentally friendly.
• Our community investment team has been engaging customers and communities in sustainable activities. The team has worked with regional initiatives to help set up community gardens and gardening clubs, enabling customers to grow fruit and vegetables, enjoy wildlife zones and outdoor exercise areas.
• We’ve launched community orchards with Green Earth, supporting the health and wellbeing of our customers and communities as well as encouraging biodiversity.
• We’ve worked with the Greening Campaign to equip communities with the information and resources to tackle climate issues that are important to them.
• Working with MyBalance, we’ve developed an app to help people to understand their carbon footprint and how they can meaningfully improve it. We’ve successfully trialled the app with Abri colleagues and will shortly make this available to our customers too.
• We’ve made Carbon Literacy training available to all colleagues at Abri to make sure we can engage with customers on the broader challenges associated with climate change and the personal lifestyle changes that can make a difference.
• All of this runs alongside our journey towards net zero by 2050. When it comes to new homes, this means we’ve set specific targets for improving insulation as well as using renewable and low carbon energy. Our Abri Standard will complement the Government’s Future Homes Standard which expects new homes to produce 75% lower carbon emissions compared to current levels.

We do understand some of our residents may be apprehensive and perhaps even a little resistant to change. That’s understandable and that’s why it’s important we engage our residents in the right way and at the right time. We know it’s our responsibility to educate and encourage our communities to embrace new ideas, technology, and perhaps even lifestyle changes that will enable long-term sustainable living.

This won’t be a one-way conversation either. We will always keep the conversation open and take the time to genuinely understand our residents’ views, preferences and concerns.

This will be challenging though. Decarbonising our homes and enabling behavioural change while also making our homes more comfortable and affordable is complex. Especially while building thousands of much-needed new homes. And all during a global pandemic. But none of these factors mean this is a challenge we don’t want to tackle.

Why? Because we understand the responsibility that sits on Abri’s shoulders and we believe in our collective power to make change and do good – it’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly.

We’re always searching for new ways to improve ourselves, our organisation, and, most importantly, the lives of our residents. Long may it continue. It’s exactly the type of drive and ambition needed to positively impact climate change – both with the buildings we build, and how our residents live in them. We think this is the sort of behavioural change that Sir Patrick Vallance is talking about and we’re proud to play our part in fighting the climate crisis.

- Rose Bean, Executive Director of Assets and Sustainability, Abri