Social Impact Bonds - the uncomfortable truth...

SIB's or Social Impact Bonds, the new buzz word in the Third Sector/Civil Society/Big Society/whatever you want to call it....

Definition:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_impact_bond

How they work in practice: 

Social investor puts in £x million to pay for prevention work, delivered by a third sector organisation, that reduces hospital alcohol admissions by 5%, resulting in a saving to the local Primary Care Trust of £x million over x years.  Future savings are channeled to social investor to pay them back, provider gets funding up front to deliver outcomes, Primary Care Trust underwrites social investor risk.  I've probably over simplified that but it's the basic premise.

All sounds great doesn't it?  As long as the targets are achieved and can be evidenced, everyone's a winner.

Except I've got one big concern, if this is to be the shape of funding for social/environmental action in the future, will this be detrimental for areas of social/environmental action that have much lower benefits in £ per output.  For example, if we reduce waste to landfill, the saving to the Local Authority might be £150 per tonne and I suspect the financial return that generates for an investor will be too low to be of interest.

And what about areas where its difficult to prove the saving....carbon savings perhaps?  So will environmental projects suffer at this shift in funding approach?

The danger is that we all get whipped up in this frenzy of SIB's and focus our efforts on trying to put together innovative proposals when the investors just aren't out there or are not interested...so I think we need some focus from government and social investment organisations on providing guidelines very quickly for the sorts of projects that are likely to be of interest...or some clear direction on what investors will be looking for in terms of payback...maybe that's out there??  and there needs to be a clear debate about how the Government's strategy for financing the Big Society won't affect the smaller organisations who do not have the capacity to engage in this debate.

On a positive note, SIB's potentially lever in investment that would not have been there before and it is encouraging to see our own Local Authority starting to embrace this area.

The Bike Hub is coming together!

The Bike Hub took a step closer to opening last week with partitions going up to create the bike stations that trainees will learn in...with electrics and a lick of paint, plus some bikes and equipment, we're good to go!
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Jon Rolls on BBC Radio Cornwall!

Listen to ReZolve CEO Jon Rolls being interviewed on BBC Radio Cornwall morning, he’s talking about our great new project The Bike Hub!

Reuse around the country....

In a bid to do things better, we took the unprecedented decision to leave the safety of Cornwall and head further afield to learn how other reuse projects across the country do it.

Trying to get 4 members of the team together at any one time for a 3 day trip was difficult enough....but so far its been hugely worthwhile and a great opportunity to see who does what.

We know that sometimes we could do things a whole lot better and so we decided to put that to the test with a visit yesterday to the Shropshire Furniture Scheme.  Lead by Jean Jarvis MBE and reigning Furniture Reuse Project of the Year, we thought this would be a good place to start.  Shropshire have certainly got some great ideas and the pick of the bunch was their innovative little cafe/book shop/furniture shop.

On to today and the team have been to see Bristol SOFA, a very established project who have been leading the way for years, whilst I attended an important FRN (Furniture Reuse Network) board meeting.  SOFA do some great work with local prisons and have established an excellent reworking facility that were keen to see.  We weren't disappointed and will be coming back with plenty of ideas for how we can improve our repair operations and maximise our reuse rates.

With a pint in hand, we can now reflect on what we've seen and the work we need to do....there's a lot to get on with and no doubt more ideas will come from our visit tomorrow to CFP Newbury!

Waste Review....it's out...read it here.

78 pages and not one mention of Real Nappies or 'disposable'....FRN gets a brief mention....and I even saw the words Big Society...but don't hold your breath!

Better get a coffee and settle down to read this weighty tome!

Waste Review....comment and analysis...of a sort!

Early themes from the CIWM Conference where the Waste Review will be announced seem to fixate on weekly/fortnightly collections, SME's getting more involved in recycling and the new WRAP Business Plan.

All very important issues for UK Waste Industry but I can't help feeling that the enormity of the waste/low carbon challenge just isn't going to be fully addressed.

Let's face it...mass consumption is the issue here.  We can play around with end of pipe solutions but if we want to make a real impact on waste and the carbon impact of waste, then we need to address sustainable consumption....and really tackle the major retailers and manufacturers....let's hope the Waste Review won't shy away from that....if it comes out at all today...laes tweet shows Radio 4 Press Announcement for 9.30am was canned at the last minute!"

Recycle for Cornwall....sounds familiar!

If you are not aware, there is a critical public vote currently doing the rounds.
Essentially it's a simple either or and it relates to the way that Cornwall handles the waste coming out of your home.  The challenge for us as householders is how much do we think about the bigger picture, and how much do we retrench in to our own little world and choose what seems best for us...or what's least hassle.


Option A:  You can have your black bag waste picked up weekly...just like you do now....and in addition, your kitchen waste will be separately collected...and every fortnight the council will also pick up your recycling...so not much change on the black bag front, a new kitchen waste collection is added weekly but for many of us who recycle regularly, this will be a backward step as we go to fortnightlies and need to find the space to store more material...for those who compost already, this will make little difference...recycling will go down and there is no incentive for householders to recycle more!





Option B:  Kitchen waste and recycling picked up weekly and black bag waste picked up fortnightly...for the keen recyclers and composters out there, not a problem, in fact, great!  but for those who 'can't be bothered' then it could be a nuisance...for those that have legitimate reasons for not recycling (I can't think of many when it's weekly), it too could be challenging, but in the grand scheme of things, not a major issue...I can think of worse things to have to worry about.





So what is the bigger picture...well, firstly, the Council are trying to harmonize all the waste collection services in Cornwall...this has got to be a good thing, and could save considerable money in tough times....whilst at the same time bringing on new and innovative services like kitchen waste composting.  Of course, the best thing for householders is to compost at home and use the wonderful compost for your garden...the Council also offers a Green Joanna digester which can handle pretty much anything thrown at it, including meat and fish!


Secondly,  dwindling landfill space, fines for missing landfill targets and the impending decision on the incinerator, all mean there is a real need to maximize recycling and reuse rates and minimise what we consume.  If we don't, costs will go up to the Council as we miss targets, that's bad for you and I, and the argument for the incinerator only gets more justified as a way to deal with the vast quantities of waste that we produce....oh, and by the way, if we reduce what we purchase and consume (that doesn't meant eating less) then we can save money as well.  Do you really need that electric toothbrush?  or the pink fluffy dice for the car?


Thirdly, it makes sense.  If you look at the bin below, over 75% of its contents are recyclable, and that's a standard figure.  So if you take all those things out, then there should be no need to have black bag waste collected weekly....what's left is cellophane, those ghastly tetrapaks (see movie below), nappies and odds and sods.





Nappies!  now there's an issue...what's fluffy, comes in different shapes and sizes, is better for the environment and can save you up to £500 per child?  Real nappies, or washable nappies...or Terry Squares...now fun, funky and a real practical option to save waste and money....see www.goreal.org.uk for more info.


What about rats?  If there's nothing worth eating in your bag, because it's all been recycled or composted, then they won't visit...and anyway, you're never more than a 20ft from a rat, or so they say!


What about smell?  Smell from rotting food and nappies assumes one thing...that you're not using the kitchen waste service or real nappies.  OK, real nappies might not be for everyone, but if nappy smell is the issue, then you have a choice, one that saves you money and the environment.


What about health effects?  WRAP (QUANGO for waste) conducted research on this issue and reviewed over 150 research papers on this subject and found no evidence to suggest that going to fortnightly collections of black bag waste had any health impacts.


I'm not trying to trivialize individual issues and challenges...some people may well have personal circumstances that would make fortnightly black bag collections a problem, but for the overwhelming majority, in an age of environmental uncertainty and dwindling resources, our actions now can have big implications for our future and our children's future.  Especially when we will be signing up to a long term contract that could be up to 15 years.
So I would urge as many people as possible to choose option B, and choose to increase recycling and reuse!

Wobbly legs and melting ice caps...with map attached!

Mission complete…well at least half complete because I still have to cycle home this evening!  However, from the looks of the map below, it should be mostly down hill!

And the point of the exercise (quite literally) was to save energy (fossil fuel derived, not my own!) and CO2…to that end, given my car emits 140g/km then today by biking to work, I will have saved 4.5kg of CO2.

Seems trivial perhaps….but just one trip like this a month would probably save almost 1% of my total annual carbon footprint….

Imagine if everyone did that?

I’m off to find a bacon bap!  (local of course)

Jon Rolls

Chief Executive

Here we go...26km to work!

It's 7am and I'm wearing more lycra than I ever dared to imagine...and all in the name of climate week!


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Carb Loading for Climate Week...

Climate Week has largely passed me by...and by the sounds of it...most other people, except our dedicated staff at ReZolve who have been giving up their cars and digging allotments...oh, and those great CoaST'ies (www.cstn.org.uk) who celebrated their 8th birthday this week with a fantastic conference about being 'Positively Deviant' or going against the flow!  which is what we all need to do if we're going to reverse climate change.

So back to the point, Climate Week is very nearly over and so I've left things a bit late in the day to have a big impact, so I thought I would still make an effort to cycle to work...which is no mean feat for me as its 21.6km from start to finish....and most of that is up hill as far as I can see!

Cycling to work is often quoted as a great way to reduce carbon, and indeed it is, but it's not without its challenges in Cornwall, given most people's distance from their home.

However, I'm planning to start cycling to work, at least once a month (this sounds pretty pathetic but at 21.6km each way and 4 hrs out of your day, small things make a big difference) which is not as much as I would like, but given hectic diaries and the logistics of having fresh pants on arrival...it's a big commitment!

There are some other upsides to this carbon offset lark, fitness, fresh air and the great outdoors....and if you're in to great scenery, then I thoroughly recommend the World Heritage Trails in the Luxylan Valley...my starting point for the journey! http://www.cornish-mining.org.uk/ and after that, National Cycling routes which connect vast parts of the country via quiet country lanes and great off-road tracks.  For detailed mapping have a look at the great Sustrans site where you can enter your postcode and see the routes near you. http://www.sustrans.org.uk/

So as I sit here contemplating tomorrow mornings 7am start and watching my youngest regurgitate his rice on the floor...carb loading takes on a new meaning!

Yours,

Slightly Apprehensive from St Austell

Climate Inspired Reuse

Several members of the ReZolve team decided to alleviate the need for new goods during Climate Week and turned to reuse instead.  Cynthia our Training Manager is fashioning some cushions covers from her old curtains, Alan our Operations Manager was looking to build some raised beds from reclaimed timber - reusing and growing his own veg (double points)!  And Tara, our Promotions Officer, has had a spring clean and has streamlined her Wardrobe, offering a bag of good quality clothes to her local charity shop.  Tara advises that she is now psyching herself up to tackle her 18 year old's sons wardrobe that hasn't been internally fumigated for nearly three years and still has a primary school uniform hanging in it!

We have also come across this great website which also aims to cut down the need for consumer purchasing but is based around sharing rather than reuse.  It still needs a lot of people to sign up to be really useful but the concept is great: www.streetbank.com

Climate Week

So this week we are all trying to change one thing in our lives as part of Climate Week.  As an organisation ReZolve is always trying to lower our impact on the environment.  We were delighted that a Business Link report found the organisation to be carbon negative but recognise that there is always more that we can do as an organisation and as individuals.  We will bring you a few updates on what our staff have been doing and how they found it.

Our HR manager Becky Hosken and our RE:STORE Administrator Steve Hill have decided to car share as they live fairly close to each other and despite not working at the same site, they do both travel to Bodmin!  They have been taking turns to drive and will be doing so for the rest of the week, hoping to save 112 miles of travel in just this week alone. 

What's even better is that they plan to continue once the week is over.  Becky estimates that if they continue to car share they could save approximately £600 each in a year!!  Not to mention the fuel emissions they are cutting and the wear and tear on their cars.  There are some downsides, in that on the days that they aren't driving they can't get out and about if they need to; but this can be counteracted with forward planning. 

Another plus that Becky has noticed is being more focussed by having a definite leaving time.  Both Steve and Becky recognise that it won't be practical to car share every day but they both see the sense in doing it when they can. 

RE:SOURCE on Pirate FM

The RE:SOURCE team were visited today by Holly Day from Pirate FM.  She brought along some doughnuts with her as a treat for all their hard work and found out about the great work we do at RE:SOURCE.  The volunteers were a little nervous about being interviewed for the radio but we think that they did a fantastic job telling everyone what they do to help out (and I'm sure the dougnuts helped persuade them!!)

Listen to their interviews here:

Peak Oil...does it mean anything to you?

...well if it doesn't then think again...a new Gaurdian article raises fresh concerns that the Saudi oil reserves could be as much as 40% overstated...of course many will dismiss this as scare mongering, but whether its true or not, oil is in ever increasing demand and prices continue to fluctuate and rise, so why not be prepared!

So what is Peak Oil? 

Check out this video which explains all...a bit alarmist?  Make your own mind up...  


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT-ZpYgaHgc

So what can we do about it if it is true.  Well, becoming more self sufficient and using less fuel would help and it will save you money as well.  As oil prices soar, the price of all goods will go up and up, so the more we can protect ourselves against that through self sufficiency and being frugal, the more we will be able to lessen the impact.

Here are a few things you can do and organisations that can help:

1. Make sure your home is well insulated and your energy usage is minimised: http://www.cep.org.uk/info-for-you/info-for-households/insulation/

2. Once you've done that, consider generating your own energy:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SeOjxkGwic

3. Grow you own: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=19803

4. Bike 2 Work - encourage your employer to sign up to the Cycle2Work scheme and get money off a bike for commuting (and private use)  http://www.bike2workscheme.co.uk/

5. Drive smart - less heavy on the pedal and you save fuel!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqWnFD2oB3s

And if it isn't true?  Well you've saved a fist full of cash by being a smarter consumer...

ReZolve People...Jack the Cycling Fanatic!

ReZolve has some great people working behind the scenes...and they seldom get their chance to be in the limelight...so we've put some 60 second interviews together...well, Jack has...he's done all the hard work.  Jack's a great guy and came to us as a Future Jobs Fund placement.  He did so well we offered him a job, doing what he does best, marketing and publicity...Jack was pretty nervous when I asked him to become an interviewer...but we think he's done a great job...

Is Social Enterprise really that confusing...

I got an email this weekend from the authors of a new book which aims to demystify social enterprise and help people to develop their own definitions of what a social enterprise is.

Is it me or have we inadvertently created an industry that surrounds social enterprise that justifies its existence through perpetuating the notion that there is ‘confusion about social enterprise’.

Does that confusion really exist....and does it really matter if it does.  Let’s be honest, how many people on the street know the difference between a PLC, a LTD company, or a Cooperative?

Surely what matters is that people understand the objectives of any company and its products or services...

I think there is a danger that in creating an industry around demystifying Social Enterprise, we ironically make it more complex!!

If I was writing a book about social enterprise and what it means....it would be a quick read, and probably a picture book!

Line  1 – Social Enterprises have positive social and/or environmental objectives

Line 2 – Social Enterprises reinvest their profits so they can do more good

Line 3 – Social Enterprises aim to be self-financing, not reliant on the state or grant funding.

Page 2 – Nice pretty pictures of Social Enterprises doing what they do....helping disadvantaged groups, protecting the environment, making great products.

KISS (Keep it simple, Stupid!)

Jon Rolls

Chief Executive

Cornwall unemployment rises: No surprises...

So why do we potentially face losing an award winning programme that gets long-term unemployed in to employment...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-12227844?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

The Cornwall Works for Social Enterprise programme, funded through ESF and delivered by a range of innovative Cornish Social Enterprises  has been heralded by many, and nationally by DWP! as best practice...collaboratively the programme will place nearly 500 people into employment at a success rate of well over the national average of 20%.

Moving the goal posts and delays in decisions on next rounds of funding means Cornwall faces losing the highly experienced staff that have been delivering this programme....and potentially organisations as well....

And guess what...you can bet your bottom dollar that the programme will have to start up again later in the year...meaning we all have to re recruit to get staff to deliver the programme...at what cost!

Sometimes it is very frustrating that 'business as usual', when it is performing very well, is not seen positively...and that we have to constantly re-create programmes, re-design them and generally tinker...and the only people that suffer are those that depend on the services and the organisations that deliver the work who offer so much other added value that doesn't get counted.

Rant over...its a lovely sunny day and I need to talk to our fantastic manager of a great little social enterprise solution to disabled children's incontinence issues....

Cornwall 170th out of 203 in UK Waste League Table

Cornwall came 170th in the UK Council League Table for Recycling and Residual Waste (waste to landfill) with a recycling rate of 37% compared to the England average of 39.7% and with waste to landfill per person at 328.8 kg per person per year compared to the England average of 277.6

There are all sorts of caveats attached to this, so to see more detail go to: http://www.resource.uk.com/article/Latest/Zero_Waste_Race_local_authority_residual_league_table

Cornwall "Local Social Enterprise Partnership"

There has been much talk in the press this week about the LEP and plans for developing it...but I've seen little mention of how it's going to link with the Big Society so far.

If the Coalition is serious about Big Society and its role in shaping the future, then surely its central to our economy.

For me that means the "E" in LEP is even more important because it directly relates to "Social ENTERPRISE".

We must ensure that Social Enterprise is a core part of the LEP and I hope you'll support this by letting the decision makers know that this is the case...if we don't include Social Enterprise at the strategic level then the Big Society is not achievable...this is not an opportunity to be missed.

Cloudy with meatballs....

2010 was a year of benign weather following the extremes of the stormy recession in prior years....

With the outlook unpredictable for 2011 we perhaps need to reflect on how well many of us have come through the last 2 years of heavy weather. Surely they have taught us that we're a resourceful bunch that can, when push comes to shove, come up with solutions, many of which are simple and cost neutral.

So what will 2011 have in store for social enterprise.

First things first....it's going to be challenging. In the ReZolve Dictionary, that's a positive word meaning.."exciting" "full of promise" "tiring, but in a good way" and "asking us to do more with less".

Secondly there's going to be much uncertainty. In the ReZolve Thesaurus that's a word with a host of variations..."moving the goal posts" "shifting sands" "herding cats" "backward shoulder gazing".

Finally, it's definitely going to be full of opportunity...if you're prepared to think outside the proverbial regular quadrilateral.

Referring to the ReZolve Operational Manual, actions arising from an opportunity will involve..."ridiculous ideas from the CEO" "much consternation as everyone tries to understand these ridiculous ideas" "hours of wondering how on earth we'll make the ridiculous idea happen" "much back slapping when said ridiculous idea pulls off" (or a small proportion of said ideas come off, more of a scatter gun approach)

In all seriousness, and the above is quite serious, this year has much to offer, and Cornish Social Enterprises have much to offer 2011. When the outlook is bleak, our creative services and alternative financial models make us intriguing wet weather gear. We can help those in need to get back on the ladder, we can help protect the environment which has a zero value to many and is open to abuse and we do it with multiple outcomes and adding huge value locally.

These "extreme" opportunities are going to come thick and fast and as a sector we need to react to them, together, in partnership, for a better chance of making them work for the people of Cornwall and further afield.

Before you know it we're going to get hit by the perfect storm of EU and Mainstream funding colliding in the upper atmosphere, the Work Programme will drop out of this and Prime Providers will also take on the European Social Fund/DWP element as a result, Council contracts will start to change opening up a range of contracting options, the Regional Growth Fund will interest weather experts and changes to the Criminal Justice System should provide interesting sub-contracting opportunities, paid by results. With significant rainfall expected after the VAT change and budget cuts likely to threaten the tidal walls of many charities it's no wonder the Transition Fund has been created to sure up defences and protect the vulnerable.

So a real mixed bag...but all opportunities to do things better, more efficiently and with more people.

So to summarise, the outlook for 2011:

"Stormy but with a good chance of prolonged sunny spells...for those prepared to brave the conditions!"