Social landlord Stonewater has launched a sustainability programme to help its residents learn about the importance of sustainable living.

Sustainable Futures is an introductory training programme for customers who are interested in learning about sustainability, whether for personal interest or to help upskill in their job.

It has been organised as part of Stonewater’s Greenoak Centre of Excellence initiative.

A cohort of 15 residents from all forms of tenure across the country have been attending the eight outlined sessions virtually.

Each session, delivered by a member of Stonewater’s retrofit and sustainability teams, or an external expert such as fuel poverty charity National Energy Action, covers topics like understanding how global warming and greenhouse gases effect housing.

Participants have also been learning about energy efficiency, emissions, fuel poverty and EPC ratings. As well as expanding the knowledge of customers, this training is helping to address the skills gap within sustainability and gives Stonewater a chance to get feedback from its customers on the sustainability initiatives that the organisation is running.

Residents also have access to an online hub to share information, ask questions and connect in between sessions. The final session of the series will be led by Stonewater’s employability lead, who will help participants consider careers in the sustainability sector as well as support with developing their CVs.

Emily Batchford, Environmental Sustainability Business Partner at Stonewater, who is leading the project, said: “We’re so pleased that we’ve been able to provide this training for customers – sustainability is just as important for them as it is for us and it’s been great to see people from across the country, of all ages and backgrounds, be so interested in learning more.

“We make sure to run each session twice compared to providing just a recorded video, as interactive sessions lead to better customer engagement and offer the chance to socialise and ask questions. We’re looking forward to being able to continue to run the project, as part of the Greenoak Centre of Excellence, and help customers have in-depth access to sustainability knowledge”.

Reda, a Stonewater resident and participant, said: “I’ve been interested in living a greener and more sustainable lifestyle for years, but have mainly focused on the more personal aspects such as food and clothing. I didn’t really know anything about the more technical side of things at home like energy efficiency, solar panels and heating, so I’ve been really interested to develop my knowledge in the area.”