Bristol Green Capital Partnership, which was founded in 2007 with just 12 organisations, has passed the 1,000-member mark – demonstrating, it says, the city’s ambition to become greener, fairer and more resilient.
Already thought to be the largest partnership of its kind in the world, the unique network brings together organisations of different sizes and sectors to tackle environmental challenges – from law firms and architects, to universities and hospitals, community groups and charities. 
Its formation 13 years ago recognised the need among a small group of Bristol organisations for collective and collaborative working to affect long-term change and make the city a more sustainable place to live.
They saw that creating a sustainable future with a high quality of life for all required a city-wide effort by organisations from all sectors.
Today the Partnership is supported by members ranging from the Avon Wildlife Trust, Bristol City Council, Bristol Water and law firm Burges Salmon, to Business West, both the city’s universities, Triodos Bank and Unite the Union.
Congratulations on reaching the 1,000-member milestone were led by Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees, who said: “The Bristol Green Capital Partnership is critical to enabling a whole city approach. By working together to balance the needs of the city we aim to deliver inclusive and sustainable growth to drive economic and social recovery.
“Achieving these aims requires collaboration and includes moving forward with our plans to tackle the joint threat of climate and ecological emergencies. This milestone demonstrates a collective will to achieve those goals. It’s a testament to the ambition and team spirit in Bristol that the network has gained such a large membership.” 
Major achievements since its launch have included playing a key role in the winning bid for the coveted European Green Capital 2015 award, delivering high-profile reports including Peak Oil (2009), Who Feeds Bristol (2011), the Good Transport Plan (2016) and Our Future: A Vision for a Sustainable Bristol (2019), and working with Ujima Radio and University of Bristol to launch the Green and Black Ambassadors project.
The Partnership also has a history of championing grassroots projects and promoting collaborative working through monthly ‘green mingles’, theme forums and gatherings on key city challenges and strategies.
Current priority projects include the expansion of the Black and Green Ambassadors project; helping coordinate Bristol’s bid to be a Gold Sustainable Food City; the Community Climate Action project to empower local communities to tackle climate change in their communities; and an upcoming Climate Action Programme, to support organisations to reduce carbon emissions in their own operations.
Bristol Green Capital Partnership chief operating officer Lizzi Testani, pictured, said: “We are living through a hugely challenging time, with the pandemic coming on top of the climate and ecological emergencies. 
“This can only be tackled by working together as a city, identifying innovative and ambitious solutions. With over 1,000 change-making organisations in the Partnership, Bristol is well-placed to achieve its environmental goals and create a greener, more resilient, and fairer city for us all.
“We invite all organisations in the city to get involved: sign up to today and play your part in building a better future for Bristol”.
More information about the Partnership’s latest activities can be found in its recently published Annual Review 2019/20
To find out more about the Partnership and become a member, visit www.bristolgreencapital.org, and follow @bgreencapital on Twitter.
