Carbon conversations and the third sector

Interviews investigating an existing Third Sector Organisation (TSO) pro-environmental behaviour change intervention, Carbon Conversations. The study aimed to :
(1) Understand the character and delivery of Carbon Conversations, through interviews with those involved with developing, organising and facilitating the Carbon Conversations programme.
(2) Understand the influence of participation in a standard Carbon Conversations course on participants’ everyday practices (wave CC1).
(3) Investigate the influence of a shorter version of Carbon Conversations on food-related everyday practices and carbon footprints of participants recruited from a range of third sector groups with an interest in the environment, including wildlife and conservation groups, gardening and food-growing groups and those associated with outdoor activities (wave CC2).

<p>The Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC) is a Venture Funded Centre, in partnership with the Office for Civil Society and the Barrow Cadbury Trust. TSRC is based at the University of Birmingham, but is a joint venture with the University of Southampton, with additional contributions from Middlesex and Kent. Research activity includes:
(1) Analysis of theoretical issues and development of a critical understanding of the policy environment for the sector.
(2) Securing and analysing reliable data about the size, shape, structure and dynamics of the sector - including quantitative data, drawn from administrative sources and large scale surveys, and in-depth qualitative research with a selection of sector organisations.
(3) Analysis of the economic and social impact of the sector, including the role of the sector in delivering public services, the development of social enterprise, the role of organisations in the environmental field, and the mapping and analysis of smaller community organisations operating ‘below-the-radar’.

Third sector policy has now been devolved to the separate administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and research includes analysis of the impact of this devolution. TSRC also employs a Knowledge Exchange Team to ensure that its work has a direct impact on policy and practice.</p>