I wrote a while ago about the re-birth of the Sustainable Schools Alliance. A proposed management board for the Alliance met two weeks ago. It was a good turn out with a good mix of organisations around the table, including:
Anglian Water, British Gas, Sustrans, NUS, Learning through Landscapes, Bluewave Shift, Modeshift, NAEE, Blue Marble,
the South West Learning for Sustainability Coalition, NAFSO, Korueducation, SevernWyeEnergy, IAPS, SWEA,
the Untidy Britain Group (and Eco-schools), Norfolk County Council, Peterborough LA
The value of a management board for the Alliance is that it will bring like-minded organisations together to try to make a system-level difference through the increased influence that collective size and a breadth of interest brings; and to do what otherwise could not be done. It also brings some modest income together for that collective endeavour. There is much to be said for all of this.
It seems to me that the management board might be better termed a policy board. This would make it clear that its role was to set and review Alliance policy, and receive reports on activity at regular intervals, with SEEd co-ordinating / enacting activity. A policy board designation offers a cleaner separation of functions than does a "management" board, especially as the board wouldn't obviously be managing anything, as it seems that it will be SEEd that continues to provide both secretariat and executive function for the Alliance.
Responses
Thanks Bill,
I did mean to respond before now....but Christmas visitors took over.
Reading a little between the lines I do agree with your comments.
I've also been noting SEEd's other cash making ideas and admiring their innovation and survival instincts.
Are we looking at a sort of revival of CEE under this new umbrella?
Best wishes from a very warm and sunny NZ.....but nowhere as overheated as our Aussie neighbours. (What price Global Warming?)
Best wishes,
David F.