Summary
Need to deliver an impact quickly? Spend time delivering carbon reduction projects rather than chasing data, calculating emissions and producing reports.
Jack Parkes wanted to hit the ground running when he joined Sheffield United Community Foundation, and needed a powerful tool to give him the information he needs to drive change within this charity.
Jack explains why he chose Vizibli and how its already helped him contribute to the foundation's overall ESG objectives.
From no carbon measurement to informed decisions: Sheffield United Community Foundation's first year with Vizibli
Jack Parkes, Sustainability Officer at Sheffield United Community Foundation, on getting a baseline, benchmarking against the sector, and turning carbon data into decisions.
When Jack joined Sheffield United Community Foundation in January, there was no carbon measurement in place at all.
"We weren't measuring our carbon footprint. One of the first things I really wanted to understand was where we were as an organisation, and how we relate to comparable charities as well."
That's a familiar starting point. The harder problem is that a sustainability officer's week isn't spent on carbon accounting — it's spent delivering projects.
Why SUCF chose Vizibli
For Jack, the deciding factor was time. "As a sustainability lead with loads of projects on, I don't have time to navigate those fields. If I can just upload it to a system and it tells me the information I need — that's exactly what it did."
No data collection project. No spreadsheet building. Upload the data, get the answer.
What it's already delivering
Vizibli gave the Foundation its baseline — tonnages and total carbon footprint — plus something a number on its own can't do: context and priorities.
"It gives you your carbon footprint, and then it gives you a graph of the highest carbon emitters. It's really easy to see where the largest is, where the smallest is — and that allows you to make decisions to reduce carbon emissions in those areas."
That visibility now extends to who the Foundation buys from. "It gives us some autonomy and some power to make decisions: shall we use this company — are they sustainable?"
In under a year, SUCF has gone from no measurement to a baseline, sector benchmarking, clear reduction priorities and sustainability-informed purchasing.
Why it matters
For a community foundation, this isn't a compliance exercise. "At the heart of everything we do is the local community. We need to make sure that what we do as a foundation is environmentally friendly, socially sustainable and economically sustainable as well."
If you need a carbon baseline without a months-long data project, see how Vizibli works at vizibli.io