Sustainability Stories

Wendy Walters

What is your role in the Council and what does sustainability mean to you?

As Chief Executive, my role is to provide strategic leadership for the Council, ensuring that we deliver high-quality services, make the best use of public resources and work with partners to improve outcomes for our communities. I am responsible for helping the organisation achieve its long-term vision while balancing social, environmental and economic priorities.

To me, sustainability is about making decisions today that meet the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It means creating resilient communities, protecting our environment, supporting a strong local economy and ensuring that public services remain effective and affordable in the years ahead.

How do you feel sustainability features in your work role?

Sustainability is a key consideration in almost every aspect of my role. Whether we are developing policies, investing in infrastructure, planning services or managing our estate, we must consider the long-term environmental, social and financial impacts of our decisions.

As Chief Executive, I have a responsibility to ensure sustainability is embedded across the organisation rather than treated as a standalone issue. This includes supporting our net zero ambitions, promoting sustainable travel and procurement, encouraging innovation and ensuring that climate considerations are reflected in our strategic planning and decision-making processes.

What aspect of the environment means the most to you and why?

The aspect of the environment that means the most to me is protecting and enhancing our natural resources for future generations. This includes our green spaces, biodiversity, rivers, coastline and countryside.

These environmental assets are fundamental to the health and wellbeing of our communities, contribute to economic prosperity through tourism and recreation, and play a vital role in tackling climate change. I believe we have a responsibility to be good custodians of the environment so that future generations can enjoy the same benefits that we do today.

What do you do at work/home to be more sustainable and help protect the environment?

At work, I encourage digital working practices to reduce paper consumption, support virtual meetings where appropriate to reduce travel and promote efficient use of energy and resources across the organisation.

At home, I try to make conscious choices to reduce my environmental impact. This includes recycling, reducing waste, conserving energy and water, supporting local businesses where possible and choosing sustainable travel options whenever practical. While no individual can solve environmental challenges alone, small actions taken consistently can make a meaningful difference.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to be more environmentally friendly?

My advice would be to start small and focus on changes that can be sustained over time. People can sometimes feel overwhelmed by the scale of environmental challenges, but every positive action counts.