As our community of Chartered Environmentalists continues to grow, and our collaboration with the Society for the Environment deepens, there are many opportunities for members to get involved. In this blog we will introduce you to some of the ways we work with this valued partner organisation.

What is the Society for the Environment?

The Society for the Environment (SocEnv) provides a home for environmental professionals, whatever industry they work within. Its primary function is the licensing of professional institutions to register the competence and expertise of environmental professionals, celebrating sustainability good practice and championing the advancement of environmental professionalism.

Working in partnership with professional bodies known as "Member Bodies", SocEnv ensures the quality, relevance and awareness of three registrations (Chartered Environmentalist, Registered Environmental Practitioner, and Registered Environmental Technician) and facilitates collaboration with partners and registrants. 

These professional environmentalists come from a wide variety of industries, bringing together a diverse range of disciplines and sectors under the SocEnv umbrella to reflect the multi-disciplinary practice of environmental professionals globally.

CIOB’s role as a Licensed Member

CIOB is proud to be a Member Body, licensed by SocEnv to award the Chartered Environmentalist registration to members who meet the criteria of the standard, and we currently have around 230 CIOB members who are Chartered Environmentalists. This is a growing community as more members recognise the value to their careers and organisations, and as demand for competence in environmental sustainability increases within our industry.

Registration can bring many benefits to members like enhanced professional recognition, improved career opportunities, cross-disciplinary working opportunities, and global recognition. This status demonstrates a high level of skill, experience, and commitment to sustainability, increasing credibility with employers and clients, and providing opportunities for professional development through events and resources.

Deeper collaboration

CIOB benefits from an increasingly close partnership with SocEnv, which has provided us and our members with opportunities to influence both the development of the organisation itself and wider industry. We join and contribute to the Society’s Member meetings including the AGM and Annual Awards and help to make strategic decisions via various committees. 

For example, CIOB Director of Membership, Ruth Kennedy-Green is a member of the SocEnv Registration Authority (RA), a committee responsible for overseeing the standards and licensing process for the professional registrations it awards. 

This provides CIOB with the opportunity to help ensure the quality, integrity, and consistency of the environmental professional registrations across all licensed bodies, upholding the status of these post-nominals as marks of proven competence and commitment to good environmental practice, and maintaining their value to our members.

Ruth Kennedy-Green said: “Being a member of the RA allows me to provide strategic oversight and governance for the Society’s registration functions, ensuring professional and ethical standards for environmental practitioners. I can contribute to policy development, regulatory compliance, and decision-making processes affecting environmental chartership and professional recognition across the UK and internationally.”

We are also proud to have several CIOB members representing CIOB on SocEnv committees and groups. For example, Ruth is joined on the Registration Authority by Alistair Donaghey FCIOB CEnv and Dylan Harvey FCIOB CEnv, who are also both CIOB Sustainability Ambassadors, and Kevin Hogwood who is a Fellow of CIOB.

CIOB also has representation on the Awards Panel, thanks to Syde Cottle MCIOB CEnv, and on the Board of Trustees, thanks to former CIOB Trustee Peter Egan FCIOB CEnv.

Cross-disciplinary opportunities

One of the most obvious benefits of being a Member Body is the opportunity to contribute to cross-discipline working with other licensed members. For example, I represent the CIOB on the Environmental Policy Forum, which is a coalition of 15 professional bodies and learned societies coordinated by SocEnv, who are promoting environmental sustainability and resilience for the public benefit. Through this forum we influence policymakers, organise roundtables, respond to consultations and feed into inquiries, where we have a shared position. 

The Soils & Stones Initiative also provides us with the opportunity to support the expansion of good practice across sectors and is another SocEnv facilitated project where we provide regular input. Our participation in the Soils & Stones project has also resulted in a collaboration to deliver two CPD opportunities on this topic to CIOB members, with webinars now available on the CIOB Academy focusing on Soils & Stones Management for a Circular Economy and Building from the ground up.

Phil Underwood, Engagement Manager at SocEnv, said: “As an umbrella body spanning 28 professional bodies (our Members), we work as a collective, inclusive partnership. At the heart of this collaboration are the volunteers providing critical support, expertise, constructive challenge, a vast range of experiences, and, of course, their valuable time. 

“Whether this contribution comes in the form of technical areas, such as the Soils and Stones Initiative and the Environmental Policy Forum (EPF), governance, such as the Nominations Committee, where our Board appointments are made, or our critical Registration Authority that ensures our standards are applied consistently across all our Licensed Members – the value is endless and hugely appreciated.”

Ways to get more involved

If you’re a CIOB registered Chartered Environmentalist there are many ways to get more involved and support our partnership working with SocEnv. This may be as simple as featuring in a CEnv registrant profile either in one of our publications or on the SocEnv website to inspire others to consider becoming a Chartered Environmentalist, or contributing resources to the Built Environment section of the SocEnv Knowledge Hub. Do get in touch if this would interest you! 

We are also keen to hear from CEnv members who would be interested in mentoring other CIOB members towards registration or becoming a CEnv Assessor for CIOB. 

You could also consider putting yourself forward for one of the SocEnv committees when nominations next open.

As with all membership organisations, the value of the collaboration is only increased with more member involvement.

Find out more about becoming a Chartered Environmentalist

To become a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv), you must first be a Chartered Member or Fellow of CIOB. The application route consists of submitting a written application followed by a professional interview, carried out by specialist CEnv assessors. 

If you’re already an MCIOB or FCIOB who has embedded environmental sustainability into your practice, then look out for our next Chartered Environmentalist Workshop or find out more at: https://www.ciob.org/learning/specialist-certification/chartered-environmentalist