Ruth Townend

Ruth joined Brook Lyndhurst as a researcher in March 2009, bringing her experience in community outreach and fundraising garnered through several years working in the charity sector. 

Evaluation
Ruth has played a key role in a number of Brook Lyndhurst evaluation projects. Her work has included the drafting of our evaluation handbook for Defra’s Greener Living Fund and, as part of our evaluation of WRAP’s Waste Reduction Advisor scheme, carrying out a series of in-depth telephone interviews with advisors, local authority partners and third party organisations. This project also involved site visits to survey the public at events attended by advisors and Ruth has carried out similar work and in-depth interviews as part of our evaluation of  NESTA's Big Green Challenge Plus. 

Green claims in advertising
Ruth is currently working on the second of two projects for Defra which examine the types of ‘green’ claims being made by advertisers. The first of these projects involved in-depth quantitative analysis of the landscape of green advertising over the last four years. This was followed by qualitative analysis of how claims were made, including examination of the role of imagery and terminology. The second project takes a closer look at terminology deployed in advertising, and has entailed running a series of focus groups with the public to investigate their understanding of such terms.

Ruth has an undergraduate degree in archaeology and anthropology (specialising in social anthropology) from Cambridge University. Her studies in social anthropology inform her interest in Brook Lyndhurst projects which examine behaviour change towards more sustainable lifestyles. Before joining Survival International in 2006 she worked as a project assistant for London Refugee Economic Action (LORECA), which sits within the equality and diversity team of the London Development Agency.

Ruth is an Affiliate Member of the Market Research Society.