Supplementary Memorandum from the EcoTeams
Initiative
The Government is committed to helping us live
more sustainable lifestyles. We know this makes sense - making
better use of our natural resources whilst achieving social and
economic progress so that we and future generations can enjoy
a better quality of life. However, Government policies and strategies
alone will make little impact unless we are all equipped with
the skills and basic understanding to engage in change and make
every day decisions in such a way that we as individuals contribute
to sustainable living - in our roles as consumers, workers, parents,
educators, scholars, neighbours and public representatives. We
need to learn how to live differently.
Global Action Plan believes that programmes
such as EcoTeams can assist the Government in enabling individuals
in all walks of life to learn more about their environment and
to engage in long-term changes toward more sustainable living
and working.
EcoTeams is a programme that engages and inspires
people enabling them to make small but significant changes in
their lifestyles through a guided course of action and learning.
It enables people to gain a basic understanding of the impact
their actions have on their local—and the wider environment—and
to apply that learning to their everyday lives.
EcoTeams engages with all age groups and increasingly
across all social and economic strata. EcoTeams harnesses the
three principles of sustainability; social, economic and environment
in a cohesive, simple and practical way.
EcoTeams can be set up at a street level, in
community groups, workplaces, places of worship, youth groups,
schools - in fact, anywhere people are, an EcoTeam can be set
up.
HOW DID
ECOTEAMS
BEGIN IN
THE UK?
EcoTeams has provided a route to learning about
sustainable living for thousands of people across Europe. The
Rushcliffe EcoTeams pilot was brought over from Holland, where
10,000 households have gone through the programme.
EcoTeams was run as a voluntary project for
3 years by local residents. The local project was established
by Karina Wells, a Dutch woman who had been an EcoTeam coach in
her country and who decided to see if the programme could succeed
here.
After several teams were established Karina
and her co-volunteers, approached Global Action Plan, who secured
funding from Biffaward, a multi million pound environment fund,
and local authority partner, Rushcliffe Borough Council.
THE PILOT
Funding was secured for 3 years to examine how
the original programme could be streamlined, made more accessible
and appeal to a wider audience.
The original programme engaged householders
for a period of 7-8 months and required teams of 6-8 households
to conduct weekly measuring and monitoring of their utilities.
After considerable study of the methodology
(and after discovering that EcoTeams in Holland and the USA had
shortened their programmes) it was decided to try and reduce the
time and complexity that the programme took.
Global Action Plan is an environmental charity
with the purpose of providing individuals with pragmatic tools
to help them live more sustainably and EcoTeams is seen as a key
project in their programme.
The development of the pilot has lead to the
conclusion that more learning tools were needed to make the information
passed on to EcoTeams easier to assimilate and to provide better
baseline information for coordinators and partner organisations.
A workbook is being developed that will used
as:
— a portfolio for EcoTeam members
— provide a method of gathering more
information about lifestyles of participants
— enable Global Action Plan to gather
data that will contribute to Government indicators
— a source of information for partners
— act as a portfolio to be used to
gain a bespoke Open College Network (OCN) credit.
Other materials will also be developed including
a modular video/DVD and a website.
Education and progression of Learning
EcoTeams enables participants to use their homes
as a classroom, using their new found knowledge to apply to reducing
waste and use of utilities.
EcoTeams is working in partnership with local
colleges to design a new OCN "Greener Living on a Budget"
that all participants can take part in and gain a formally recognised
qualification.
PARTNERS
EcoTeams has developed sound relationships with
a number of partners including:
LOCAL AUTHORITIES:
Rushcliffe Borough Council, Notts County Council,
Broxtowe Borough Council, Newark and Sherwood District Council,
Nottingham City Council and Birmingham City Council.
HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS:
Rushcliffe Homes, Metrapolitan Housing Association
(in negotiation)
OTHER BODIES:
Environment Agency (local and national), Energy
Savings Trust, Biffaward, Broxtowe Partnership, Cotgrave Town
Council, Nottingham Green partnership, Rushcliffe Agenda 21, Notts
Rural Council, CPRE
EDUCATION BODIES:
South Notts College, range of local schools
VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATIONS:
Rushcliffe CVS, Scouts, Nottingham Refugee forum,
Nottingham Women's centre
PRESS:
Vast amounts of coverage in national, local
and even international publications/broadcast media
GOOD PRACTICE
EcoTeams was identified in the Government's
strategic document "Waste not, want not" as an example
of how local people (Flintham Village) could contribute to the
increased sustainability of their homes and neighbourhood. Since
the publication of an article in the Guardian in September last
year, over 100 enquiries have been received from local authorities,
individuals and groups such as Friends of the Earth and WildlifeTrusts,
all keen to find out how they could establish EcoTeams in their
area. The first authority external to Rushcliffe and Notts to
undertake an EcoTeams programme is Birmingham City Council, where
Global Action Plan will help to set up 10 teams in Moseley Ward
this year.
May 2003
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