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My Project

What's your sustainable community project

6 Jun 2012 17:49

Raising interest in a more sustainable lifestyle that drives down carbon soon means you have to focus…. but how? What are the priorities? What are the problems in practice? With these issues in mind Hanover 10:10 have developed a project with our well-used Hanover Community Centre building. 

We have developed the Hanover Centre Carbon RACE (Reduction, Awareness & Community Engagement) to lead an eco-retrofit of the building. This project will focus the local community on a practically useful, educational project. We'll be insulating, making adaptations, considering energy generation, and showing how these are transferable to the local housing.

This ageing Victorian ex-school currently has little insulation, and none in the roof!  The make-up of the building is like many of the local "hard-to-insulate" houses situated in the centre of a diverse population with a high proportion of let-to students private housing. Many students are involved in the Hanover Centre Carbon RACE and we're planning lots of events to engage the community, including Volunteer Insulation Events.


The student technical projects have now mapped out the works, priorities (and challenges!) that we face, now we need the financial resource. Luckily being selected as a Team Green Hero means our project has a chance of £10,000 prize to immediately fund our "shovel-ready" works at the Centre.

 

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One Planet Living at the Olympic Park

11 Aug 2012 10:30

Olympic adoption of One Planet Living sustainability principles was an impressive challenge, showing that mega sporting events can and should help raise the mainstream profile of sustainability. A path towards sustainability can be mapped out for all of us - if there is a holistic focus on these inspiring principles of healthy living, zero waste, zero carbon energy, enhanced biodiversity and sustainable water use. I just wish that the information boards I saw had mentioned One Planet Living more specifically.

I hope all the Team Green Heroes can join me in widening our sustainability commitments from our specific community projects to a wider focus whenever possible.

 

 

Personally, I will aim to ensure our community centre retrofit project, to radically reduce energy use and carbon emissions, can be directly linked to our community's wider work towards One Planet Living principles. This really can demystify sustainability in practice, and empower communities.

The importance of sustainable design

9 Aug 2012 19:50

The Basketball Stadium is a fantastic example of the use of temporary and lightweight buildings in the architectural design of many of the Olympic Venues. This shows another side of sustainability - the need to consider sustainability at design and construction stages, as an essential foundation for running the Games themselves.

In insulating our flat roof at the Hanover Community Centre we are trying to apply the same principles: making ours an appealing 'green roof' in an urban space, forming a covered walkway into the building, drawing on re-used and recycled materials. Our community educational gardening group are buzzing at the idea, and want to place beehives on the roof too! Widening our aims and ambition can really multiply the appeal, if this is researched, planned and designed carefully. It's all much more inspiring than the easy 'traditional' way of doing things - insulation and roofing felt!

Achieving zero waste together

7 Aug 2012 19:51

The high visibility recycling facilities for those attending the Games helped everyone to play their part in achieving the zero waste strategy, which included compostable boxes at food outlets. I found out afterwards that contents of the symbolically smaller, black bin for non-recyclables were destined for the on-site energy recovery facility.

Biodiversity in bloom at London 2012

7 Aug 2012 18:43

On arrival at the Olympic Park yesterday, I was hit by the stunning display of natural wildflowers on the banks around the site. Clearly timed to flower in the Olympic weeks (by cutting back at the right time) these banks form a visually stunning way to liven up the visiting experience. They also aim to enhance the biodiversity of the Park as a whole - a part of the wider sustainability strategy of the Games.

Smart meter hopes

10 Jul 2012 10:00

Our Smart Meters for gas, electric and water will allow us to accurately monitor the impact of our work to make the Centre more sustainable.

The live "services data" can be communicated to the Centre's users on a display unit in the entrance to the building. We need this to engage people for that all-important behavioural change dimension to energy reduction in the Centre (and their own homes). It will also reinforce our case for grant funding and other fund-raising that is consuming so much time. We urgently need these funds for the roof insulation. We hope this will also include a living roof in one area to contribute to enhancing local biodiversity.

Insulation Volunteering at the Community Centre

8 Jul 2012 19:48

Our second Volunteer Insulation Event in June 2012 enabled the installation of secondary glazing in the chilly toilet block, and in a small meeting room in the Community Centre. Each of the volunteers took away personal Insulation Packs for their own homes. We also insulated the hot water pipes.

Saving water

21 Jun 2012 18:50

Saving water is not just an issue when there is lack of rain and reservoirs and aquifers are low. Pumping water around our communities uses energy! Lots of it! So saving water not only lowers your household water bill, reducing pressure on limited stocks, but also reduces your carbon footprint.

The average UK person produces 14kg of CO2 in tap water per year. Many water companies offer free 'hippo-bags' for the toilet cisterns (check their website) and subsidised water butts. Got one? Then get another, and link them together for further storage. Places like Nigel's Eco-Store also offer bathwater diverter kits stored for use on your garden (not your veg plot though - use clean rain for that).  

Has the sun arrived? Avoid bottled water and use the UK's fantastically clean tap water with a refillable bottle. Bottled water is 1000 times more carbon intensive than tap water.... it's a no brainer! This isn't just an issue when at home or travelling.... raise it in your workplace too. 

Checking for draughts

14 Jun 2012 19:27

Summer is a good time to check for draughts, and plug them before the winter. For example, if you have nice polished floorboards why not use the dispenser of that tiny rubber tubing that is pushed into the gap to plug any draughts in your home. Works perfectly and is virtually invisible. 

What's your sustainable community project

6 Jun 2012 17:49

Raising interest in a more sustainable lifestyle that drives down carbon soon means you have to focus…. but how? What are the priorities? What are the problems in practice? With these issues in mind Hanover 10:10 have developed a project with our well-used Hanover Community Centre building. 

We have developed the Hanover Centre Carbon RACE (Reduction, Awareness & Community Engagement) to lead an eco-retrofit of the building. This project will focus the local community on a practically useful, educational project. We'll be insulating, making adaptations, considering energy generation, and showing how these are transferable to the local housing.

This ageing Victorian ex-school currently has little insulation, and none in the roof!  The make-up of the building is like many of the local "hard-to-insulate" houses situated in the centre of a diverse population with a high proportion of let-to students private housing. Many students are involved in the Hanover Centre Carbon RACE and we're planning lots of events to engage the community, including Volunteer Insulation Events.


The student technical projects have now mapped out the works, priorities (and challenges!) that we face, now we need the financial resource. Luckily being selected as a Team Green Hero means our project has a chance of £10,000 prize to immediately fund our "shovel-ready" works at the Centre.

 

What's your Green Inspiration?

10 Nov 2011 13:47

An overwhelming body of science means that as a global community we must reduce carbon wherever we can. I live in a rich developed country, amongst carbon-communities most responsible for climate change. I am aware that the effects will be most harshly felt in developing countries. So our responsibility to act is that much higher - seeking to act personally, in my community, in my workplace and wherever else I can, is what I can do to achieve international justice.

 

Being personally motivated is one thing, but great inspiration comes from working with others, learning from them, inspiring each other to do more. This started around 18 months ago when I got involved in local environmental community in Hanover, Brighton, with a fun range of activities. Our 10:10 Action Group works in an umbrella Hanover Action for Sustainable Living. We work with others to inspire many more - learning how to go beyond insulating (although there is still more to do here!), generate energy, buy and grow local food, question transport systems, change behaviours (switch off!), and buying carbon-reducing presents!

Paul

About me

Paul is a key member of the community "1010 Action Group", a sustainable initiative based in Brighton. The group is currently spearheading a volunteer project to transform the local Community Centre. Besides making the building more energy efficient, the project should help to demystify renewable energy and energy efficiency products. Paul hopes it will spur people to make similar changes to their own homes.

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