Monthly Archives: April 2023

Clothes Swap Saturday 20th May

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£30 million worth of clothes sit unworn in the UK’s wardrobes* so why not swap them?  Clothes deserve to be worn and loved! The perfect way to do that is through swapping. EVERY TIME you swap an unwanted piece of clothing you extend it’s lifecycle and reduce it’s carbon footprint!

Come to our inaugural ECO Action Hub Clothes Swap in collaboration with animal army on Saturday 20th May. Shop other people’s wardrobes and help reduce clothing waste.

animal army is donating a collection of 50 items of starter stock including: vintage 60’s, a denim collection and summer tops and dresses from brands such as COS, Zara, Scotch & Soda, Stella McCartney, adidas and Nike. Follow animal army on Facebook and Instagram to see the collection.

Here’s how it works:

Drop off: Thursday 18th May (10-4), Friday 19th May (10-4) or Saturday 20th May (10-12): Drop your clean and gently worn (no tears, stains or missing buttons please) adult size clothes at the ECO Action Hub: Unit 5-7, Nicholson Centre Atrium, Maidenhead SL6 1LB.

You’ll receive a token to bring to the Swap detailing your time slot (first drop = first in!) and how many clothes you can take away. Have a look around the Hub at all the eco tips and info whilst you’re there.

Saturday 20th May – The Swap

  1. 1pm – the first 20 swappers to drop off their clothes enter the swap for first dibs.
  2. 1:30pm – the next 20 swappers enter the Swap
  3. 2:00pm – all swappers can enter the Swap

All swappers leaving the swap with 1 or more items are required to donate £5 to the Eco Action Hub and animal army, (both non-profit organizations committed to fighting climate change). Anyone who doesn’t find something they love, does not pay and can keep their token for the next swap event.

Extra Tips:

  • Wear clothes that are easy to take on and off: we have fitting rooms to try on everything and lots of mirrors
  • Bring your own shopping bags to take home your “new” clothes
  • Give yourself time to browse and shop slowly so you find something you love
  • Bring a water bottle or grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the swap
The most sustainable clothes you have are already in your wardrobe/
Image courtesy @loveyourclothes

Don’t miss out: come to our inaugural Clothes Swap Saturday 20th May!

*lovenotlandfill.org

Video interview with Nelly Semaille, founder of Filling Good

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Refill shops are stores that offer package-free, bulk goods that allow customers to bring their own containers and refill them with the amount of product they need. These shops are becoming increasingly popular as people seek out more sustainable and environmentally-friendly shopping options.

Watch the video for the following:

  • Is refilling cheaper than shopping in the supermarket?
  • What is the store’s carbon footprint?
  • A big secret that many eco conscious people don’t know

Learn more about Filling Good on their website.

Outfall Safari Pollution Training Event

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Volunteers needed to help survey and classify some of Maidenhead’s waterways to identify and tackle sources of pollution. This would include a free training day and further riverbank surveys of a small stretch of river this spring.

Outfall Safaris are a powerful form of citizen science, allowing sources of pollution to be identified, recorded and reported to Thames Water and the Environment Agency so they can be addressed, improving local water quality and habitats. Many previously unknown and unrecorded polluting outfalls have been documented in this way, helping to close the knowledge gap about what is happening in our rivers.

Once registered you will receive information about how to join the training session. All surveys can be carried out anytime during April-May when the weather is dry.

Surveys can only be conducted following at least 48 hours of dry weather therefore flexibility is required.

The training will include:

  • An overview of water quality issues in the catchment
  • Information on outfalls and how they become polluted
  • Instruction on how to assess each outfall using the project app and then upload information to the database
  • A health & safety briefing

All help is greatly appreciated.

Sign up here!

Vacuum Cleaner Workshop on 15th April

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Is your vacuum cleaner more than ten years old?
Or is it not picking up dirt like it should?
Or are you thinking about replacing your vacuum cleaner?
If any of the above are true, this workshop is for you.

Malcolm is our Repair Café expert on vacuum cleaners.

Learn how to get more out of your vacuum cleaner (better suction, longer life, etc.) in less than 30 minutes.

Workshop Saturday 15th April at 10:30 and at 11:30.

No need to sign up or bring anything, just show up!

Climate Hustings – Reminder

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Borough Council Election Hustings 
In person at venues in Windsor and Maidenhead

RBWM CEC invites you to our own local ‘Question Time’ focused specifically on environmental issues including climate change, net zero, natural environment, waste, energy, transport and air quality. 

In May we have our next council elections. Would you like to ask current councillors more about the council’s efforts to improve energy efficiency in the borough? And to hear from different candidates about their plans for the future?

Who should attend? Current and future RBWM voters

Windsor
7.00pm, Monday 17 April 2023
The Old Court, St Leonards Road

Maidenhead
7.00pm, Thursday 20 April 2023
Furze Platt Senior School (a no smoking venue, no smoking anywhere in the school grounds)

In both cases, the doors open at 6.30 and the events finish at 8.30pm.

What do I need to do? Turn up between 6.30 and 7.00pm with your questions for borough election candidates. Our independent chairs will select the questions. We cannot guarantee that all questions will be raised. 

For further information please email wildmaidenhead@gmail.com or plasticfreewindsor@gmail.com

This event is supported with contributions from the RBWM Climate Emergency Coalition: ECO Action Hub, Filling Good Cooperative, MaidEnergy, RBWM Climate Community, Wild Maidenhead, Wildlife in Ascot, Green Earth Plan, Maidenhead Great Park, Wild Cookham, Wild Windsor

Going Electric – talk April 8 (Saturday), 11am

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Lower running costs, less noise and better for the environment? It can’t be true – can it?
Nick Warner, proud owner of an electric Mini, answers all your questions about electric vehicles, from maintenance and range to finding charging points. Will the UK grid be able to cope with everyone suddenly going electric? Do batteries need changing every two years? Can an EV be an affordable choice? Join us on Saturday morning for some myth-busting at the ECO Action Hub.

We are open!

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Thank you all so much for coming along to our official opening and making it such a fabulous day. We listened to music, heard Peter Gibbs talk about how important each of us are in taking care of the planet, shared seedlings, planted seeds, fixed things…. The list goes on! We even had time for a cuppa and some cake.

So thank you all for making this such a wonderful community to be a part of and we really look forward to seeing you again at all the wonderful events we have planned for the hub. 💚

See the photos below.