ECO Action WAM

Reduce Carbon, Increase Nature, Improve Wellbeing!

SMART ENERGY SHOW Saturday 23rd November

Posted on 01/11/2024 by ecoadmin

Cookham Footprint is hosting a SMART ENERGY SHOW on Saturday 23rd November from 13:00 – 16:30 at Chartered Institute of Marketing’s Moor Hall Cookham SL6 9HQ!!

I want to find out more about Air Source Heat Pumps and are there alternatives?
Is my roof suitable for solar panels and are they worthwhile?
What is the Great British Insulation Scheme?
Is my house suitable for cavity wall insulation?
What is a Hybrid system?
I’m interested in an electric car and need a charger.
What about battery storage?
Can I get FREE draughtproofing?
What grants are available?

Peter Gibbs, meteorologist and broadcaster, will start the talks at 1.30pm explaining his enthusiasm for these technologies, and what his motivation was for installing them.

There will be short talks covering topics such as Solar Panels (pvs) and batteries, Air Source Heat pumps, Zero Emission Boilers as well as talks by WildCookham on how we can encourage wildlife into our gardens.

Need more convincing? Become inspired and informed on the exciting technologies available for home energy. Have an opportunity to speak to genuine accredited installers of Solar Panels, Batteries, Air Source Heat Pumps and Zero Emission Boilers. There will also be a national insulation company, who can advise on government grants. All companies come with recommendations from villagers, and most are themselves local.

Cookhams Footprint (part of the Climate Community in Windsor & Maidenhead) is a community energy group encouraging villagers to insulate and ultimately move away from gas. Volunteers visit Cookham homes offering free thermal imaging, explaining EPCs and how to improve their insulation.

The team includes a professional retrofit Surveyor advising on all aspects of energy & homes. He’s given many well-attended talks on Air Source Heat Pumps and how to go carbon neutral. People really appreciated an informal chat from someone with his enthusiasm and expertise.

Also there, Draughtbusters, whom many of you know is a volunteer group who will fix the draughts in your home for FREE, so you should feel warmer and reduce carbon emissions. A trained local resident will come and survey your property and undertake basic draughtproofing.

More information please visit: cookhamsfootprint.co.uk and smartenergyshow.co.uk

Learning to Reconnect – Workshop Saturday 16th November 10am – 2pm

Posted on 22/10/2024 by ecoadmin

In these turbulent times, join us and experience the power of coming together to explore how we can act in service of all life on Earth – with a workshop that helps in “Exploring the ‘Spiral’ of The Work That Reconnects”

We are living through crazy, uncertain times. Everywhere we turn, we see evidence of the Great Unraveling of our society and our world: armed conflicts, global climate change, poverty, systemic racism, mass species extinctions, and the collapse of familiar institutions and support structures.

To remain conscious and engaged in these times can be heartbreaking, and the fear, grief, anger, and helplessness we feel can often seem unbearable – because it’s not just our personal pain we’re experiencing, it’s also the collective pain of all life on Earth.

Join us in this workshop as we explore together ‘The Spiral’ of The Work That Reconnects, a body of work created by deep ecologist, activist and beloved elder, Joanna Macy.

Over the 4 hours we’ll create space to tap into the deep well of our gratitude, resourcing ourselves so that we can turn to honour our pain for our world, and speak honestly of the unravelling we are experiencing in our communities and living systems.

In confronting these sorrows we’ll connect to the depths of our caring, recognise and appreciate our radical interconnectedness with all peoples and species, and understand that our flourishing is collective.

We’ll emerge energised, more able to go forth with newfound clarity about our role in The Great Turning, and with greater conviction and courage to join together to act in service of all life on Earth.

PLEASE BRING: To ensure you can enjoy the workshop, please wear comfortable clothing, and consider bringing a layer you can pop on if you get cold. Bring a refillable water bottle to keep hydrated. Bring a packed lunch/something to eat in the lunch break. The ECO Hub has a cafe, so you can also bring a refillable cup for hot drinks.

PAYMENT: We have set a donation option to reduce your ticket fee cost. The donation amount is £20, so please enter that amount to purchase your ticket. Any tickets booked below the indicated donation amount will be refunded immediately. If ordering more than one ticket please adjust accordingly e.g. 2 tickets @ £40, 3 tickets @ £60 etc. You will only receive 1 ticket in this case but we can see how many you have purchased by the amount you have paid.

EVENTBRITE ORDER CONFIRMATION: Please click here for all booking information

“Eco Action Question Time with Joshua Reynolds MP”

Posted on 29/09/2024 by ecoadmin

Come and join the conversation in the Hub on Saturday 12th October from 11:00 – 12:30.

Our new MP Joshua Reynolds will be in the Hub to talk with you and take questions on his plans for eco actions for Maidenhead, for the country and for how he and the Liberals may best influence the green economy. And to get his support!!

🌍🌱Greenpeace⁽¹⁾, The Climate Coalition and Eco Action, are organizing a National Day of Action. Our shared goal is to ensure every MP engages with you as Climate Voters. We hope you’ll be there. It’s inspiring when communities come together to make a difference! 🌍🌱

⁽¹⁾https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/take-action/meet-your-mp

WE NEED YOU TO HELP US GET OUR ECO CAFE READY!

Posted on 08/09/2024 by ecoadmin

We’re building our ECO Cafe in the ECO Action Hub ‘now’: We’re opening very soon. The coffee’s going to be great and the cakes & snacks are fantastic!

HOLD THE PAGE: We’ve had some great response to this post – we might have someone working with us soon … we’ll let you know when you can come and have the first coffee!!

Due to illness, we URGENTLY need someone to help prepare for and set up our new café. This would suit someone who is organised and able to investigate things.

This is a few days PAID work starting immediately. The work can be done mostly at home.

If you’ve an interest in climate & the environment AND COFFEE, we’d love to talk to you. Come into the Hub, reach out to us here, or come to one of our events and see us!

MAKE YOUR JOURNEY PART OF THE HOLIDAY!

Posted on 06/09/2024 by ecoadmin

One of our ECO Action Team has recently returned from a trip from the UK to Denmark by train! An experienced rail traveller, they prefer trains to planes because they are committed to reducing their carbon footprint. and they enjoy the journey as part of the holiday!

Have a read of their experiences in the document below. It might give you idea and motivation to change the way you travel – and replace the plane with the train!

Our Journey

For our 2024 holiday we wanted to visit family in Denmark. The first thing we did was consult the excellent ‘man at seat 61’ (www.seat61.com) for various sustainable options on how to get to Denmark. Rather than an early start for the Eurostar we decided to try the overnight Stena ferry from Harwich. We understand that Stena is pretty good on the sustainable front.

Most of our Danish family live in Aarhus, so that was our first destination. They wanted to take us to their summer house on the tiny island of Stryno. After that we would want a train to Copenhagen to see more relations and have two days exploring that city. Then returning via Hamburg and the Eurostar from Brussels.

Next we chose somewhere to stop enroute to explore a new place. Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Hanover or Hamburg? And on the way back? Hamburg looked to be so interesting we decided to stop there on both journeys including a day excursion to Stade, about 1 hour from Hamburg, as it looked stunning with 17^th century houses built during the prosperous Hanseatic period.

So, how did we do and what was it like?

The Ferry: It was a comfortable crossing with helpful staff and we had a nice cabin with a free mini-bar! I was able to watch the Wimbledon Ladies Doubles on the TV which pleased me greatly. We had a good breakfast and arrived in the Netherlands on time at 8am. Changing trains in Amsterdam we had time for a coffee overlooking the canal and cyclists (own cycle lane!).

Hamburg: an impressive train station with a welcoming committee sitting on the 1^st floor balcony! Our family had come to meet us!

A large city but very attractive, built on the river Elbe with a buzzing port area (great to walk along and have a cruise around it which included the old renovated warehouse area).

They have a newish, spectacular Elbphilharmonie building dominating the port area.

Our relations had enthused about Hamburg’s Miniature Wonderland so on our return trip we visited and discovered that it is similar to our local Bekonscot but indoors and enormous! It was stunning and we spent several hours looking at places we have visited and the miniature interpretation of them.

There was also a Greenpeace boat approaching a Russian ship near the Antarctic – which ticked the box for us! Also in Hamburg I was very pleased to find an exhibition of the famous photographer Henri Cartier–Bresson whom I admire.

Stade: even better than expected!

Trains: all worked as expected. The station platform displays were helpful to inform where to board when you have seat reservations.

The scenery isn’t as spectacular as other train journeys we’ve done such as through the Alps, but our return train from Copenhagen to Hamburg goes over a very long bridge between Jutland and Funen.

Next year we are thinking about travelling to Croatia for two weeks, by train of course!

INTERESTED IN MARKETING? HELP US BE EVEN MORE SUCCESSFUL!

Posted on 06/09/2024 by ecoadmin

We’ve been pushing marketing outreach on social-media, email-newsletter and our website for months. Our marketing team work well – but now we need someone to help us grow more: social / digital marketing, newsletters and all other communications!.

We’re looking for someone with ‘any’ level of marketing skills to join our volunteer team. Could that be you?

If you’ve an interest in climate & the environment, want to ‘do something that makes a difference’ and have even some marketing skills & capability we’d love to talk to you. Come into the Hub, reach out to us here, or come to one of our events and see us!

WE NEED YOUR IDEAS!

Posted on 29/08/2024 by ecoadmin

We’re planning a series of events for this autumn/winter on saving energy, saving you money and reducing your carbon footprint. We would love to know what you’re interested in.

We’ve built a short survey which you can take here: ECO Action Carbon Events Survey

Thank you for taking time to complete the survey: We’ll use the feedback you give us to shape our events programme, and to better inform any other ECO Action projects or initiatives we may run.

Residents and businesses can now join the Solar Together scheme!

Posted on 19/07/2024 by ecoadmin

RBWM are supporting IChoosr in the roll-out of this scheme for a third year! Deadline for registrations is the 9^th August.

Through a reverse auction with installers, you can get highly competitive rates on solar panels, batteries, and chargepoints. Plus, you’ll receive support from the IChoosr team and the council throughout the process. Don’t miss out on this opportunity!

No payment or obligation until you receive a survey and proposal from pre-vetted installers.

More information can be found at: Solar Together | The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead

And a Q&A on Solar here: Frequently Asked Questions | The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead (solartogether.co.uk)

HOLD THE DATE: “Climate Trauma: Finding Our Power” Workshop

Posted on 08/07/2024 by ecoadmin

“I believe that the threat even greater than climate change is how powerless we feel in the face of it.” Clover Hogan, TED talk, What to do when climate change feels unstoppable.

Struggling with anxiety about climate change?
Keen to take positive action but uncertain where to start?

Join this workshop “Facing Climate Trauma: Finding our Power”. Connect with others in the local community, get new perspectives on our personal and collective challenges, and clarity on next steps we can take.

When: Monday 16th September 6:30 – 9:30 pm
Where: Maidenhead Community Centre, 4 Marlow Road SL6 7HY
How much: As a ‘pilot’ event tickets are discounted at £15. (*usually £35)
What next: Book your tickets here on Humanitix: Finding our power workshop

Maidenhead Candidates’ Climate Statements – Election 2024

Posted on 01/07/2024 by ecoadmin

This is a very important 2024 General Election at a critical time for our country, our climate, and the planet. Not sure who to choose to vote for in Maidenhead?

We asked all Maidenhead candidates earlier last week for ‘climate statements’ on their ‘green credentials’ and how the intend to help Maidenhead at this critical time.

Four candidates replied. Their responses are posted below: please do read – we hope this, together with this ranking from Greenpeace here helps inform your Climate Vote choice!