Category Archives: Our Team

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

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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!

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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 17th 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 1st 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!

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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!

HELP US BE EVEN MORE SUCCESSFUL WITH EVENTS!

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We’ve been busy building & running events for months. Our teams work well – but now we need someone to be our event ‘focal point’ to ‘co-ordinate’ our events, our teams, our partner-events and just ‘pull it all together’.

We’re NOT looking for someone to run events (unless you’d like to do that too): We’re definitely looking for a (volunteer) coordinator. 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 organisational 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’re hiring – ECO Action Hub Administrator

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ECO Action’s mission is ‘to help and inspire local people to do more to address the Climate and Biodiversity Emergency.’ The Hub Administrator is crucial to the successful running of this dynamic centre with its very varied activities.

“Key role: meet & greet all visitors, and be a focal point for volunteers”

  • Liaise with and arrange volunteers to staff the hub during all our open days
  • To administer loans from and returns to the Library of Things
  • To support significant special activities that take place from time to time.

If you are passionate about promoting sustainability and biodiversity and have the attributes and skills to inspire local people and small businesses to take positive action in the Climate Emergency, we would love to hear from you. 

  • Please review the detailed Job Description: Hub Administrator JD
  • If you would consider this role as a job-share please let us know too!
  • Please contact us with your background and relevant information on ecoactionrbwm@gmail.com. 

We would love to talk with you!

Want to make a difference? VOLUNTEER with us!

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Are you concerned about climate change and want to help make a difference?

Want to help other people understand how they can take small steps in their own personal journey to reduce carbon, increase nature, and save money?

Do you have skills that could be useful for the Repair Cafe or the Library of Things?

Become a Volunteer: Help us as we grow – build more engagement with people in the ECO Action Hub, at the events we attend, and at the events we run. There are also admin and business volunteering opportunities.

Find out more about us on our website https://ecoactionhub.co.uk

Contact us by email ECOActionRBWM@gmail.com and register an interest on the application form

We’re hiring: ECO Action Hub Administrator

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ECO Action’s mission is ‘to help and inspire local people to do more to address the Climate and Biodiversity Emergency.’ The Hub Administrator is crucial to the successful running of this dynamic centre with its very varied activities.

“Key role: meet & greet all visitors, and be a focal point for volunteers”

  • Liaise with and arrange volunteers to staff the hub during all our open days
  • To administer loans from and returns to the Library of Things
  • To support significant special activities that take place from time to time.

If you are passionate about promoting sustainability and biodiversity and have the attributes and skills to inspire local people and small businesses to take positive action in the Climate Emergency, we would love to hear from you. 

We would love to talk with you!

DraughtBusters – Save Money, Stay Warm!

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DraughtBusters can draught-proof your home and save you money. DraughtBusters are a team of experienced volunteers who want to help people with draughty homes. Here is a project update on their progress so far this year …

FEEDBACK FROM OUR CLIENTS: Across RBWM we have done 90 visits in the last 12 months. We have some great positive feedback from our clients!

November to December 2022

  • What a fabulous initiative! Your volunteers were very helpful and informative.
  • Thanks for the visit which went well thanks. They were super nice and helpful.
  • I just wanted to say a HUGE ‘thank you’ to your volunteers for the insulation they added to my home yesterday. I can really notice a difference and they did a superb and professional job. I am most grateful to them, and you for organizing. Thank you again!
  • Thanks great, what a great thing you’re doing!

January to March

  • I wanted to let you know that your volunteers kindly visited today and their suggestions were super helpful. Kindly please let me know how to contribute to say a big thank you for their visit.
  • Thanks so much for your detailed email and for sharing all these very useful links. I want to thank you again for the useful visit. I also made a little thank you donation today. Will definitely look to tell neighbours about your team!
  • Thank you and your team for helping with some draught fittings, they were both very thoughtful. I will add a small donation and spread the word.
  • I am already feeling a big difference after the work you have done in my house. (from someone who is not in good health and does not have central heating.)
  • We were very pleased with the visit, and happy to find out we didn’t have too much to worry about. We will definitely recommend you to our neighbours. Many thanks once again.
  • Just to say once more heartfelt thanks for your advice, most of which I’ve been able to implement. I’ve also been singing your praise to friends and neighbours, so you may well hear from them.

Reading DraughtBusters say …

  • We used to say draughtproofing would save £90 to £120 on average per year, five and ten years ago.We now estimate £300 to £400 per year (10% of heating bill) as draughts account for 15% but the other 5% is tough to realise.
  • Our DraughtBusters fix (almost always) all draughts around windows, doors and pipes etc. We also advise how residents can use a small cushion pushed up a chimney to stop those draughts.
  • So, we estimate that we’ve saved each client between £120 and £400 per year in the last 12 months.

The bottom line: In the last 12 months we’ve saved RBWM residents between £10,800 and £36,000. We used grants from RBWM & NHS Frimley to purchase key draughtproofing product so that we could help residents across our key areas – Cookham, Maidenhead and Windsor.

ESTIMATED SAVINGS: The Energy Trust Says …

  • “Draught-proofing around windows and doors could save you around £50 a year*. If you have an open chimney, draught-proofing your chimney when you’re not using it could save around £70 a year*.
  • Draught-free homes are comfortable at lower temperatures – so you may be able to turn down your thermostat, saving even more on your energy bills.

* Savings based on a typical gas-fuelled semi-detached property in England, Scotland or Wales. Figures for England, Scotland and Wales are based on fuel prices under the Energy Price Guarantee running from April 2023 to the end of June 2023.”

DraughtBusters can help you: We will fix your draughts and give you advice on how to save money around your home. All free – do not hesitate to get in touch with us, by email rbwmdraughtbusters@gmail.com or phone 07548 594413 and leave a message.

Running Out of Time Relay on 8th July (Saturday)

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Please read our short interview with ECO Action founding volunteer Sam Gibbins, who is running stages 331, 332 and 333 (Cookham to Windsor) on July 8th, and don’t forget to come and cheer her on!

Screenshot of stages 331 to 334

What is the Running Out of Time Relay?

Running Out of Time is a 2,661km relay from Ben Nevis to Big Ben. There are a total of 366 stages, with stages ranging from 2-30km long. The relay runs from sunrise to sunset for 32 days and travels to 30 counties.

https://running-out-of-time.com/

What can YOU do to support the runners and the planet?

  • Select one or more of the planet pledges from the Running Out of Time website! There are over 30 to choose from.
  • Come and cheer on Sam and other runners / cyclists / walkers on the day!
  • Sign up as a Batonbearer yourself!
Screenshot of pledges 2 and 3 from the Running out of time website

Interview with Samantha Gibbins, who is running in the colours of ECO Action

Why do you personally care about climate change?

When I finally opened my eyes to the real scale and severity of what our world could look like in one generation, especially on our current trajectory to 3oC+ of warming above pre-industrial levels, I was terrified. From an individual point of view I’m scared of how me and my family could be impacted, but I’ve seen that the future I fear is already a reality for millions of people in developing countries. I care about mitigating and adapting for climate change because I’m in a position where I can do something. Every person making a difference counts. Every 0.1oC we can prevent matters.

Of all the issues we’re facing today (climate change, biodiversity loss, air pollution, plastic pollution etc.) which one is most important to you and why?

Categorising these as separate issues is misleading as they are all so intricately connected and dependant on one another! I think that many people feel more comfortable thinking of these separately as it maybe feels easier to approach each issue independently and ‘tick off’ once solved. With this in mind, I think the biggest challenge is to shift people’s mindsets. We need more empathy in the world and appreciation of nuance to help us come together and work together with all of our differences. Because, however clichéd, it is together that we can make the biggest difference.

Which of the 32 pledges are you taking?

I’m “getting to my relay stage greener” with numerous trains, I’m going to “attend a local event for the Great Big Green Week”, and I’m “joining others in my local community to take positive action”!

Photo of Sam and a llama

Who is cheering you on?

The family contingent and some ECO Hub members!

What inspires you?

How many incredible people are working to make our world a better place. There are so many small scale and community initiatives dotted about, and so many people who are passionate about this when you start looking and getting involved. The ECO Hub is a perfect example of this – Climate Emergency Centres are dotted around the country; community energy projects are working to provide renewable energy to local areas (I can think of Maidenhead, Marlow and Reading doing this!); and local people are petitioning for our natural spaces to be protected or even better, rewilded. All of this gives me hope and inspires me to keep working for a better future.