We’re hiring – ECO Action Hub Administrator

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!

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

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!

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)

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.

We’re Hiring: ECO Action Hub Manager!

We opened in April and have had over 500 visitors! We’re getting even more active in the ECO Action Hub and in the local community. Now we’re recruiting a Hub Manager to help expand our mission: ‘to inspire local people to do more to address the Climate and Biodiversity Emergency.’

ECO Action Hub Manager Role and Responsibility
ECO Action Hub Manager

The Hub Manager has a crucial role in this. They will become essential to ensuring the successful establishment and running of this dynamic centre with its very varied activities.

If you are passionate about promoting sustainability and biodiversity, if you have 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.

If you are interested please download and have a look at the job description (here) and contact us with your background and relevant information on ecoactionrbwm@gmail.com

We would love to talk to you.