Riversmeet launches Eco Teams

Riversmeet launches Eco teams

Nearly 20 enthusiasts came together this month in a pioneering project to launch Eco Teams in Cockermouth and surrounding villages. All 20 are volunteers who have agreed to be trained as Eco-Team leaders and to form teams from their local community. These teams then follow a step by step programme looking at household rubbish and shopping, heating and lighting energy usage, water and travel in a fun and informative way and past results have been impressive with the average household saving £170/yr.

The community was well represented with individuals from Churches Together, the Green party, Cockermouth School, Riversmeet Community cooperative and individuals who had seen the publicity and decided to find out more.

The training was sponsored by Riversmeet community cooperative and delivered by their partner, Global Action Plan, who have a successful track record of running Eco teams in the South of England. (I.e. a 20% reduction of waste to landfill) GAP took the group through the stages of recruiting their team from neighbours, friends, work colleagues and community groups, forming the team and following the programme. Using practical, well researched and informative techniques, GAP illustrated how a team would work in practice and coped with questions on how to measure wood burning fuel and oil for heating in rural communities.

At the first meeting of the team, the leader outlines the whole programme and the first stage with is to create a baseline upon which to base the improvements. Rubbish, both recycled and to landfill is weighed, electricity and gas measurements are taken and water and transport readings taken if appropriate. The individuals then record these baseline measurements for one month as a baseline and record them on the dedicated web page established specifically for each team.

Once a month the team meet and discuss that month’s topic. The team used the information on that topic from the GAP website to inform the members and in turn the team members input their ideas and actions they take to minimise the use of that resource. The first meeting deals with shopping and waste, the second with energy use to heat and light the home, the third with transport and the fourth with water. The final meeting celebrates the successes the team have achieved and decides what further action they choose to take.

The leaders agreed to recruit their teams and have their first meeting in November/December with the aim of beginning the baseline measurements in the first week of Jan 2010.

The project is mainly funded from Groundwork foundation with support from Cumbria waste prevention fund.

If you want to become an Eco team member contact Frank Mcgrath 01900 823650 fjra1000@aol.com