Welcome to Northfield Ecocentre’s May newsletter. This month weare pleased to announce we received official Green Deal AdviceOrganisation (GDAO) accreditation. We also share updates onEcocentre projects, and our involvement in city wide plans to makeBirmingham a greener city.

May Newsletter

All the best,

2013

www.facebook.com/northfieldecocen Twitter @northfieldeco

Free

Anne Dasgupta, Community Engagement Co-ordinator shares :

despite a strong wind we thoroughly enjoyedthe gentle ride through Bournville’s parks, alongthe Worcester and Birmingham canal between

We had a fantastic time over the Easter holidays in our Ecokidssessions and records numbers of visitors, which was amazing!

We made some lovely Easter creatures from recycledmaterials and went to Victoria Common for hidden eggs, aswell as spotting bird tracks in the remaining un-melted snow!

Ecokids over Easter

Family Cycle Rides startback

Spring finally arrived just on time for our secondEcokids sessions and we were able to have somegardening fun, planting some seeds, making amazingplant labels out of recycled materials and awakingthose sleepy taste buds with some magic peppermintdrink and chive cream cheese crackers.

We had lovely weather for ourfirst ride of the year and

Stirchley and Kings Norton and back toNorthfield. The nature was simply stunningwith spring blossom on its way.

HALF TERM

HOLIDAY!

Ecokids - Muddy Monsters!

May Family Cycle Ride

Tuesday 28 & Thursday 30 May2 - 4pm (choose) one)

On this park only session, we’ll create ourown collection of muddy animals & scarymonsters with materials Mother Naturehas to offer. Let your imagination run wild!

Sunday 12 May, 10.30am Multi-sportsarea in Victoria Common, Northfield

Coming up

Family friendly easy route. Few hills. Don’t forget tocheck your brakes/tyres/gears beforehand and bringsome water, a snack and waterproofs (we won’tneed them but just in case!). See you soon!

Events at theEcocentre

BASEBirmingham

Georgia Stokes, Ecocentre Manager describes anumber of new initiatives springing up in our city,to help make Birmingham greener for the future.

The first BASE Birmingham conference brought together private sector businesses, researchers,the public sector and the third sector to share experiences, learning and ideas to further the low-carbon agenda while generating growth in the city.

It was inspiring to hear how much is already being done across the city, including

� The imminent release of a mini Stern Review for Birmingham:www.lowcarbonfutures.org/reports/

� Construction company, Interserve’s ‘SustainAbilities’ Plan:www.sustainabilities.interserve.com/our-sustainability-plan

Other private sector organisation represented included Amey, Carillion, Pinsent Mason, IBM, alongwith Birmingham City Council, Centro, Sustrans, and the Energy Saving Trust.

Ken Livingstone used his keynote speech at the end of theconference to remind us justhow tough the challengesare:

GreenwashOf course, we do need to be wary of‘greenwash’. Businesses know theywill be criticised and potentially losecustomers if they are seen to beheavy polluters without takingaction.

Some companies will promote their‘green’ actions shamelessly in onearea of business while continuing todo enormous damage in another; orboast about actions they’ve takenwhich are in fact legal obligations.However, many private sectorcompanies have realised that asidefrom the moral and ethical, there is abusiness imperative for reducingcarbon emissions.

Birmingham GreenCommission Update

In our April newsletter we mentionedthe launch of Birmingham’s GreenCommission, a programme of work tomake Birmingham one of the world’sleading green cities.

Birmingham Green Commission’s Vision Statement (www.birmingham.gov.uk/sustainability)was the focus of the recent Sustainability Forum (15 April) held at Birmingham Council Houseand it certainly generated some useful discussion. It was widely acknowledged that a lot ofinnovative, and effective work is being pioneered across the city and that Birmingham needsto be better at promoting this. Another interesting suggestion from the night was to retrofitempty domestic properties to high energy efficiency standards, bringing them back intouse and moving in new tenants. There was a strong feeling that the vision for Birminghamas a low carbon city must include individuals, communities, the private sectoralong with the public sector working together to achieve the target ofreducing Birmingham’s total (not per capita) carbonemissions by 60% by 2027.

www.northfieldecocentre.org I Email: georgia@northfieldecocentre.org I Call us on: 0121 448 0119

He made a stark warning that, in hisview, supported by leading scientists,we are already past the point where we

can keep the rise in global temperatures to two degrees: thetipping point that if exceeded will herald some catastrophicweather events. He urged us all -businesses, third sector,

public sector but most of all individuals – to stop puttingthings off. Take action now, together.

Learn new skills, save money andprotect the environment

Friends of Victoria Common

The Friends of Victoria Common met up recently and had a look around the exciting improvements beingmade in the park. Work is well under way and some elements are now finished. The changing roomshave been replaced and were the first bits to be completed, the gym equipment seems to be close to

Come and join the Friends of VictoriaCommon at their next meeting on

the 29th May, 7pm at NorthfieldEcocentre and help us plan some

new events to take advantage of allthe work that's happening in the

park.

completion, as does the new children's play areaand they've just started on the new picnic area. Ifall goes well the park should be looking it's finest

for Northfield Carnival in early July.

Luke Olly, Ecocentre Assistant Manager and Friends of Victoria Common member shares:

Northfield Ecocentre has now gained it’s very own Green Deal Advice Organisation (GDAO)accreditation, meaning we can now offer official Green Deal assessments by approvedadvisors. Elsewhere in the UK, registered GDAOs are almost all businesses that charge forassessments. However, through working with the city council scheme Birmingham EnergySavers, Northfield Ecocentre are able to offer the assessments, worth £150, for free.

The Green Deal is a package of funding, loans and industry standards aimed at making energysaving in the home easier for everyone and at no upfront cost. Its ‘Golden Rule’ means the savingsmade must be more than the cost of the work, ensuring savings are made. Unsecured loans takenout through the Green Deal are attached to the electricity meter of the property rather than theresident, keeping the repayments – and the benefits – with the property. Funding is available forpeople meeting certain criteria such as being in receipt of benefits or living in low income areas.

Luke Olly, Assistant Manager at Northfield Ecocentre said: “We are proud to bepioneering this innovative new scheme for Birmingham residents and offering

them the opportunity to get assessments for free. The Green Deal can helphomeowners save money on their bills when money is tight. There are no

upfront costs and your home will be warmer, and its available for houses withsolid walls which have always been excluded from similar schemes.”

Mohammad Qayyum, EcocentreEnergy Advisor added: “It’s really simple. Wecome and look at how you heat and power your home, where heat escapes and

how much you pay for your bills. We are able to advise you on how to get themost from your heating and electricity system, what improvements could saveyou money and what funding options are available. If your home is suitable we

can then refer you on to local Green Deal Providers who will organize for thework to be completed.”

Ecocentre ReceiveGreen Deal Accreditation

NorthfieldEcocentre is :

www.northfieldecocentre.org I Email: luke@northfieldecocentre.org I Call us on: 0121 448 0119

Masefield Community Garden

pear

apple

cherry

plumalder

maple

beech

We ran a workshop on Saturday 13th April at the communitygarden on how to build a greenhouse out of recycled plasticbottles. Part of the wooden frame was built and plastic bottlesprepared for use as windows. The community garden volunteershave continued to build the greenhouse frame and it will all beput together ready to fix the plastic bottles in the first week ofMay. It will take around 650 X 2 litre clear or green plasticpop/cider bottles to complete the greenhouse. So, if you haveany plastic bottles then please drop them at the Ecocentre or atthe community garden, they will be put to good use.

Garden Updates

Jackie Green, Community Gardening Co-ordinator shares:

Gardening Volunteers

Welcome!

Now it’s warming up we’re enjoying developing our Ecocentregarden. Our most recent editions include improvements to ourpond, including a solar powered oxygenator to help produceoxygen to clean the water and make it a hospitable environmentfor wildlife.

Ecocentre Garden

We are running severalFREE workshops throughout

May, including How to Build anEarth Oven. This is a fun

experience and we will thenhave an Earth Oven at Masefield

Community Garden to use tocook with for special events and

volunteer days.

We need your 2 litre

plastic bottles!

Damien Bennett, Gardening Apprentice shares:

The soil has beendug over inpreparation forour vegetableseedlings, and wehave also graftedapple trees fromRosette, Discoveryand Tom Puttvarieties.

www.northfieldecocentre.org/foodgrowing I Email: jackie@northfieldecocentre.org

RAISE CASH RECYCLINGFor Northfield

Ecocentre

WORKING WITHNORTHFIELD ECOCENTRE

www.northfieldecocentre.org/support-us/recycle-for-cashEmail: kara@northfieldecocentre.org I Call: 0121 448 0119

Your support will help us todevelop our work in yourcommunity

METAL OBJECTSSUCH AS COINS

& KEYS

COMPUTERS& LAPTOPS

PRINT CARTRIDGESMOBILE PHONES

RAISE MONEY FOR A GOOD CAUSE, THE ECOCENTRE

We now have various ways of recycling all those things that you neverknow what to do with, and it raises funds for us at the same time!

Recycle your old printer cartridges (maybe you could keep a box nearyour printer so that every time a cartridge runs out your remember torecycle it for us), mobile phones, computers, laptops and someassociated accessories such as keyboards, stamps, metal objects such ascoins and keys, and a whole load of other objects. See our website formore details www.northfieldecocentre.org/support-us/recycle-for-cash

This is an easy way to raise money for us and get rid of waste in anenvironmentally friendly way – it requires very little effort! There areways to help spread the word too – maybe you could post this informationon your Facebook page and ask your friends, or ask your workplace torecycle for us.

For more information call Kara on 0121 448 0119email kara@northfieldecocentre.org

or visit our website.

STAMPS

YOU CAN RECYCLE FOR CASH:

Kara Moses, Fundraising Co-ordinator, shares:

PUPPET

MAKING!

All welc

ome!

PUNCH &

JUDY!

A family friendly day of fun!

Hungry Caterpillar ThemeBring a dish to share at the picnic

Info:0121

448 0119

Northfield Picnic!

Saturday1 June

11am - 3pm

Willow Tepee BuildingPuppet MakingPunch & JudyFace painting

Food StallsGardening & FoodGrowing ActivitiesCircus Activities

At Masefield Community GardenLindsey Avenue, Northfield, B31 2DT

www.northfieldecocentre.orgCentral England Area Quaker Meeting. Charity No. 224571