Why re-invent the wheel? We’ve been there, done it and got the T – shirt*

We are a small charity in South Shropshire, run by volunteers to help the local community become more aware of issues to do with energy saving and carbon reduction.  We have for the past three years offered households and small businesses a free home energy check service based around The Energy Saving Trust’s ActonCO₂ on-line carbon calculator.

Ready to go - some of the Climate Care installation team

Our volunteers visit a client’s home, gather data about energy usage and then enter that data for the client. We then produce an report which we explain on a second visit and offer advice to help the householder take action to reduce their carbon footprint. The whole process is managed by the volunteer visitor with perhaps a small amount of organisational administration and can be run at very modest cost.

Having trialled this particular method of community carbon reduction over the past two years we have built up a lot of experience and a mass of resources.

public meetings

• An initial visit and power point presentation explains the process we have developed and should a new group feel this particular method is for them, we can then offer -
• training in energy reduction advice and an introduction to the on line calculator and how it can best be used
• a C.D. with all the resources we have developed over many hours – including data collection form, advice sheets for volunteers, check lists, report forms, advice on insurance etc. all of which can be adapted to suit new groups.
• this is backed up by six months of online or telephone support and mentoring.

Events

The needs of every community are different. The time necessary to set up a group from scratch is daunting. The need to help communities reduce carbon emissions and become more energy efficient, urgent.

The method we have developed can be as small or large as a community needs – it can be run amongst just a street of residents or developed to support a whole community and can cost very little to run if resources are small.

Our charges are modest as we realise the difficulties of getting a new group off the ground – we’ve been there ourselves!

For further enquiries please contact Jon Cooke (Chair of Stretton Climate Care) on 01694 723205 or email info@strettonclimatecare.org.uk

T-shirts, Electric Bikes, even a wind turbine..

*The T – shirt, by the way, was the result of a competition at our local school..