THE PROBLEM
The state of the planet has never seemed so desperate. With ever-rising annual temperatures, global CO2 concentrations passing the 400 parts per million marker, continued deforestation and use of fossil fuels, habitat destruction and pollution through gases, chemicals and plastics, as well as some world leaders turning their backs on the need for immediate action against climate change, it is now more important than ever for the public to take action through local events and projects, consumer action, boycotts and vital lifestyle changes to lessen environmental impact.
However, many do not know where to start and even if they should. After all, it's nothing to do with me. I didn't ask anyone to burn down the rainforests. I didn't pollute the oceans and the skies.
But we did. Virtually every one of us in our lifetime has contributed to the mess that we are seeing around us every day.
Reversing, or at least minimising, the effects of climate change will take action from many groups and individuals and in many different ways.
The aim of BrumEarth is to be a hub for environmental action in England's second city, directly combatting climate change on a local level through education, projects, action, events and support across Birmingham's schools, community groups and businesses, which can be replicated elsewhere in the country using the resources created.
THE SOLUTION
WORKING WITH SCHOOLS
Helping schools to gain the Eco-Schools Green Flag award by delivering lessons and providing resources for teachers.
The Eco-Schools accreditation has a number of benefits and BrumEarth would support schools to do the following:
- Set up Eco Clubs
- Improve waste reduction & recycling in school and at home
- Arrange tree planting & encouraging biodiversity on school grounds and at home
- Support energy reduction in school and at home
- Encourage sustainable transportation
- Learn about all of the above to develop a greater awareness of the challenges facing the earth and the solutions required to meet those challenges through engaging lessons and projects.
Introducing BrumEarth's Zero Waste Xmas campaign to a Birmingham Primary School.
WORKING WITH BUSINESSES, CHARITIES & COMMUNITY GROUPS
Supporting businesses, charities and community groups to reduce their carbon footprint (and, potentially, take this further to work towards achieving nationally-recognised green accreditations). This can be done by quick and easy workplace assessments with follow-up action plans and advice.
Delivering workshops/sessions to support individuals on making simple lifestyle, and working practice, changes to reduce their impact on the environment.
EVENTS
Co-ordinating large scale events across Birmingham on international green events/days and producing resources that can be used in other locations.
INFORMATION
Maintaining an up to date website, newsletter and social media feeds with news, info, links and resources.
PRESS
Work with local press to share the success stories of the project, write monthly columns and generally raise awareness about living a greener life in Birmingham.
FUNDING
This crowdfunding campaign will help provide the funds for an administrator and co-ordinator 1 day a week to manage the marketing, press, website, social media and appointments and an outreach officer 2 days a week to visit the arranged appointments at schools, businesses and community groups.
REWARDS
Rather than making and sending mugs, T-Shirts, key fobs and memory sticks, which would be a waste of energy and natural resources and would probably add to the items going to landfill sites, it seemed more appropriate to me to offer rewards that are more akin to the goals of my project.
This is why I am offering to plant trees in the Amazon rainforest as rewards through the non-profit organisation, OneTreePlanted.
Everyone who makes a donation will get their name added to a Project Supporters page as a thank you and everyone making a donation of £20 and above will receive an electronic copy of BrumEarth's exclusive Guide to Greener Living.
As an extra special thank you, higher pledges will receive photo and video updates of the project, special invites to events, as well as an opportunity to meet up and see behind the scenes of BrumEarth.
ABOUT ME
Rob Whitehouse, founder of BrumEarth
Over the last 15 years I've been trying to do 'my bit' for the environment by recycling and using less energy at home. More recently though, I decided 'a bit' was no longer good enough, especially considering the expected revolutions in renewable energy and sustainable transport have not happened anywhere nearly as quickly as predicted, as well as becoming increasingly worried that people have become less concerned about the environment, not more.
And so I set about not only greening up my own life, but also raising as much awareness as I could by writing articles in the local paper, setting up projects in my spare time in Birmingham and researching in great detail what individuals and businesses can do. I have also set up the BrumEarth website and social media feeds on Twitter and Facebook to share that research and relevant stories and updates, but as this is around my full-time job the amount of time I can dedicate to this is limited.
For the past 3 years I have been funded by one of the leading electronics companies in the world to train teachers to deliver the new Computing curriculum and use the latest technologies in education. It was while I was delivering this training to teachers, delivering lessons to their pupils and supporting schools in general when I realised that a similar model could be applied to environmental education and action.
The strength of such a model relies heavily on the hard work and research of the people at the centre of the delivery and the network of contacts made. I have already spent time preparing my resources, links, activities and ideas and I already have a network of 50 schools across Birmingham and the West Midlands, so I am in a good position to start working with schools straight away and then expand to support community groups and businesses. I have always worked hard to deliver my projects to the best of my ability, but I would be even more committed to the BrumEarth project as it is a concept about which I am so passionate and for a cause that is so crucial today.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can help by supporting this crowdfunding campaign on Start Some Good.
You can also help by signing up to our Twitter feed @brumearth or signing up on our website to join our mailing list and receive regular newsletters.
Finally, please share our campaign with your friends and contacts, so they can help us reach our goal of helping Brum to help our earth.
