Can you help us evaluate our work?

We are presently in our final year of our Big Lottery funding and need to evaluate our work over the past three years. This is where you can help! We

We’re Recruiting…

Evaluation Consultant Freelance Action for Sustainable Living is in the final year of a four year lottery funded project supporting communities in South Manchester to become more sustainable, resilient and

5th December: Our Legacy, Our Future Celebration Event

AGM and Christmas Celebration 6:15pm, Wednesday 5th December 2012, Platt Chapel, Fallowfield This is our big, booming annual celebration. Our Green Seeds project that has so far trained up some

South Manchester Environment Forum, Thursday 18th October

Thursday 18th October, 6.30-8.30pm. Font Bar, 236-238 Wilmslow Road, Manchester. M14 6LE. Ever wonder about what other well kept secrets of sustainability are underway in South Manchester? Want to

Action planning for community engagement

ENTHUSE is new project to develop an environmental community engagement plan for West Gorton Action for Sustainable Living is heading up a consortium involving MERCi and Cooler to help

AfSL wins new Energy Academy contract

Action for Sustainable Living has secured a new 10-month contact to supply domestic energy behavioural change support to tenants of Southway Housing Trust. The work will build on the Energy Academy advanced pilot delivered

Annabel Bradbury

Volunteer Coordinator

Annabel Bradbury has been with AfSL as our Volunteering Coordinator since 2008, starting out as a volunteer herself. Annabel is your first point of call if you would like to get involved in volunteering with us, or indeed if you have a fun project that needs volunteer helpers to get it rocking.

Annabel is a keen WOOFER (that is, a Willing Working On Organic Farms) and is happiest shepherding sheep or dabbling in beekeeping. Her hidden talents are being a mother hen and creating knitting mayhem.

View Annabel's profile & blog posts

Catrina Pickering

Development Worker

Catrina joined Action for Sustainable Living in July 2012 as the Development Worker for the organisation’s four year lottery funded Green Seeds project which trains Local Project Managers and volunteers to set up sustainability projects in South Manchester. She is responsible for managing the project and ensuring it leaves a great and thriving legacy.

Catrina has been fortunate to be involved in sustainability at all levels from local projects in Winchester and Oxford to national and international work for COIN (Climate Outreach Information Network) and the Transition Network. Prior to her involvement in sustainability, she worked in international human rights and community development.

Hidden talents: Timid flamenco dance, being the tortoise rather than the hare when it comes to cycling and “swimming like a shark” (words of a former Montenegrin World Champion free diver).

View Catrina's profile & blog posts

Erika Nagae

Community and Schools Coordinator

Erika Nagae has been with AfSL as a sustainability coordinator for communities and schools since 2009. She is currently focusing on promoting and developing projects in South Manchester. Prior sustainability-themed experiences include working for Fairfield Compost as a researcher, working as a landscape gardener and introducing students of the University of Manchester to the concept of composting food waste with worms, earning the title of Ben and Jerry's Climate Change College Ambassador for Britain. Erika is also known by some as "The Worminator", having a higher than average knowledge and love for worms, especially the composting kind.

Hidden talents: climbing trees, getting people to make cups of tea for her, baking cakes from The Black Cat Cakery and providing shops and cafes around central and south Manchester with delicious home made cakes!

View Erika's profile & blog posts

Jo Wilkes

Community and Schools Coordinator

Jo joined the AfSL team as Communities Coordinator in May 2010 and is now well and truly part of the furniture. She is very passionate about Training, Supporting, and Mentoring volunteers and LPM's to believe in their ability to make a positive environmental impact in their communities in a fun inclusive way. With years of experience/networks built from designing/delivering successful community environmental events and projects as a volunteer herself, she is keen to share this knowledge to help others experience the enjoyment and positive community impact she has gained.

Hidden talents: a mean karaoke singer (seriously mean! once the mike is in my hand good luck trying to pry it from my fingers)
Claim to fame: I was a dancer on Timmy Mallet's Utterly Brilliant when I was 12.

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Kate Wels

Community and Schools Coordinator

Kate works with Local Project Managers in Manchester and Trafford training, supporting and coaching them to set up their local sustainability projects. Amongst other things she also works on AfSL’s Green Champions Programme, helping businesses and hospitals to improve their green credentials. She has recently taken on coordination of an Energy Academy project in Old Trafford working with residents to reduce their energy bills.

She is happiest on a mountainside in the sunshine.

View Kate's profile & blog posts

Martyn Dawson

Volunteer Graphic Designer

Martyn joined AfSL in 2011 as a volunteer Graphic Designer. He helps staff and Local Project Managers bring their wonderful ideas to life using his creative skills in graphics and illustration. Martyn works as a freelance illustrator and Graphic Designer and in his spare time he plays the bass guitar for a Manchester Indie band, dabbles in ametuer photography and watches lot's of films

View Martyn's profile & blog posts

Sarah Irving

Office Manager

Sarah joined AfSL as Office Manager in 2009 quickly becoming part of the furniture! Ensuring the smooth running of the office and making volunteers and visitors feel comfortable, Sarah is always available to lend a helping hand and to share her geek side with IT help and support. Sarah has a lot of experience in sustainable living and is a true advocate for meal planning to save on waste (and time!!)

Along with working at AfSL, Sarah is an artist, gardener and keen crafter. Her hidden talents include dehydrating almost any fruit or veg and herding cats!

View Sarah's profile & blog posts

Simon Robinson

Energy Academy Programme Manager

Simon joined AfSL in 2011 to help progress the development of the Energy Academy programme, which he now manages. He has wide experience of sustainability, built up over 18 years managing environmental projects at local, city-regional and EU levels. In January 2012, Simon also took on the part-time role of Volunteer Co-ordinator at AfSL.

Hidden Talents: raised-bed construction, cycling up Cowcliffe Hill Road, standing on trains to Manchester

View Simon's profile & blog posts

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About Action for Sustainable Living

Welcome

Action for Sustainable Living (AfSL) is an award-winning Manchester-based charity working to engage, enthuse and support people take action on environmental sustainability.

We offer training and support to individuals, communities and organisations throughout Greater Manchester and wider UK.

Our supported volunteering model unlocks the potential of individuals to achieve positive and lasting social, environmental and economic change.

Our services for local authorities, schools, housing associations and businesses address environmental priorities including energy efficiency, waste management, sustainable travel and food growing. We work closely with organisations and their stakeholders, by sharing professional knowledge and infectious enthusiasm to deliver action on the ground.

In 2008 we won a Guardian Charity of the Year award in recognition of our upbeat, inclusive and people-centred approach to progressing sustainability.

Volunteer Coordinator

Development Worker

Community and Schools Coordinator

Community and Schools Coordinator

Community and Schools Coordinator

Volunteer Graphic Designer

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Energy Academy Programme Manager

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