The Woodland Trust have over 4000 packs to give away in Autumn and they come in three sizes – 30 saplings, 105 saplings and 420 saplings in various themes (hedge, copse, wildlife, wild harvest, year-round colour, working wood, wild wood and wetland). You can apply for more than one pack and theme with 420 saplings being the maximum quantity. Find out more about them and apply online at www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/freetrees but it’s advised that groups apply sooner rather than later.
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In 2013 Local Project Manager, Philippa Birch undertook her Art in Action project with AfSL. At the same time as this, she was finishing the 6th year of her Masters in Architecture and as part of her final assessment she designed a new headquarters for Action for Sustainable Living, based in city centre.
The board of AfSL adds:
“Action for Sustainable Living has always attracted creative Local Project Managers and Philippa is no exception. Her idea for AfSL HQ right in the heart of the city is really interesting. We particularly like the idea of having the ‘help yourself’ vegetables right on our doorstep. We wish her every success in her architectural career and hope she continues being a great champion for sustainability”
To see more about this, please visit Philippa’s website.
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AfSL and The Carbon Coop Join Forces to Showcase 25 Eco Homes!
Green Open Homes aims to support low carbon open home events around the UK, and this summer, AfSL and The Carbon Coop teamed up to do just that! The aim of the event was to show the public a range of low carbon features in different houses in hope to inspire them to make improvements to theirs in the future. Such features included triple glazing, high spec heating, and sustainable building material.
The Carbon Coop is believes that by working as a cooperative, green home improvements can be achieved much quicker and reduce the costs. Through their knowledge of eco homes throughout , they were able to establish 25 that were perfect to showcase. Each home owner volunteer their home to open to the public showing a real sense of community spirit and determination to tackle our carbon-based fuel dependency.
AfSL were asked to recruit and train a number of volunteers to help the home owners out. The volunteers who signed up did a fantastic job and had the chance to learn more about the green energy sector.
This is the first time that AfSL has had the opportunity to work with Green Open Homes and we had a lot of fun doing so. We look forward to potential opportunities in the future so we can help make a sustainable city.
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Legacy Projects 1
Action for Sustainable Living has been involved with and seeded many great projects over the years, a lot of which were initiated by the recently (and successfully) completed Green Seeds project. Here are a few of them:
Moss Cider - turning unwanted or unused fruit, from within a 30km radius of Moss Side into cider, with profits being put back into the community…simple!
Fo Guang Green Action Group - committed to turning Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple of Buddha’s Light International Association (B.L.I.A) into a more sustainable place.
Sustainable Housing - an experiment in sustainable living where tenants applied a sustainability filter to all aspects of domestic living from clothing, energy, finance, gardening, household cleaning and decorating, to food, recycling, transport and use of water.
Energy Academy - an EU-funded pilot project to study the effect of community engagement on reducing household energy consumption.
Fallowfield Secret Garden - a highly successful community garden combining involving and teaching the community about growing food, adopting new methods of growing and enterprise.
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It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the sudden and untimely death of AfSL’s founder Chris Wright. Chris was an inspiration to many, many people and he will be greatly missed. We send condolences to his wife Mary and to the rest of the Wright family.
Further information will be posted when available. In the meantime, our work and our projects will continue as planned.
Please see the tributes made by our staff and trustees at Chris funeral - Chris Wright Tributes
Thanks to everyone who has donated so far. If you’d like to support AfSL and make a donation in tribute to Chris Wright, please follow this link and choose a donations site (we prefer Paypal).
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Volunteer Support Worker, Steph Lynch will be running in the Colour Me Rad race in June, fundraising for AfSL, dressed as a giant banana, so you won’t be able to miss her!
AfSL Volunteer Support Worker, Steph Lynch is running the Colour Me Rad race on the 21st June. Steph is running in the name of AfSL as a way to say thank you for the charity giving her the opportunity to:
“work with wonderful volunteers who are making a difference to ’s environment.”
Steph feels very fortunate to work for this amazing charity, as do I (David Schofield). AfSL are dedicated to making a more sustainable and greener city, something everyone living or working in the city benefits from. Providing services from assisting volunteers to gain skills around setting up their own projects, to providing external volunteer opportunities, AfSL have already had a huge impact on this great city. Steph wants to raise funds to help continue this great work!
For those who are still not convinced that you want to part with your pennies. Steph is going that extra mile. She’ll be wearing a banana costume for this run – not only to symbolise AfSL’s values surrounding food production and waste, but also because we hope you’ll be more willing to pay to witness this spectacle!
Please spare whatever you can, even if it is only a quid! It all adds up and will go a long way! Steph is aiming for £250, but let’s see if we can help smash that figure.
On behalf of the rest of the team, we say thanks to Steph and good luck!
Our founder Chris Wright adds -”don’t slip on the banana skin!”
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Sign-up and see some Green Open Homes in
Carbon Coop and Action for Sustainable Living are running an Open Homes Event on the weekends of the 17th / 18th and 24th / 25th May. We’ll be showcasing energy efficiency retrofit measures and providing inspiration and guidance on practical ways to reduce fuel bills, cut household carbon emissions and create more comfortable homes.
Volunteers are needed to show members of the public round the houses and answer questions they may have.
The event will be running from 10am to 4pm, times will be confirmed closer to the dates. Don’t worry if you can only attend one day or just for a few hours, you are still welcome to get involved!
The houses will be diverse, showcasing different retrofitted technologies such as external wall insulation, new windows and doors, efficient heating systems, solar panels, wood burning stoves and more. You will receive training from Carbon Coop’s technical partners URBED about whole house retrofit to prepared for the event. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the future of green energy!
The training is to be held at the Resource Centre on Oldham Street on the following days:
- 3.30 – 6pm on the 15th April.
- 4.30 – 7pm on the 16th April
- 4.30 – 7pm on the 9th May
- 4.30 – 7pm on the 15th May
For more information and to sign up as a volunteer, contact Steph via [email protected]. If you want to volunteer but can’t attend any of the training sessions then please state that in your email.
Travel expenses will be covered for training and for each day you volunteer. If you volunteer for 4 hours or more, you lunch will be reimbursed also.
Volunteers will be located in show homes that are convenient for them to get to, which will be will arranged with the volunteer before confirmation to the home owners.
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The Energy Academy is back, and this time….. It’s Gorton!
The Energy Academy is back to save the day! Over the next few months we’ll be working with City Council and Guinness Northern Counties Housing Association to help tenants in West Gorton to save energy and money. The City Council has spent millions in East to regenerate housing, businesses and communities, and AfSL are proud to be part of the project.
We’ll be supporting tenants to get to know their new NIBE heating systems, and settle into their new build or retrofitted properties by offering home energy advice visits, as well as more general advice on energy saving and supplier switching at local community venues in the area. We’ll also be setting up a fairly ambitious energy monitoring project for local tenants, to demonstrate how much energy new heating and hot water systems are saving local people.
Corin Bell, Co-ordinator for the project says, “Heating and hot water account for around three quarters of the average domestic energy bill, so replacing old boiler systems with more energy efficient models can save tenants up to £200 a year, but only if they know how to use them. It’s great that City Council recognise this, and it’s wonderful to be part of a project that really engages tenants, and empowers local people to take control of their energy use and bills”.
For more information on the Energy Academy, please see - http://www.afsl.org.uk/our-work/what-we-do/energy-academy/
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Want to know how to get into the Green Sector?
Action for Sustainable Living are passionate about helping people of all ages and backgrounds to establish careers in the Green Sector. Volunteer Support Worker Steph Lynch was invited by the University of to be on a panel of speakers who addressed a number of issues that students may face entering the Green Sector. Among the panel there were environmental consultants, University staff, and members of City Council.
Steph says:
“It was great to discuss with students what it is like for the charities at present, as well as informing them about all the wonderful work AfSL is doing. I hope I have inspired the students to enter the environmental sector”.
For advice on how to get into the Green Sector, check out http://www.greencareercentral.com/
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New Gardeners Needed
The Lost Plot community allotment, based at Southern Allotments in Chorlton, is looking for new members.
We’ve got a double size plot, based on permaculture principles and we need new volunteers to get the most out of our raised beds and herb spiral, polytunnel, fruit cages and greenhouse.
The Lost Plot community allotment was set up in November 05, with help from Action For Sustainable Living. Food is grown and shared amongst anyone who comes down to help. Produce last year ranged from cucumbers and tomatoes and fabulous salads in the polytunnel to squashes, courgettes, leeks, potatoes, French beans and rhubarb in a variety of beds and containers dotted around the Lost Plot site.
We’ve got fruit cages with black currants, raspberries and gooseberries and we could grow a whole lot more with a little bit of help. No previous experience needed, but time-served gardeners welcome too! We garden whatever the weather, but we’ve got a clay oven to make pizzas and when the sun shines, we often stay all day.
Anyone interested in joining in should contact Clare (07595 873221) or Sarah ( 07930 898935) or Josh (07789 9122055). Come down for a look-see. Volunteers meet every Sunday from 1 – 6pm. You’re welcome any time.
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