Our Story

This project focuses on community buildings in Horncastle, and particularly the families and childminders of children up to five years old who use the Early Years Settings (EYS) at the community buildings involved in Green Babies and Toddlers (GBT).

The households of these families will also benefit from energy efficiency and microgeneration measures to their homes through the project.

The project objectives are to:

Raise awareness of:
• Climate change
• How to use energy in the home/community buildings efficiently (i.e. changes in behaviour)
• Measures that can be installed to increase the home/community building’s energy efficiency
• Microgeneration technologies
• Grants and advice to help decrease greenhouse gas emissions
• Ways to decrease carbon footprint beyond the home, especially related to parenting.

Drive actions such as:
• Changing behaviour in the home/community buildings to reduce energy use
• Installing measures in the home/community buildings to reduce energy use...

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• Installing measures in the home/community buildings to reduce energy use
• Having a home energy assessment/assessment of community building.

Offer other benefits to the community:
• Building a stronger sense of community amongst EYS, and beyond
• More sustainable EYS, less likely to close due to financial pressures (thanks to reduced energy bills through measures, increase in user numbers, due to improved thermal comfort, and extra income generated through Clean Energy Cashback tariffs).

The community has hosted talks from climate change activists, screened films such as Age of Stupid, set up stalls at local markets to publicise the project and attended public demonstrations about the threat of climate change. Local schools, colleges and businesses are also being engaged in the project.

To raise awareness regarding and maximise uptake of energy saving (behavioural and measures to buildings), grants available, cutting carbon footprint and microgeneration, the community is hosting Energy Saving Clinics run by the Energy Saving Trust and whole-day energy saving events with guest speakers.

The community has a growing collection of energy saving meters, ready to begin an energy saving project with the Green Streets families. Each family will be given a meter, and there will be meetings held to discuss the measures families can take to reduce their energy usage, using the meters to monitor this precisely.

Similar work will be carried out with the community buildings, with self-auditing forms, meters to assess progress, and consultation to help buildings cut energy use through behavioural change.

Energy monitors are also being loaned to other families who use the EYS, and will eventually be distributed through the East Lincolnshire District Council office and public library to the wider public, for 3 weeks at a time.

The project is being publicised frequently through displays in community buildings, articles in the local press, and on websites including Transition Town Horncastle and a community Yahoo group, and is also being featured in a book on green issues by the Pre-School Learning Alliance

Project Overview

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