The search for sustainability stars
Courtesy of the Welsh Assembly Government, this year at the Hay festival was full of opportunities to promote sustainable ideas and solutions and to commit to create a more sustainable Wales in the future.
Having successfully launched their Sustainable Development Charter with 22 organisations in Wales signing up to its principles, WAG and a panel of footprint experts set out to award four projects a grant of £10,000 each to develop and fund their sustainable projects further.
The Dragon’s Den style workshops – called Hay on Earth – ran over four days and bought together organisations that are keen to contribute to sustainable development, to showcase their best practice, and share experiences.
It was a hard decision as competition was stiff but four winners were eventually picked from the four themes below –
* Low carbon transport and accessibility
* Sustainable agriculture and local food
* Businesses and the development of new low carbon, low waste goods and services, and
* Promoting sustainability in homes and communities
Read on to find out more about the four worthy winners!
The B-Bug
WINNER ONE
Project title: The B-Bug – tourist travel for Wales that’s funky, cool and green
Creators of this project wanted to reduce the carbon footprint of a Brecon Beacons holiday. They found visitors flocked to the area to enjoy environmentally friendly activities, such as walking, cycling and canoeing, but found that 90% came in their cars which they had to use for much of what they wanted to do e.g. to explore the countryside and to find the best walking paths.
The project wants to offer a green alternative – the Beacons Buggy or the B-Bug – a lightweight, silent, open air electric buggy capable of 30mph for about 30 miles. Visitors would hire them at their accommodation and travel around the region in cool, funky and ultra-green style!
The B-Bugs can also work for residents as community-owned, shared vehicles for short runs which the project hopes will lead to charging points within the national park for the B-Bugs and other electric vehicles.
For more information on the B-Bug project visit http://www.prospectory.co.uk/ or email Alison@prospectory.co.uk
WINNER TWO
Project title: Schools Farmers Market
The second winner is a project which creates real farmers markets in primary schools.
The schools are supported in preparing for the first market, but it is then planned, arranged managed and promoted by the children, who also have a stall selling their own produce at the market.
As a result the children’s knowledge and learning in enterprise, education for sustainable development and global citizenship increases and the school gains the ability to host subsequent markets, and generates income from stall fees to fund other eco-projects such as school gardening club and farm visits.
This project will bring local food purchasing back into the local area and help build a stronger relationship between young people and their communities.
For more information visit http://www.midwalesfoodandlandtrust.org.uk/ , email cath@midwalesfoodandlandtrust.org.uk
WINNER THREE
Project title: Renewable Energy Project
Winner three has an ambitious target of installing a renewable energy generation resource in 300+ Welsh communities.
Carbon free energy is a very good thing and that’s why this project is looking at expanding the range of theGreen Valleys project and expanding small scale hydro in upland communities. If this can be achieved in communities throughout Wales it could be transformative.
The project aims to assist and help local communities to remove barriers such as sourcing funding and getting planning permission through using finance, knowledge & expertise to mobilise local people and businesses. It will allow community ownership, with scope for local contractors to install private schemes – this project will be a not-for-profit social enterprise delivering the best deal for communities.
Sustianable house
WINNER FOUR
Project title: SEED Welsh House
This project is about building houses for need not greed. They have developed a building system that, with refinement, can offer genuinely affordable houses that actually reduce our carbon footprint.
Through working with the Centre of Alternative Technology and other partners the project aim to achieve this refinement to perfect the SEED building system to create houses that are more sustainable and cheaper to build and creating training courses to ensure that it can be widely used.
The SEED house will reach a minimum of level 4 of WAG’s Code for Sustainable Homes, all materials will be sourced locally, the house will be completely recyclable, and will be built by local people meeting local needs.
For more information visit http://www.seedhomes.co.uk/ , or email edward@edwardbulmer.co.uk