So much has been happening - we have plenty of exciting news to share, plus suggested events, eco resources tips and invitations to engage with us. In this newsletter: Our big news! A little more news Help! Feedback needed New resource highlights How to take part in EcoTogether
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EcoTogether is in the process of becoming a national charity. This is a huge step for us. We have a growing presence in the Birmingham area and are now receiving enquiries from all over the UK and this is without any promotion – we started to imagine what we could achieve if we had a much wider reach….. A few years ago, we started as an incubation project with Transition Bath, to whom we are immensely grateful, but being an independent charity will give us the opportunity to grow as we could apply for funding outside the Bath area. So, to give the EcoTogether programme the greatest chance of success, and to reach the maximum number of people, we decided that we needed to be a charity covering the whole of the UK. |
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You are all invited to be members of EcoTogether and help steer the charity in the best direction by voting at our Annual General Meetings. If you are interested in being a member please sign up here. We have six trustees committed to growing EcoTogether throughout the UK: (clockwise from top left) Helen Haddon (Chair), Sara Grimes (founder), Stephanie Boyle, Theresa Hegarty, Robin Teoh and Patrick Jordan. |
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We will be advertising more roles shortly but please contact us now if you are interested in helping us grow nationally. Email us: ecotogether2030@gmail.com |
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We are growing There has been a marked increase in the amount of people signing up for our newsletters or making enquiries. Staffed fully by volunteers we are not yet able to track every new group and may not even know that some groups are taking place. We know that there have been a number of new groups in the Bath and Birmingham area with groups planned in other cities in the autumn. If you would like to let us know that you are forming a group, we would love to know, email us here: hello@ecotogether.info
U3A
The University of the Third Age national group has started an EcoTogether zoom group. For U3A members click here for information on how to join this group. |
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Hottest day on record Our mission is ever more urgent as we have alarmingly had another record breaking summer with 22 July 2024 being the hottest day ever recorded on our planet. This broke the record of the July 2023 hottest day. Climate action is increasingly urgent to try and halt this alarming trend. |
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To apply for funding we need evidence that the EcoTogether course is worth backing. We have plenty of anecdotal evidence but we really need more data and facts! You can help by filling in the questionnaire and/or talking to us, plus forwarding the details to your group members so they can take action too. Can you give us 5 minutes? If you have been through an EcoTogether Course, please fill out this questionnaire – it takes less than 5 minutes. Fancy a chat for 20 minutes? Jodie Richards, a recent graduate from Manchester University, has offered to help us collate feedback and produce statistics. We are looking for willing people who have either been through the EcoTogether course or have thought about it but have had challenges in starting a group. |
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Does that sound like you? If you can give us 20 mins to go through a more detailed feedback survey by phone with Jodie, we will be very grateful. Please sign up for the 20 minute phone survey here. |
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4. New resource highlights |
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Our regularly updated downloadable resources list is packed full of ideas for environmentally conscious actions, and it is now available as browsable webpages. Please share our list widely to inspire action in others. * Some recent additions to the list include: |
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1 - Go to Plastic Soup Foundation if you are concerned about plastics consumption. They have plenty of information, tools, tips and ideas. 2 - Try the Beat The Micro Bead app to find out which products contain microplastics before you buy - just scan the ingredients. 3 - For eyewear Peep offers vintage and preloved glasses. They can also repair and restore your eyewear too, and put new lenses in your old frames. Lensology specialise in reglazing your glasses. 4 - ecolibrium aims to tackle travel emissions resulting from the festival industry by reducing the impacts of travel, the largest source of emissions from live events. Take a look at their projects, or use their travel carbon calculator. 5 - reuseabook are preventing books from reaching landfill, it is a great (and well-stocked) place to take a look for a second hand read. 6 - Earth & Wheat are addressing food waste. They offer a grocery box with perfectly edible but outside the strict visual standards items, and they rescue from areas of over production. The boxes include grown produce or bakery items or both. For every box ordered they donate a meal to those in need through FareShare. * Our list includes national resources (applicable across the UK) but local resources are limited to Bath (as this is where we started out). As we grow and change, we are considering alternative ways to capture and share local knowledge. If you have any ideas about this please email us at hello@ecotogether.info |
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5. How to take part in EcoTogether |
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Not taken part in EcoTogether yet and not sure how to start? Not to worry, you can find everything you need to know about this self-led group programme on our website. Go to the participants page to access the materials.
Keen on the concept, but not confident about starting a group? Send us an email hello@ecotogether.info and let’s see how we can help you.
Are you part of a larger community (work, life, social) and need help explaining the concept? If you are close to Bath or Birmingham, perhaps we could help you to get started by giving a talk or presentation. If you are located elsewhere we can help you via a Zoom call. Drop us an email at hello@ecotogether.info .
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Thank you for being a part of our growing EcoTogether family. Best wishes The EcoTogether Team |
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We are on social media, please follow us for occasional updates, ideas and to see who we follow! |
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