July 1, 2019
Brighton Energy Coop’s salute to our Brighton & Hove home as a green, caring, conscious city – Part 1.
We hear a lot about the terrible trouble we are all in. The climate crisis, plastic pollution, environmental destruction, this governments energy policy to name but four of the current disasters, but as a certain Joseph Addison once said:
“Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.”
Our city is gifted with many individuals, projects and businesses that give us all a little hope and are offering some SOLUTIONS – ways to live a sustainable, clean and green life; and give us, our children – and the whole planet – a future.
We want to say a big thank you, and give a salute to these people for providing a few reasons to be cheerful, and allow us to be optimistic that things can change.
Below you will find a little hope… read on.
Atlanta Cook – Marine Environment Consultancy & more…
Atlanta Cook started her marine conservation adventure in 1991 helping organise Surfers Against Sewage‘s (SAS) first Brighton photo shoot and fund-raiser. She was an SAS Brighton Media Rep and set up SAS North Devon which successfully campaigned for the building of Baggy Point Water Treatment Works at Croyde Bay. She became a Director in 2000 and remained in post until the birth of her daughter. SAS named her an Honorary Life Member in 2005 and she continues the Campaign for Clean Seas to this day.
She became Co-ordinator of Seas at Risk Federation, an international federation of marine environment NGOs in 2001. She has been an independent marine environment consultant since 2004. In 2017 she started to recruit Brighton & Hove schools to the national Plastic Free Schools programme in a bid to help the city win Plastic Free Communities status.
Alongside Atlanta Cook’s work on marine pollution she has been raising awareness of
ecological and ethical issues within the Brighton community for many years, with events such as the Bosnia Festival in 1994, Greenwaves Radio in 1995 and the Dance Parade on Brighton seafront in 1997. She moved into the renewable energy sector as a conference organiser for the World Sustainable Energy Trade Fair from 1997-2001 and then moved to The Netherlands to work on the marine environment full.
More recently Atlanta has become a co-founding Trustee of Beacon Hub Brighton CIO, an eco-education and visitor centre for the Beacon Hill Local Nature Reserve next to Rottingdean Windmill. With the need to teach land regeneration practices to enhance biological diversity becoming ever more urgent she now working with the Future Roots collective at Stanmer Organics to skill share, and has become co-director of Landtribe Ltd. a Sussex land regeneration and agricultural project.
“Be part of the solution to global pollution. Be mindful of the ecological consequences of your daily actions. This not only brings sustainability closer for us all, but also brings
meaning to your life and peace to your heart. Be the change you want to see.”– Atlanta Cook
Cityzen is a multidisciplinary design practice that works with commercial contractors, property developers, fellow professionals and business owners to create better spaces for living and working.
The practice is committed to eliminating the use of fossil fuels in buildings and, ultimately, delivering net zero carbon buildings. The team help to minimise the impact of construction projects on the planet by using environmentally conscious building practices and products, and designing with energy performance in mind from the earliest stages (typically exceeding building regulations requirements).
As well as traditional site-based construction, Cityzen is also experienced in DfMA (Design for Manufacture and Assembly) solutions. The practice has been interested in offsitemodular construction for many years, as it not only offers a faster build process but also reduces the amount of waste typically generated on building sites; in 2017, the team helped deliver the UK’s largest temporary housing scheme using refurbished shipping containers. Cityzen are energy performance experts and can provide Part L input for major developments at the planning or building regulations stage, designing out energy to enable their clients to meet local authority carbon reduction requirements.
Cityzen has worked with, supported and invested in Brighton Energy Coop since 2012.
Brighton Beach Design run the social media & web services for BEC.
- They offer big discounts to individual creatives, charities & campaign groups in the environmental and protest movements; and local green businesses in Brighton.
- They can provide website design, SEO, highly effective social media campaigns, graphic design, motion graphics and video production services as well as multi lingual websites.
- If your an individual, an artist or creative and doing something for the planet.
- If you run a campaign, charity or protest group.
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Grants
Brighton Energy Coop’s Community Fund provides renewable energy grants and grants for energy efficiency projects. Each year BEC members vote to allocate the fund’s cash to local renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. It’s open for any organisation in the BN postcode area.
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Brighton & Hove Energy Services Co-operative (BHESCo) is a not-for-profit social enterprise helping people in Sussex meet the financial and environmental cost of their energy needs with clean, affordable, community owned energy and energy savings services.
In particular, BHESCo works with business and home owners to develop clean energy generation and savings systems like solar power, renewable heat and insulation which can be installed for no upfront cost using our ‘Pay As You Save’ initiative.
BHESCo’s award-winning Energy Saving Service has completed over 600 property surveys around Brighton and Hove, identifying where heat and energy are being lost through the building fabric, suggesting the most cost-effective ways to make property improvements and generate clean, renewable energy.
BHESCo also provides support to anyone in the city struggling with fuel bills by offering a free tariff switching and advice service. Since 2014, BHESCo has helped over 1,500 residents switch energy supplier, saving them an estimated £95,760 on their energy bills.
Brighton Peace and Environment Centre (BPEC) is a small volunteer led NGO based in the heart of Brighton.
At BPEC we strive to make a difference in the local community through learning schemes and a variety of campaigns.
In order to raise awareness, we work alongside the community to create a meaningful environmental change for everyone. Some of the campaigns and movements we have created are Brighton Refill, Breathe in Brighton, Carbon Conversations and more.
We have also worked alongside Extinction Rebellion to ensure that Brighton Council declares Climate Emergency and take the serious consequences worldwide pollution is having on our planet.
Our volunteers are the foundation of this organisation, their support is invaluable. They have been working tirelessly to create a greener Brighton for everyone, enabling positive solutions to the Climate Crisis. We will often organise social gatherings and educational talks to raise awareness and encourage conversations. Following our ethos ‘inspiring action by learning about the world’ we are strong believers that education and understanding is a fundamental way to make sustainable grass route changes.
Brighton Peace & Environment Centre. Registered Charity: 1125002 39-41 Surrey Street, Brighton, BN1 3PB.
TEL: 01273 766610
Check us out on Facebook
Last, but very much not least – here is how YOU can become part of the solution…
INVEST IN A CLEAN GREEN BRIGHTON
Brighton Energy Coop is a Brighton and Hove City Council approved contractor to roll out FREE SolarPV on local schools.
Invest from as little as £300 and earn 5% return on your investment.
Help us put FREE SolarPV on 9 more Brighton and Hove schools.
We hope you are feeling a little more hopeful after reading this.
SOLUTIONS – this is what we want! Part 2 is here…
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