Low Carbon Zone & Energise Ham and Petersham / Ham and Petersham Street Champions

Low Carbon Zone & Solariham
Richmond Environment Network (REN) has been working with Richmond Council, British Gas, Oxford University, London Sustainability Exchange and the Ham United Group in developing and securing funding for a number of instrumental projects in Ham and Petersham. Funding has been secured from the Greater London Authority to create a 'Low Carbon Zone' and from British Gas, Green Streets to create a solar village, Solariham with REN's staff participating in the competitive interview with the GLA and a Dragon's Den style pitch for the British Gas funding. REN is now a Member of the Low Carbon Zone Steering Group, which is the governance body for these two projects and the Council is the lead agency.

Ham and Petersham Street Champions project
REN working in partnership with the Ham United Group (HUG) has secured separate funding from London Sustainability Exchange to run a separate, but linked project, in the Low Carbon Zone. The project aims to engage residents into the overall Low Carbon Zone and additionally encourage residents to undertake measures such as draft-proofing, increasing insulation and encouraging 'behaviour change' to how residents 'use' their homes to create more efficient, warmer, cosier homes and lowering their energy bills (thus saving CO2). This project is called Energise Ham and Petersham or by its more common name, the Ham and Petersham Street Champions project.

The project is currently recruiting around 75 Street Champions, 10 Champion Mentors and is being co-ordinated on a part-time basis by Chas Warlow employed by REN, aided by Andrew Beedham of the Ham United Group and Colin Cooper from REN. The project is seeking to work with at least 1000 residents in the area using social marketing techniques (what is social marketing?) and a community development approach (what is community development?), i.e. social marketing skills are learnt by people in the community in working with their neighbours to highlight positive choices, breaking down the barriers to taking these choices and providing social prompts so that these choices become the social norm. The community development aspect is ensuring the learning occurs and stays within the community, which should allow the work to continue even after the project's funding has finished. Exactly how the project will develop will be determined by the Street Champions themselves and their learning as the project develops (also in line with REN's culture of organisational learning).

Are we telling people how to live their lives? No, the project is there to offer help to people who are willing to participate and make informed choices so they can create more efficient, warmer homes and take advantage of various grants and loans available. This is very much a carrot approach and no stick! The project draws heavily on the principles of nudge politics (see this Times article) and the work of Doug McKenzie-Mohr, a leading environmental psychologist (see his website). We believe this is the first time a project of this type and scale has been attempted, certainly in the UK.

To avoid duplication of material and effort, further information about the Low Carbon Zone can be found on the Council's website. Also, in keeping with the ethos of community development, updates on the Energise Ham and Petersham / Street Champions project and how to get involved, can be found on HUG's website as REN's partner in the project and the grass-roots community group operating in the area. Updates on both projects will also appear in the Ham and Petersham Magazine, a local community publication.

Eco Teams
If you like the sound of the project but you don't live in Ham and Petersham but within Richmond Borough then we have another similar project running called Eco Teams you can participate in that is looking to achieve similar outcomes, but also includes reducing waste and increasing recycling.

Other activities
There are also various other environmental projects being undertaken in Ham and Petersham, these include:

• A bee and butterfly garden and mini orchard at Ham Library designed, built and maintained by HUG
• A community allotment at Grey Court School, managed by HUG but with considerable support from the School
• A four year orchard project at Grey Court School
• A proposal for a school farm at Grey Court School (also being aided by REN's Manager Colin Cooper)
• HUG has also been involved in a proposal to develop a hydro power facility at Teddington Weir
• Many other exciting project are also being developed by HUG