Earthmovers Winners 2009

25 September 2009

We've also created a short PowerPoint show highlighting the key learning from their examples for groups to use in meetings. Plus you can read about last year's nominees to see the great range and diversity of the work by local groups and individuals across the network:

• Group of the Year nominations
• Campaign or Project of the Year nominations
• Spreading the Word nominations
• Friend of the Earth nominations

Category: Group of the Year

Winner: Leeds Friends of the Earth

A lot can happen in a year:
The journey the Leeds group has been on over the past 12 months has been inspiring. A year ago, after the previous co-ordinator left the area, the group consisted of two members meeting in a noisy pub. The new co-ordinator, Stuart Beardwell, aided by the arrival of Ian Henderson, ex-Co-ordinator of the Reading group, began to focus on recruitment and retention. The group revamped their mailing list setup and website, found a better meeting venue, and used the Renewables campaign and local Age of Stupid showings to raise their profile. They built coalitions with other local campaign groups and played a key role in a range of community campaigns, building momentum and contacts.

The fruits of their labours:
The group now has a steadily growing active membership (currently 15), and an average attendance of 10 people to their fortnightly meetings at accessible locations. New people regularly just "turn up" to meetings. Occasional allotment days, composting master classes and social events help the group appeal to a wide audience.

Impact on campaigning effectiveness:
More members has meant that it's been possible to make a big impact on a number of campaigns:

• Over 200 postcards were signed on the Renewables Day of Action and a hefty number of phase 2 postcards
• A presence at 5 showings of the Age of Stupid
• "Greening the City" and incinerator campaigns
• A flying start to the Get Serious About CO2 campaign.

Team working is a priority:
The group has focused on creating a strong team ethos. They use rotating chair and facilitation techniques to make sure that everyone contributes equally. Less experienced group members are paired up with more experienced members. All members are pro-active and committed to action.

Judges' comments:
"We were impressed by the steady growth of this group, and how they've built a solid base of members and group processes. This isn't one of those groups that has a large number of email members but no one to campaign! Neither do they act in isolation but network effectively. Top marks for development, commitment and sustainability."

It started with a bid:
The Clean Air Now campaign began when the 10 Greater Manchester Authorities outlined a bid for £3bn towards improving public transport from the Government's Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) which required a new congestion charge across Greater Manchester. The group campaigned to get local government to bid to TIF, and then for a YES vote in the subsequent regional referendum. To assist with this, they founded the Clean Air Now (CAN) coalition of 30 supportive organisations across Greater Manchester and campaigned relentlessly for the 18 months up to the referendum in December 2008.

Campaign strategy in action:
Over the 18 months of the campaign, there was a small steering group within Manchester Friends of the Earth which used email and a Wiki extensively, and met weekly. Given their limited resources, they focussed on building alliances with other organisations, using the media to carry messages to a wide audience and using humour to catch the media and public imagination.

Tactical highlights:
The group gave a near-continuous voice to the environmental lobby and provided constant positive information to counter the negative messaging of the opposition. Highlights included:

• Engaging in debate at every opportunity, making over 30 broadcast and many more print appearances
• Establishing a website http://www.cleanairnow.co.uk/ to give public access to their resources and "mythbusters"
• Using new media creatively, producing a YouTube viral video for "Let Me Breathe", an accompanying report, and running a Facebook group
• A series of "stunts" including a popular World Toilet Day action (tagline "Don't throw £3bn down the toilet!" postered on toilet doors) and regular media coverage of their 8ft squirrel mascot (slogan: "Turn down £3billion? You must be nuts!")
• An 80-mile group cycle ride ("Tour de TIF") covering all of Greater Manchester's boroughs.

The public say "no":
The scheme was good, but complex and difficult for the public to understand, and well funded opposition coordinated by the motoring lobby and an alliance of large commercial interests meant that the vote became about "whether or not you want to be taxed". So, the referendum returned a "No" vote and the funding and the scheme was lost. But the group was one of the most positive voices for the "YES" vote, hugely boosting their reputation in the city region, and gaining enormous political capital, which is now assisting them in their current campaigns.

Judges' comments:
"They really took the bull by the horns in going for such a substantial and difficult campaign. Their collaboration and use of media was inspiring. Top marks for tenacity, bravery and ambition."

Positive energy:
After a highly-successful plastic bag campaign, the group decided to start getting people thinking positively about energy by focussing on simple, cost-saving and practical projects that people could do in the home.

They won £1194 funding which they invested in energy monitors and a light-bulb display stand to support their campaign.

They ran craft activities to make people smile about energy saving, such as sewing waste material into draught-excluding snakes and hot water bottle covers, and decorating a tree in low-energy light bulbs for Penistone church's Christmas Tree festival

They persuaded an energy supplier to give them 1000 free light bulbs to give out on stalls, and energy monitors are loaned out via the local library.

A community audience:
The group helped to build support within the community for local renewables projects by organising a public meeting on the "Future of Energy", actively supporting local wind farms and starting to look for sites for a community owned hydroelectric project.

They wrote to 11 local schools about a Co-operative Group grant scheme to provide solar panels for schools, and helped two schools to write grant applications. They also ran interactive sessions on energy and practical solutions at 8 local primary schools and an "energy challenge" at a cub and a scout group.

Tailoring the message:

By being local: All activities were promoted using a strong logo and 'brand name' which focussed on the local: Penistone Energy Project ·The "Future of Energy debate" asked questions such as "Can we provide enough energy in Penistone for our own needs?"

By being inclusive and achievable: A key hook was saving money in the home. The practical solutions they supported were aimed to be easily accessible to a range of people with little or no awareness of renewables or energy-saving. Literature was written in a lively and entertaining style, without technical jargon or complicated explanations.

By being positive: Events promoted renewable energy and energy saving in a positive light, focussing on benefits and opportunities, rather than gloomy climate change predictions or confrontations with anti-wind protesters. Arts& craft projects helped to lighten the message and activities with younger audiences were made fun and interactive.

Judges' comments:
"A lot of thought and effort put into spreading a relevant message to a defined audience. Their reach was demonstrable. Some other groups put in equal effort but Penistone was the most focussed. Top marks for planning, persistence and relevance."

Creating a wildlife area:
David initially joined Hull Friends of the Earth in 2001 and immediately started work (much of it single-handedly) on the then new Hull Friends of the Earth Wildlife area on the site of Newland allotments. Set up as an example of a managed wildlife area, the site covers half an acre negotiated from Hull City Council Allotments Department on unused plots. He has created a pond, woodland, meadow, field margin areas, log piles for bugs, and bird boxes and his work on this has continued on almost a daily basis. For five years, David was a committed helper on the group's weekly CARGO (Collecting and Recycling Garden Organic waste) scheme, which collected garden waste from local residents for subsequent composting on the wildlife site.

Tree planting:
In 2004, HEYwoods (Hull and East Riding woods) was launched to increase the amount of trees in the city. David arranged a tree planting scheme along the Beverley and Barmston Drain (a local watercourse) to kick-start the campaign and has represented the group at HEYwoods ever since. His work involves the planting of trees and wild flowers on brown field sites alongside cycle /footpaths using local trees from Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's tree nursery and wild flowers grown from local seeds. David manages the nursery and has brought on thousands of trees from seeds and cuttings etc that have been obtained from local sources.

Involving the young and old:
David has managed to support hundreds of school children in tree and flower planting activities covering nearly every part of Hull, including those from very built-up areas. For example, volunteers from five primary schools with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust have been involved in ten planting sessions in the last three years - planting over 800 trees. A further 13 planting sessions around the city have included volunteers of all ages from the Sculcoates Neighbourhood Association, group members, local residents, councillors, volunteers from the local hospice and recently Community Payback workers. On odd occasions, David has met people coming back to see how well their tree is doing!

Judges' comments:
"This was the most difficult to judge as all the nominees were fantastic and showed such devotion to Friends of the Earth, their communities and their groups. David stuck out as so dedicated and passionate about his local environment in all sorts of weathers and unpleasant conditions that he had to be the winner! Top marks for consistency, achievement and passion."

In the photo above, Board members and this year's Earthmover Awards presenters, John Halladay and Hilary Griffiths, annouce the winning photo from York & Ryedale Friends of the Earth. The photo depicts group members, Guy Wallbanks and Caroline Duffy (Miss Earth), raising the profile of Marinet's Marine Reserves campaign earlier this year.

The photo and accompanying story was featured in the York local paper, on the group's website and in the newsletter of York MP, Hugh Bailey, after the group met with him about the campaign.

Category: Quote of the Year

Winner: Warrington Friends of the Earth

Over 100 people saw the film at the Cheshire Oaks screening, which also included talks via satellite from speakers around the world and a live speech from group Co-ordinator, Dina Baird, on the need for positive, confident and inspiring action in the run up to Copenhagen.