Aberdeen Forward Ltd

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• Aberdeen Forward Ltd
• Gillian Marr
• Volunteer Operations Manager

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Overview

• Aberdeen Forward background
• Funding
• Organisation Structure
• Volunteers
• Sustainable Communities Centre
• Summary of projects
• Master Composter Programme
• Aberdeen City Community Composting
• Aberdeenshire Community Composting
• Composting at Work Schools
• Real Nappy Project
• Transition Aberdeen
• Creative Waste Exchange
• Refurbishment Project
• Volunteering
• Opportunities
• Why People Volunteer
• Opening times

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Aberdeen Forward Background

• Aberdeen Forward is an environmental charity and
  emerging social enterprise which initiates and
  supports waste minimisation and sustainability
  projects around the North East
• Established in 1999
• We work with communities and businesses to
  educate and promote projects that help to protect
  our environment, reduce waste and encourage
  sustainable living

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Funding

• Apply to a number of funds including Big
  Lotterys Awards for All, INCREASE, Transforming
  Waste, Climate Challenge, Fairer Scotland and
  Third Sector
• Service Level agreements with Councils
• Raising own funds through sales, sponsorship,
  renting out office space, bookable
  meeting/workshop rooms, virtual office space and
  workshops

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Sustainable Communities Centre

• Purchased through landfill tax
• Rent out office space, hot desking and virtual
  office facilities
• Social, environmental, well being and arts
  information on display from numerous
  organisations
• Hire of meeting / workshop rooms
• Range of environmental and art workshops and
  classes
• Range of good quality, low cost resources
  available

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Volunteers

• Started with Master Composter project in 2003 and
  increased with the Eco Challenge
• Centralised the volunteering process with the
  creation of the Volunteer Operation Managers
  post in 2008
• Have over 105 volunteers working across the
  projects
• Going through the Investing in Volunteers process
• The Investing in Volunteers scheme is the UK
  standard for all organisations which involve
  volunteers in their work. The standard enables
  organisations to comprehensively review their
  volunteer management and also publicly
  demonstrate their commitment to volunteering
  (www.investinginvolunteers.org.uk)

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Summary of Projects

• Master Composter Programme
• Aberdeen City Composting Project
• Aberdeenshire Composting Project
• Composting at Work Schools
• Real Nappy Project
• Transition Aberdeen
• Creative Waste Exchange
• Refurbishment Project

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Master Composter Programme

• Recruit and train composting volunteers across
  the North East
• Working alongside WRAP to sell discounted compost
  bins
• Promote home composting within their own
  communities by providing advice, support,
  attending events and giving presentations
• About 70 volunteers

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Aberdeen City Composting Project

• Composting garden waste close to where it is
  generated
• Based in allotments, community gardens and
  streets
• Garthdee and Slopefield allotments, Middlefield
  Community Garden, Gladstone Place, Gray Street
  and Grampian Gardens

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Aberdeenshire Community Composting Project

• Fortnightly kerbside garden waste collection
• Garden waste composted locally in purpose built
  facilities
• Based in Peterhead, Methlick, Oldmeldrum,
  Pitcaple, Insch, Chapel of Garioch, Aboyne,
  Banchory, Drumoak, Inverbervie, Gourdan,
  Johnshaven and St Cyrus

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Composting at Work Schools

• Funded by Scottish Executives INCREASE programme
  and Climate Challenge Fund
• Trains and supports staff in business and schools
  to deal with their food residue using an in
  vessel compost unit on site
• The organic waste turns to compost which is used
  on site as a soil improver

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Real Nappy Project

• Encouraging new parents to use real nappies on
  their baby
• 8 million disposables landfilled daily
• Saves parents money as well as the environment
  about 500 for the first baby
• Covers the Grampian region
• Hold Nappacinos around the North East
• Provide 2 week lend kits to new parents as a try
  before you buy incentive

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Transition Aberdeen

• Funded by Climate Challenge Fund
• The main aim is to help communities in the city
  to take positive steps to reduce their carbon
  footprint and their dependency on oil.
• From food production and composting to community
  energy schemes and reuse workshops Transition
  Aberdeen will show how these small actions can
  have a positive effect on the local environment

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Creative Waste Exchange

• Collects materials donated by local business and
  industry
• Materials diverted from landfill
• Sorted, prepared and sold to community groups and
  individuals as a good quality, low cost resource
• Began trading November 2005
• Businesses donating range from oil related
  companies and department stores to furniture
  makers and joiners to art galleries and sign
  makers
• Sponsorship/Donation accepted for Joining
• Or delivery fee and item charge for one off
  collections

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Materials Accepted

• Office Furniture
• Stationery
• Arts and Craft Resources
• Mounting Card
• Paint
• Fabric
• Cellophane
• And other interesting bits and bobs
• Nothing electrical

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Community Members

• Membership is open to schools, university
  societies, youth groups, charities, voluntary
  organisations, art groups, church groups and
  individuals
• Benefits of membership, access to the Aladdins
  Cave of resources, discounted workshops, regular
  newsletter and a monthly update
• Annual Membership
• Community Groups 30 VAT
• Individuals 10 VAT

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Refurbishment Project

• An offshoot project of the Creative Waste
  Exchange
• Repairs/makes good any piece of furniture which
  comes in
• Timber headed for landfill is cut down to make
  fire wood
• 2 new members of staff employed to carry out this
  project

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Workshops

• 10 week upholstery
• 6 week back to basics sewing
• Rag rugging
• Knitting
• Recycled Fashion
• Sustainable living
• Gardening for the table
• Ethical Gardening
• And many more to come!

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Volunteer Opportunities

• As a charity we depend on volunteers
• Opportunities include
• Warehouse duties
• Driving
• Data inputting
• Running workshops
• Attending events and marketing
• Helping out on with retail sales on Open Days
• Bespoke projects
• CWE teamed up with student volunteers from
  University of Aberdeen, RGU and Aberdeen College
  for ad hoc volunteering sessions

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Volunteering

• Any age, ability and availability
• Volunteers include people with mental health
  issues, physically disabled, retired, long term
  employed, drug and alcohol problems, graduates
  from college and university, secondary school
  pupils and environmentally minded people.

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Benefits

• Helps the local community and environment
• Helps get into a routine as a work related
  activity and which gives people the flexibility
  to search for onward employment
• Helps CVs
• Gain a reference
• Increase skills
• Increase confidence

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Why Volunteers Volunteer

• To help out and give us something to do on a
  Monday morning
• Because I like to help people and like getting
  out to meet people
• Help build my confidence
• Enjoy being outdoors
• Meet new people, learn new skills, doing my bit
  for the environment
• to gain work experience in an office environment
  and to contribute to the community in a positive
  way

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Why Volunteers Volunteer

• Have graduated from Uni with a degree in
  Sustainable Development and am looking to gain
  experience in a working environment
• Develop my skills and experience in
  Environmental Management. Promote and create
  environmental awareness within the region
• Long life interest in saving the planet and a
  desire to make a difference, at least locally

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Opening Hours

• Mon, Tues, Wed and Friday 9.30am 4.30pm
• Thursday 9.30am 7.30pm
• First Saturday of every month 10am 2pm
• During the week to buy from the Exchange you need
  to be a member
• Anyone can buy on the open Saturdays

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Come And Visit Us!

• Aberdeen Forward Ltd
• 2 Poynernook Road
• Aberdeen
• AB11 5RW
• 01224 560360
• admin_at_abzforward.plus.com
• www.aberdeenforward.org