MISSION

Our Focus

Education

Our remit has changed direction this year, with the introduction of an initiative based approach. We spent two years working on unique environmental building projects and training people in green building techniques but we now want to expand our training remit.

To do this we have to consider the best way to spread an environmental message whilst training people in techniques which will benefit the community and the environment.

In 2005 we hope to implement two main training courses. We are very much committed to spreading knowledge in how to keep bees in an urban environment. There is a greater demand for learning these skills compared to the available opportunities that the sparse beekeeping courses provide. We intend to fill up part of this gap by providing three types of beekeeping courses.

The first course will consist of the theory of beekeeping - to inform all those who are interested in what is required to be a successful beekeeper. There is no pressure put upon those who want to embark on such a course to continue to the practical side, as we believe that spreading an understanding of the importance of bees to the eco chain is as important as keeping bees!

The second course shall consist of the practical aspect of beekeeping. Students (some of whom shall follow on from the theoretical course) shall adopt a hive in our apiary for a full bee season and be responsible for its maintenance throughout the year. Supervision shall be given at each practical session, with the students harvesting the honey at the end of the course.

The third course combines Highbury Builder's traditional construction skills with beekeeping. Students are given the opportunity to build their own hives. This course is for the person who has the roof / garden space to keep bees in an urban context. All the elements of a hive are explained and students are shown how to construct an entire hive and how to put frames together. This can result in considerable cost savings compared to buying a commercial hive from suppliers.

Our other main thrust for the year shall be in the area of composting. We are already running one-day courses (some in partnership with London Community Recycling Network) for community groups showing them how to build a very simple compost bin for their gardens and community spaces.

Groups are given a 40 minute presentation in composting with accompanying notes and and many queries are answered during the session. The rest of the training session is spent outside where the group is shown how to measure, cut then join together lumber to make a very functional compost bin. This has been a particular favourite with OAP and refugee groups so far.

We are also currently working with the YHA with the intention of piloting a roll-out scheme in 2005 based on our compost bin building course for all the youth hostels in England initially.

The other area we are interested in developing is a community food composting scheme. As food waste accounts for 25% of all our landfill any scheme which can eliminate food waste to almost 0%, especially in high density housing areas, can only be beneficial for both local councils and the community at large.

Working in partnership with East London Community Recycling Partnership who are pioneers in this field, we intend to initiate a pilot scheme for the collection of all food waste from households wishing to participate which will then be composted into a rich fertiliser for growing seedlings. The technique used is innovative for the UK but has been successfully in use for 20 years in Japan. The effectiveness of this scheme shall rest on how to edeucate the community in how to correctly use the special bins provided.

Due to very positive client feedback, we are looking at the possibilities of planning future training courses in Green Roofing and how to install WiFi networks in remote communities not covered by commercial organisations.

All in all then, 2005 looks like being a very exciting year for HBC and we look forward to extending our training remit over a far wider reach than what we have achieved in previous years of operation. We feel this is the direction to now follow as educating people in as many aspects of the environment as possible can only be beneficial to the community at large.