MISSION

Aims

Other Areas HBC has been involved with

1 - Community Self Build
In our first year of operation we assisted other non-profit making organisations build desperately needed environmentally sound buildings that benefitted the community in some way.

Volunteers that joined each build project gained many of the required skills that actually lead to employment in some cases and will potentially help them build their own sustainable homes in the future.

2 - Renewable Energy Technologies & Building Methods
Not many people currently know that a sound understanding of the principles of renewable building techniques can save them a lot of money and wasted time when construction takes place, with many added benefits that a bricks and mortar home could never provide them with. In addition to renewable buildings, we possess a strong knowledgebase of renewable power sources covering; miniHydro, Photovoltaic Panels, Solar Water Heating, small wind turbines and biofuels.

We feel the time is still to come when these technologies are widely adopted. The ever-increasing cost of oil and the huge jumps in fuel pricing will start to stimulate this market from next year onwards.

An organisation or group can live as much on or off the grid - depending on location and which technologies they may want to employ. We advised, assisted or built several interesting structures which can been seen in the Builds section of the website.

3 - Education through Initiatives
Several of our team members are professional trainers in various spheres. In 2004 we rolled out a series of education courses.

2004 marked a consolidation in the direction of the collective. The Eco cafe marked our fourth building project and was certainly the longest running one we have been involved with. Several disadvantaged groups, including excluded youth and refugess, learnt basic carpentry skils during this complex build.

This led on to the instigation of further projects, some which were successful and others that came to a dead end due to lack of interest by the local council.

1-Community Compost Bin Building Course
Our first tentative steps into the world of composting began with HBC becoming a member of the London Community Recycling Network. We joined a scheme where we were trained to become Master Composters.

Since then we have been running courses where we teach large groups of 25 - 30 individuals at a time in how composting works then show them how to build a highly effective compost bin for gardens or community resources. This scheme is ongoing and we hope to develop a partnership further with the YHA in the near future.

2 - The Islington Green Roof Initiative
HBC is a partner of Islington Council's Biodiversity Action Plan. This is a committment by the council to a wide set of initiatives which will increase biodiversity in the borough, including increased implementation of birdboxes, green walls and green roofs.

Unfortunately, despite several promises from the Ecology Centre in the borough, no progress was made after six months of pursuit on our side in instigating a green roof initiative. Funds never materialised that were initially promised. We are now actively pusuing a partnership with an independent Housing Turst in the hope that we can introduce, first a greening strategy of stairwells and verandas, leading onto a greenroof initiative. We shall keep you posted on this site how successful this partnership turns out to be.