The funding for the third year of the EAF projects (2007/8) is designed to help change people's behaviour at a grass-roots level so that people live more sustainably. Among the successful projects is Community Checks, operated by the Oakham-based charity Studentforce for Sustainability, which focuses on young people working and learning to boost their employability, as well as the sustainability of communities and employers.
The Community Checks project has received £43,371 to train volunteers to carry out free environmental checks on small businesses and community organisations in Leicestershire and Rutland. They are then offered advice on how to improve in areas such as energy use, transport, waste, water use and purchasing by switching to more local and environment-friendly options. This then enables staff, members and customers to change their attitudes in the same way.
Announcing the grant aid, Climate Change and Environment Minister Ian Pearson said sustainable consumption and production was a key priority for Defra as part of the government's drive towards the concept of "One Planet Living".
"These projects, part-funded by the EAF, will help to show that taking sustainable choices does not have to be the difficult option when incorporating them into people's everyday lives.
"Some of these EAF projects are working in particularly innovative ways to try and change consumer behaviour, while others have excellent access to diverse or hard-to-reach audiences. I am very pleased to continue our support for voluntary and community sector groups and I am confident the programme will make a valuable contribution to 'One Planet Living'."
