5 MINUTES WITH ...
5 minutes with ...
Toby Costin (right) in one of CREW’s energy cafes
Toby Costin
Director of Crew Energy Q Who are you?
Q Ideal customer?
Toby Costin, a green entrepreneur and director of CREW Energy, Wandsworth’s local community energy group. I have 18 years’ experience in the energy sector of which seven years have now been in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
A company that understands the impact it is having on the planet, wants to do something about it but may not have the tools to do so. Business is becoming increasingly conscious that consumers are thinking about their suppliers’ green credentials and the provenance of the products they buy. We want to help businesses across the borough be the best they can be.
Q What’s your business all about?
CREW Energy is about making Wandsworth and London a greener and fairer place to live and work. We help councils, third sector organisations, businesses and residents migrate to sustainable technologies and actions. We will scope projects, help raise finance and manage delivery. We also run outreach programmes and energy cafes to help people save money and cut carbon.
Q Three words to describe yourself?
Innovative, inclusive and optimistic. 34 | Business Connexions
Q Biggest achievement?
CREW has just won a £100,000 grant to develop community models for renewable heat (heat pumps and district heating). This funding and the innovation it will bring will be a gamechanger for CREW, hopefully for London and for community energy.
Q Biggest gripe?
The lack of understanding that central and local government has around the climate emergency. They declared these emergencies but since that
time there has been little or no action. Soundbites do not halt climate change.
Q Your inspiration?
All those students who went on strike from schools and marched in towns and city centres to raise awareness of the climate emergency. It really took that movement to wake up governments around the world and shame them into action.
Q Philosophy in business? Holistic solutions that consider the trilemma of sustainability: the environmental, economic and social impact. We need to cut carbon consumption, make that financially viable and always look to add social benefits to our actions.
Q Sporting hero?
After last summer, it can only be Ben Stokes!
Q Biggest tip for success? Keep learning, keep trying and keep your chin up.
