Environment for all | Diversity and Inclusion Report | Hubbub | August 2022

Environment for all: How Hubbub is making our campaigns more inclusive

Introduction At Hubbub our vision is a world where everyone is an environmentalist, whether they realise it or not.

That means reaching beyond the usual suspects and inspiring people from all walks of life to take environmental action. The sustainability sector doesn’t have a great record of breaking out of its ‘green’ bubble, and we’ve got plenty of work to do to achieve our vision of a movement that includes everyone.

We see that communities who are marginalised in environmental conversations are the ones most badly affected by the impacts of environmental change. At the same time, we know that they have resources, perspectives and creativity to contribute to shaping our collective response.

This report marks a moment in time: it lays out what we’ve been doing to engage with people and communities who are often left out of conversations about the environment. And we hope it serves as a conversation-starter for how we do more, and better.

Our approach has been to: • Proactively invest in communities.

• Listen and co-create.

• Seek out groups doing great work and partner with them to support and amplify their impact.

Start by listening

Hubbub campaigns start by listening, enabling us to understand people’s concerns and the things they care about.

In Oldham, Leeds, and Fleetwood we learned of the desire of residents to tackle fly-tipping blighting alleyways behind their homes resulting in our ‘Love where you Live’ campaign.

In Tower Hamlets, we spoke to 30 Muslim women about their desire to get cycling and shaped a campaign to overcome the barriers they faced.

During the first lockdown we learnt about the devastating impact of digital exclusion, and we developed our ‘Community Calling’ campaign redistributing surplus smart phones and free data in response.

Research and public polling highlighted the growing need for affordable healthy food resulting in the expansion of our Community Fridge Network and the creation of Food Connect.

In Manchester we found a desire to transform local spaces, increase access to green space and grow more food leading to the development of our urban greening campaign, In Our Nature.

Forming partnerships Successful community-based campaigns rely on partnering with community groups who understand local issues, are trusted and have strong local connections. Between 2020 – 2021, Hubbub has invested £198,523 of its free reserves and £295,242 from project funds in local community groups to kick-start projects and scale campaigns that reach under-represented communities.

In Tower Hamlets, we partnered with Cycle Sisters who identified and engaged participants through their reach and trusted status in the community.

They helped with translation for focus groups and events to ensure we met the needs of those with whom we worked.

Our Community Fridge Network supports over 300 (and counting) Community Fridges run by dedicated community groups and volunteers.

Hubbub helps the groups operate their fridges safely, connect with food companies to access surplus food and continually develop learning from shared experiences.

In Oldham, Leeds, and Fleetwood we worked with the local council, councillors and local groups to identify and build trust with local residents.

In Manchester we’re working with a wide range of local partners across six target wards. A local grant fund has supported seven diverse groups with investment of over £50,000.

Community Calling relies on a number of umbrella organisations who have in-depth knowledge of the organisations and community groups in their local area. This is essential in getting phones to people who need them quickly and without risk.

Making a difference

Transforming fly-tipped alleyways into community spaces Fly-tipping is an expensive and emotive issue, costing UK local authorities £58m a year. ‘Love Where You Live’ helps residents to transform fly-tipped alleyways into safe and attractive community spaces. 23 alleyways have been transformed across Oldham, Leeds, Fleetwood and Doncaster, turned into community galleries, food growing spaces, and areas for neighbours to sit, play and share food.

“I love it. You can get your bin out more easily, it looks nice when you walk past, and it just makes the alley feel like a brighter, happier and safer space.”

“I’ve met neighbours at the clear up days who I’d never spoken to before. It’s nice that we’ve worked on this together, it feels like people care more.”

Sandra, Oldham

Saj, Doncaster

Transforming green spaces in Newham ‘Greener Together’ sought to tackle environmental inequalities in Newham, London, concentrating on a neighbourhood disproportionately affected by environmental issues including air pollution and lack of access to green space.

The campaign engaged with lower-income BAME groups in addressing local environmental issues and their wider effects. This resulted in a resident-led gardening club with a mentoring and training programme which has transformed local green spaces creating safe places to play, supporting biodiversity, and reducing air pollution. New funding will transform a neglected play area, to be co-designed with residents.

Hubbub is now scaling the model to five additional locations in London in partnership with the Greater London Authority.

Redistributing surplus food

Sharing surplus and creating green jobs

A Community Fridge is a social space bringing people together to share surplus food, learn new skills and reduce food waste. Hubbub offers comprehensive free guidance and support helping groups set up and effectively run their own Community Fridge.

In Milton Keynes and Southwark, ‘Food Connect’ uses electric vans and cargo bikes to create a reliable service taking surplus food directly to organisations who can redistribute it to the local community. Since 2020, Food Connect has shared over 1 million meals worth of good food.

The Fridges are open to everyone but most users are known to be facing financial hardship, a number which has increased during COVID-19. There are over 300 Community Fridges welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. In 2021, we estimate that the network shared around 3,150 tonnes of surplus food: the equivalent of 7.5 million meals.

In addition to distributing surplus food, sites such as the Know Africa Community Fridge in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester have been helping visitors by running cooking courses and making them aware of available professional support services.

“Our hearts are overwhelmed every day we see people coming through our doors and leaving with their face filled with smiles: food can bring people together in a way nothing else could.”

Know Africa Community Fridge volunteer “From people who are struggling financially, to people who are motivated for purely environmental reasons, everyone is welcome.”

Declan Donnelly, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council

Cloughmills Community Fridge in Northern Ireland has inspired other Community Fridges to be set up across the country.

“It’s absolutely saved us, we have very little for essentials such as the food shop, I’ve had to increase our childcare, our energy bills have doubled and there isn’t any extra coming into the house. With two small children it’s really hard to find time to work any extra to earn more. Without the community fridge it would be really hard to stay afloat.”

Milton Keynes Fridge user “Not only is it a great idea of saving food from being thrown away, but during Covid it has been a community hub where I have met and talked to other people instead of been isolated” Milton Keynes Fridge user “Food Connect has been essential in supporting community fridge teams and food hubs in Milton Keynes to access food and support their communities during the pandemic. To be able to help thousands of families and divert hundreds of tonnes of food from waste in a carbon neutral way is a massive achievement.”

Helen Innes, Food Connect

Engaging diverse communities in Manchester to tackle climate change Manchester City Council set a goal to be net zero by 2038. To support this goal Hubbub set out to engage with Manchester residents who have often not been part of the environmental conversation.

An innovative community grant scheme has provided over £50,000 to seven diverse local groups, and we’re running a series of community projects to create a healthier, greener and more connected city. Groups supported include youth ex-offenders, a Pakistani women’s group, a Kurdish community group, and a group working with autistic people and people with learning disabilities.

An Equality Impact Assessment helped to make communications and on-the-ground projects as inclusive as possible. An expert from University of Manchester checked that the language we used was accessible and relatable for our target audience and that the imagery and illustrations were reflective of the communities involved.

Tackling digital isolation and e-waste Seven million people in the UK don’t have access to the internet whilst 28 million phones are going unused in people’s homes. ‘Community Calling’ tackles digital isolation and cuts e-waste by redistributing surplus smart phones alongside free data to people who need them. To-date 5,500 phones have been shared across seven cities, helping people connect with loved ones, access online learning and seek out job opportunities.

Robert’s Story Robert was made redundant due to Covid-19.

His wife and baby lived in a different city and going to his sister’s house to use the phone was putting a huge strain on his mental health.

With his new phone Robert is able to contact his family, and has been applying for jobs, successfully securing temporary work. He has also been teaching himself to DJ on YouTube.

Samantha’s Story Samantha was a mother of four, expecting her fifth child. Having her children at home when the schools were closed during the pandemic brought challenges. Her new phone which she shares with her children is a huge help for them as a family. Her kids use it to access the internet for schoolwork and to stay in touch with friends.

Supporting under represented groups to get cycling Surveys suggest that 55% of people from ethnic minority groups who do not currently cycle would like to start and 36% of women who do not cycle would like to give it a go*. In Tower Hamlets, London only 6% of women versus 16% of men cycled at least once a week**.

In response, Hubbub formed a partnership with Cycle Sisters, an awardwinning organisation that inspires and enables Muslim women to cycle.

The partnership sought to increase the take-up of cycling, promoting wellbeing, cutting carbon emissions and improving local air quality. This has resulted in nine ride leaders being trained with 148 women attending cycle training sessions or social rides.

With local partners Sustrans, Poplar Harca and London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Hubbub piloted a cycle hub in Chrisp Street. This refurbished disused shop offers free bike loans, cycle training, social rides, bike maintenance and other activities which engaged just under 1,500 people in its first four months. The partners are now in the process of handing over the running of the hub to Poplar Harca and two local women.

“I would not have been able to ride it if it were not for the women only session last Friday with Alison and Serena; It boosted my selfconfidence so much! Thank you!!”

Visitor to Chrisp Street Cycles “I feel my self-confidence is increasing every time I come along to a session… I felt like I was flying when we cycled along the Thames, it was amazing.”

Nazum

*Sustrans Cycling For Everyone Report 2019 ** Sustrans Tower Hamlets Bike Life Report 2020

Nazum’s Story Naz had been struggling with her cycling lessons and was giving up hope. Then she joined a session at Chrisp Street and the supportive encouraging environment helped her master cycling. She returned and loaned a bike and within half a day she was cycling with ease. A week later she joined one of our social rides.

Naaema’s Story Years after a period of ill health, Naaema came back to cycling, supported by Cycle Sisters.

She quickly became a great advocate for cycling within the Muslim community and trained as a ride leader. She now leads social rides for Cycle Sisters and delivers Learn to Ride sessions at Mile End. Naaema wants to develop a career in cycling and and the project has provided her with employment, mentoring and training opportunities including funding her to complete her National Instructor training course.

Amplifying impact and future plans Hubbub’s ambition is to build on what we’ve learnt and to rapidly increase our impact.

1

Since the creation of the Community Fridge Network in 2017 we have supported the opening of 300 Fridges around the UK. We have now secured funding to expand the Community Fridge Network to 500 fridges by 2024 and for at least 60 community fridges to become food hubs for their local residents. We are also investing £20,000 of our reserves into expanding ‘Food Connect’ into Southwark.

2

Funding has been secured to expand ‘Community Calling’ to reach 18,000 people. Building on the knowledge and partnerships, we’ve developed the idea of Tech Lending Centres, to expand the concept beyond phones.

3

A successful crowdfunding campaign to keep Chrisp Street Community Cycles running has raised £12,000. We’re now looking to expand the approach to other communities.

4

We will continue to broaden engagement with groups outside of the traditional environmental debate; with the next focus on working with LGBTQ+ people.

5

6

We have secured funding from the Rothschild and Co R&Co4Generations Fund to work with young people (aged 18-24) from communities that are typically underrepresented in the environmental movement, including minority ethnic and underserved white British communities. The campaign aims to support 25 young people to design and deliver their own environmental campaigns in five UK cities. The campaigns will be designed by and for groups underrepresented in the environmental space.

We are starting to track the demographics of our team to give us a baseline from which to track trends.

7

We will continue to develop our inclusive approach to recruitment, including reducing unconscious bias in our recruitment through the Applied platform, and broadening the range of places we advertise roles to encourage more diverse applicants to apply.

8

In 2022 we are offering two Degree Apprenticeships in partnership with Queen Mary University of London to proactively reach beyond the pools of candidates we normally attract and to support a wider range of people to enter the sector.

9 10

We will work with a specialist agency to build diversity on our Board of Trustees.

We will continue to use Equality Impact Assessments for projects where it is appropriate and embed other learnings on inclusivity from the In Our Nature project into our ways of working.