Environment Centre (Swansea)
Encyclopedia
The Environment Centre in Swansea
, Wales
, is an independent charity organisation
for environmental
information, education and activity. Environment Centre may also refer to the building the charity is located in.
The Environment Centre's aims are to raise people's awareness of environmental issues, to increase the participation in environmental projects and to work towards a more sustainable
future. It promotes, for example, the concept of the three Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle)
. The Centre provides support for environmental organisations and groups, information on environmental issues and educational activities. Both, the charity organisation and its building, serve as a central place of exchange and networking
for environmental organisations
all around Swansea and South Wales.
and the Prince of Wales Committee participating.
The SEF itself is now based in the Environment Centre. In 1995 HRH The Prince of Wales opened the building. Located in Pier Street, it is a part of the general revitalisation of Swansea's Maritime Quarter.
building in the Maritime Quarter
, it was used as one of Swansea's Telephone Exchange
(now located in BT Tower). When renovating the Old Telephone Exchange to shape the Environment Centre, reuse of old materials lessened the needs for new ones. The modern western part of the building, the Resource Centre or annexe, was built by Air Architecture in 1999 and opened in 2001. It was built under eco-design principles, reusing and recycling old material and fitting the building with sustainable technologies. The Environment Centre thus demonstrates practical energy efficiency measures. The Annexe was awarded with the Lord Mayor's design awards 2000 in the Categories Best new build - non-residential and Energy efficient.
A solar panel on the roof of the Centre is used to heat the annexe's water and also for the annexe's under floor heating. The turf roof
and the organic garden
in the back yard provide an eco-friendly
environment for the staff and visitors of the centre.
internet cafe and a green shop, providing products which are either fairly traded, ecologically or organically produced. Amongst the range of products are Ecoleaf (by Suma cooperative
), Doy Bags
and Ecover
cleaning products, which are claimed to be effective and completely biodegradable
. For waste reducing reasons, the shop offers the possibility to refill old vessels of cleaning products. Furthermore, doy bags are sold.
Many rooms of the Environment Centre are used by independent environmental organisations, as part of the Environment Centre's policy of supporting environmental organisations.
for other organisations. These include:
Undercurrents
, OnePeople and Sustainable Swansea both produce videos and images shared on Swansea Telly, a local video portal similar to YouTube
.
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, is an independent charity organisation
Charitable trusts in English law
Charitable trusts in English law are a form of express trust dedicated to charitable goals. There are a variety of advantages to charitable trust status, including exception from most forms of tax and freedom for the trustees not found in other types of English trust. To be a valid charitable...
for environmental
Environmental policy
Environmental policy is any [course of] action deliberately taken [or not taken] to manage human activities with a view to prevent, reduce, or mitigate harmful effects on nature and natural resources, and ensuring that man-made changes to the environment do not have harmful effects on...
information, education and activity. Environment Centre may also refer to the building the charity is located in.
The Environment Centre's aims are to raise people's awareness of environmental issues, to increase the participation in environmental projects and to work towards a more sustainable
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
future. It promotes, for example, the concept of the three Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle)
Waste hierarchy
The waste hierarchy refers to the 3 Rs of reduce, reuse, recycle, or and [ which classify waste management strategies according to their desirability. The Rs are meant to be a hierarchy, in order of importance...
. The Centre provides support for environmental organisations and groups, information on environmental issues and educational activities. Both, the charity organisation and its building, serve as a central place of exchange and networking
Business networking
Business networking is a socioeconomic activity by which groups of like-minded businesspeople recognize, create, or act upon business opportunities. A business network is a type of social network whose reason for existing is business activity...
for environmental organisations
Environmental organization
An environmental organization is an organization that seeks to protect, analyze or monitor the environment against misuse or degradation or lobby for these goals....
all around Swansea and South Wales.
History
The Environment Centre was formed by the Swansea Environmental Forum (SEF) in May 1994 with the City Council of Swansea, the Countryside Council for WalesCountryside Council for Wales
The Countryside Council for Wales is an Assembly Government Sponsored Body. It is the Welsh Assembly Government's wildlife conservation authority for Wales...
and the Prince of Wales Committee participating.
The SEF itself is now based in the Environment Centre. In 1995 HRH The Prince of Wales opened the building. Located in Pier Street, it is a part of the general revitalisation of Swansea's Maritime Quarter.
The building
Before the Environment Centre came to use the old red brickBrick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
building in the Maritime Quarter
Maritime Quarter
The Maritime Quarter, or Swansea Marina, is a residential area of Swansea, Wales, UK located immediately south of the city centre shopping core. It falls within Swansea's Castle ward...
, it was used as one of Swansea's Telephone Exchange
Telephone exchange
In the field of telecommunications, a telephone exchange or telephone switch is a system of electronic components that connects telephone calls...
(now located in BT Tower). When renovating the Old Telephone Exchange to shape the Environment Centre, reuse of old materials lessened the needs for new ones. The modern western part of the building, the Resource Centre or annexe, was built by Air Architecture in 1999 and opened in 2001. It was built under eco-design principles, reusing and recycling old material and fitting the building with sustainable technologies. The Environment Centre thus demonstrates practical energy efficiency measures. The Annexe was awarded with the Lord Mayor's design awards 2000 in the Categories Best new build - non-residential and Energy efficient.
A solar panel on the roof of the Centre is used to heat the annexe's water and also for the annexe's under floor heating. The turf roof
Green roof
A green roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage and irrigation systems...
and the organic garden
Organic horticulture
Organic horticulture is the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants by following the essential principles of organic agriculture in soil building and conservation, pest management, and heirloom variety preservation....
in the back yard provide an eco-friendly
Environmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly are terms used to refer to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies claimed to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment....
environment for the staff and visitors of the centre.
Ecologic, organic and fairtrade goods
The annexe hosts a fairtradeFair trade
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
internet cafe and a green shop, providing products which are either fairly traded, ecologically or organically produced. Amongst the range of products are Ecoleaf (by Suma cooperative
Suma (co-operative)
Suma is the trading name of the Triangle Wholefoods Collective Ltd, a worker co-operative incorporated as an industrial and provident society. It was founded in Leeds in 1975 and is now based in Elland, West Yorkshire. It is the largest independent wholefood wholesaler in the United Kingdom...
), Doy Bags
Doy Bags
Doy Bags is a registered trademark of Tasaram Ltd., a Filipino Company. However, in common use, it most often refers to the products of the company, which are bags made from recycled juice packs, so called doypacks, hence the name....
and Ecover
Ecover
Ecover is a Belgium based company manufacturing and internationally trading domestic ecological cleaning products, of which it is the world's most well-known brand....
cleaning products, which are claimed to be effective and completely biodegradable
Biodegradation
Biodegradation or biotic degradation or biotic decomposition is the chemical dissolution of materials by bacteria or other biological means...
. For waste reducing reasons, the shop offers the possibility to refill old vessels of cleaning products. Furthermore, doy bags are sold.
Many rooms of the Environment Centre are used by independent environmental organisations, as part of the Environment Centre's policy of supporting environmental organisations.
Information at the Centre
Besides personal answers from people at the Centre, the following information is available:- Positive NewsPositive NewsPositive News is a quarterly international newspaper, founded in the UK in 1993 by Shauna Crockett Burrows.Offices have since opened in New York, Hong Kong, Madrid and Argentina operating under the same ethos and monitored by The Positive News International Network.- Format and circulation :Today,...
, a quarterly newspaper published in the UK - Green Light, the Centre's own monthly newsletterNewsletterA newsletter is a regularly distributed publication generally about one main topic that is of interest to its subscribers. Newspapers and leaflets are types of newsletters. Additionally, newsletters delivered electronically via email have gained rapid acceptance for the same reasons email in...
, containing recent affairs, relevant news and events around Swansea - books, leaflets, flyers, brochures, postcards and many other material on environmental and humanitarian issues
The EC as an umbrella organisation
One of the three aims of The Environment Centre is to support local environmental organisations. This is being done by providing office space to others. The Environment Centre thus functions as an umbrella organisationUmbrella organization
An umbrella organization is an association of institutions, who work together formally to coordinate activities or pool resources. In business, political, or other environments, one group, the umbrella organization, provides resources and often an identity to the smaller organizations...
for other organisations. These include:
- UndercurrentsUndercurrents (news)Undercurrents is an alternative video news network which began with the UK distribution of videotapes shot by volunteers. It has since expanded to include a web presence, media training for volunteers, and a film festival, BeyondTV.-History:...
, a video activist organisation providing alternative news - Friends of the EarthFriends of the EarthFriends of the Earth International is an international network of environmental organizations in 76 countries.FOEI is assisted by a small secretariat which provides support for the network and its agreed major campaigns...
, Swansea's local group of Friends of the Earth England, Wales & Northern Ireland, an environmental pressure group - Sustainable Swansea Initiative, a project aiming for increasing the level of sustainabilitySustainabilitySustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
in all levels of human action in Swansea. One of its projects is a Green MapGreen Map]Green Maps are locally created environmentally themed maps which use a universal symbol set and mapmaking resources provided by the non-profit Green Map System...
of Swansea. - Swansea Environmental Education Forum (SEEF), an organisation increasing the awareness and quality of environmentally related education throughout Swansea, providing information, ressources and contacts
- MOre Green Project, an organisation for collecting and distributing furniture for recycling and reuseing
- OnePeople Productions, a film production organisation featuring underdogs
- BTCV Wales, British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, Wales
- BikeAbility Wales, an organisation promoting bike riding for people with all abilities
- Welsh Youth Forum on Sustainable Development (wyfsd)
- Bat Conservation Trust
- Swansea Community Recycling Alliance Partnership (SCRAP), a project aiming the reduction of waste production in Swansea
- DJ Transport Consultants
- Swansea Fair Trade Forum, for information and activity on Fairtrade
- Groundwork, an organisation helping with changes in order to live in better neighborhoods
Undercurrents
Undercurrents (news)
Undercurrents is an alternative video news network which began with the UK distribution of videotapes shot by volunteers. It has since expanded to include a web presence, media training for volunteers, and a film festival, BeyondTV.-History:...
, OnePeople and Sustainable Swansea both produce videos and images shared on Swansea Telly, a local video portal similar to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.