Our mission is to come together and build relationships in a common space. Sharing resources, skills and ideas to build community resilience and adaptation to multiple social and environmental crises.
WATCH THE CEC INTRODUCTORY VIDEO ABOVE
The Climate Emergency Centres (CECs) project enables the development of a self-funding Eco Centre that brings together a diverse alliance of groups and individuals in the local community to build solutions, relationships and resilience in the face of the Climate Emergency and multiple social crises.
Each centre is autonomous but interconnected with a broader network of Centres across the UK that support each other, sharing skills, resources and knowledge.
What makes a CEC?
1 It has a solutions focus- for people and planet
2 It is local and inclusive- focused on meeting community needs
3 It is an active part of a wider network- for mutual aid and cooperation
The project self-funds by using a business model that enables owners of currently vacant business premises to reduce their Business Rates payments by up to 100% through ‘meanwhile leasing’ the property for community benefit to a not for profit / charitable organisation (the CEC). This means the project can acquire a vacant property to use to generate income through activities that meet local community needs in a sustainable way.
In addition, the property owner can build good relationships with the local community and the local Council through supporting a creative and positive sustainability initiative.
The Climate Emergency Centres (CEC) project has grown out of 30 years of grassroots environmental community centre projects, which began in 1992 after the Rio Earth Summit. Knowledge from this experience has been collated into the CEC handbook -“How to set up a Climate Emergency Centre in 10 steps”
At this critical time for our planet what is needed is spaces and infrastructure to help people connect and gather resources to take action for a sustainable future. Over 300 Councils in the UK have declared a climate emergency https://www.climateemergency.uk.
Local communities can come together to set up self-funding Climate Emergency Centres that meet local needs in a sustainable way. These Centres work to improve community resilience by focusing on solutions to social and environmental crises.
Local communities create a team and identify a vacant building, either owned by the Council or a private developer, that can be used for a Climate Emergency Centre (CEC) for the benefit of people and planet.
They are supported by being connected to a much wider network of groups across the UK working in their own communities, and sharing experience, knowledge and skills.
If you are interested in getting involved to help volunteer please fill in the form below or if you have a useful council or property connection then please email climateec@gmail.com and also contact a group near you. Let’s focus our energies on a sustainable future.