MEA has now launched our new updated on-line Carbon Management Tool

The website guides people through how to reduce the carbon footprint of their building, how to inspire behaviour change with those using the building as well as continually monitoring their energy use and reduction. The new update now has specific options for voluntary groups, individuals, small businesses, GP Practices, community buildings or schools. This means that groups who had little access to specialised interactive resources now have it. It also means that everyone can access it as individuals, and that everyone can understand their carbon footprint and be given real power to know what changes they can make and how much they will cost.

As part of the update, voluntary groups will also be able to print off reports detailing how much energy and money refurbishments will save. This is seen as vital in their requests for funding bids to improve local community facilities in this difficult financial climate. This valuable resource for voluntary organisations has been developed in partnership with Birmingham Voluntary Services Council (BVSC).

An important part of the update for voluntary groups is the new emphasis on behaviour change and the tool strongly encourages each organisation to make the following three important steps:

1. High level support within your group/organisation to make changes: be this through support to make physical changes to the building or in the encouragement of behavioural change.
2. An Energy Use Notice board - to display print outs of graphs of the building's energy use, breakdown of energy use, breakdown of heat loss, pledges of what we're doing to reduce our energy consumption, as well as other carbon reduction information. These are made by the print outs provided by the WeSave website.
3. The creation of an Energy Team or Eco Team - It is important to have someone responsible for the application of whatever measures or pledges for behaviour change which you decide to implement. 

Through many years experience at MEA of working with community groups and performing audits of community buildings and small businesses we see these three steps as the fundamental first steps in making real change in voluntary organisations.

You can register for the website at www.wesave.org.uk and for any queries please contact wesave@mea.org.uk .