Back2Earth, Hackney City Farm

The Back2Earth project at Hackney City Farm (HCF) aims to introduce volunteers, visitors and local people to environmental issues as well as reducing carbon emissions on the farm site.

The core funding for the Environmental and Enterprise Project (EEP) Manager and the work of the farm’s Green Ambassadors is provided by the charitable Tudor Trust. A renewable technology feasibility study was also funded through CSEP, though the farm has not yet secured funding for installations. The farm has continued to supplement this grant funding through fees for environmental courses, space hire, schools workshops, and sale of products in the Farm shop. The shop is currently volunteer-run and they are looking to secure external support  to develop the shop and enhance its profitability.

The EEP Manager at the farm has changed since the BGC but this staff member has retained responsibility for delivery of the project activities alongside other staff at the farm. Much of the work they were doing in the BGC year has been continued and developed:

• A new cohort of 17 Green Ambassadors was recruited using a different approach from the BGC year. This time HCF were assisted by local housing provider – Hackney Homes – and worked with their participation team to reach tenants and residents associations. The Ambassadors from these associations have aided the relationship with local estates and several have been active in running their own projects in the local area, supported by the farm. Several former Green Ambassadors also now work in environment or community sectors. One still delivers workshops on the farm and the new EEP Manager is himself a former Green Ambassador.
• School visits remain a key part of the farm’s work, with at least two visits a week in addition to educational workshops (including intergenerational work with older citizens from a local day care centre) which are run for Hackney Environmental Education Network.
• Low-Impact Living Initiative (LILI) courses are still being run two or three times a month at the farm covering topics such as solar electricity, keeping chickens and compost toilets.  The farm also offers its own gardening and beekeeping courses.
• The original biodiesel project, designed to recycle the waste cooking oil from the café at the farm and other local businesses, is being developed with help from one of the key partners from the WORPP project after HCF met him at a BGC event.
• A new bicycle project – run in partnership with Bikeworks – extends HCF’s previous activities in this area. People can hire a bike at the cost of whatever they were paying on public transport, getting their money back after three months to buy a second hand bike as well as receiving training, route planning and bike buddying.

The 60 steps to 60% reduction toolkit that was being  developed in the BGC year has not been distributed, despite interest from a few farms following its promotion through the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens magazine. The Green Ambassadors are using a similar framework to the original 60 step programme, but this has developed more towards getting people to act according to underlying values than following particular steps. There may be potential to replicate other elements of the farm’s work in the future such as the biodiesel or bike projects, but these are still in the early stages.