Action 21 (2010) is a local charity that aims to promote environmental protection and sustainability education in the Warwick area. It focuses on waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and using surplus goods to benefit the community. It operates two centers - a Re-Useful Centre that diverts reusable goods from landfill, and an East Lodge Sustainability Centre that provides sustainability information and workshops. Action 21 aims to educate the public, support sustainable living, and strengthen the local community through various reuse, recycling, and educational projects.

1. Taking practical steps towards a
greener future

2. Charitable aims
“to promote the protection and preservation of the environment for
the public benefit by the promotion of waste reduction, re-
use, reclamation, recycling, the use of recycled products and the use
of surplus for the benefit of the inhabitants of the District of
Warwick, and its environs. To also advance the education of the
public in subjects related to sustainability in areas related to
Energy, Food, and Transport through practical projects.”
Action 21 (2010) Reg. Charity No. 1136450

3. What is Action 21 (2010) about?
• Action 21 (2010) is a local volunteer-based charity that aims to reduce the environmental
impact of the Leamington and Warwick communities and raise awareness of the benefits of
sustainable living. The organisation was launched as a social enterprise in 1996, in response
to Agenda 21 of the 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit. In June 2010 it acquired charitable
status.
• We focus on reusing donated manufactured goods such as furniture, bikes, electrical goods
and other household items, thus saving them from landfill. The income from the sale of
these goods is used to inform and educate local citizens about how to reduce waste output in
creative and resourceful ways. We do this by running various projects and activities focused
on the issues of food, re-use, transport and energy.
Action 21 (2010) is based at two locations:
• The Re-Useful Centre, at 5 Ramsey Road in Sydenham, diverts tonnes of potential waste from
landfill by enabling the public to donate and shop for reusable household items at low prices.
• East Lodge Sustainability Centre and Permaculture Garden is situated at the Willes Road
entrance of Jephson Gardens. Open to the general public, it contains sustainability-themed
information and also offers workshops and events for the whole family.

4. What is Action 21 (2010) aiming to achieve?
Action 21 (2010) aims to reduce waste, promote reuse, increase knowledge, and support the
Leamington and Warwick communities in living more sustainably. We do this by sharing
information, by promoting the development of sustainability themed skills and by providing a
facility which enables the public to divert useful household items from landfill.
For the environment, we aim to:
•Reduce the amount of reusable goods going to landfill
•Reduce the consumption of fossil fuels in the local area
•Encourage the consumption of locally produced food, thus saving on food miles.
For the local community, we aim to:
•Raise awareness around how to live more sustainably
•Provide a source of quality re-usable items at low cost
•Provide education and training opportunities related to living sustainably
•Offer group activities and volunteering opportunities designed to strengthen the local community.
For individuals, we aim to:
•Enable up-skilling, thus increasing employment opportunities
•Offer a variety of volunteering opportunities to meet a wide range of personal, social and work-
based motivations
Provide a safe, friendly and rewarding volunteering experience.

5. How is Action 21 (2010) unique?
Action 21 (2010) is a Leamington-based local charity, focused
on the people of Leamington, Warwick and surrounding rural
communities.
Action 21 (2010)’s ability to operate relies on volunteers’ efforts
and donations of goods from the local community. With over
100 regular and occasional volunteers, 12 trustees and 5 paid
workers, we are able to turn over a huge amount of goods for
reuse and run a comprehensive calendar of events with
minimal administrative costs.

6. Action 21 – Action & Outcomes
Domestic waste Other fund Sustainability
collection raising training and skills
ACTION
refurbishment development
and resale
Landfill Funds Increased local
OUTCOME knowledge, skills and
reduction
performance
Operational Staff
2 x Shop Supervisors 4.5 days a week
1 x Volunteer & Marketing Officer 3 days a week

7. The Re-Useful Centre (RUC)
The Re-Useful Centre is a warehouse on an industrial estate in Leamington
Spa.
In February the RUC became our only shop & we started opening 6 days a
week. In July we started opening 7 days a week.
We have the building rent free, only having to pay reduced business rates
and building insurance. Although this sounds ideal there is limited security of
tenure.
Supportive partnerships working with Oxfam, Age UK, Emmaus,
Sue Ryder, Red Cross.

8. Operational overview
• 7 day opening 10am-4pm
• Collection & delivery service 2 days a week within a 5 mile radius with a £10 charge
• Assessing the goods before they go into the shop
• Price versus maximising throughput. Dating prices.
What we sell
• Furniture, bric a brac, anything that fit within the FRN guidelines
• Bike workshop - renovation
• Bike sales area
• Electrical Section - Portable Appliance Testing/training
• Online sales of rare or collectables
• Clothes and shoes
• Books
• Toys & games
• Management of waste:
Excess books and clothes go to choices textiles
Scrap metal income
Scrap wood cut up and sold as fire wood

9. We currently have over 60
regular or one-off volunteers,
helping us with every aspect of
Action 21’s work.
• Clothes
• Lifter shifters
• Toys
• Music/film CD/DVD/Video
• Online sales
• Cutting firewood for sale
• Office Admin

10. Our volunteers not only help us
on a day to day operational
level,
they also have ideas which we
can be implemented.
• Books
• Ebay collectables
• Furniture renovation
• Bikes
• PAT
• Till
• Sorting goods
• Pricing

11. The highly
productive
Bicycle Workshop at
The Re-Useful Centre continues
to divert more bikes from landfill than ever before.
Over 300 bikes were repaired and sold for this
reporting year.
Just in the last 7 months alone we have
diverted a total of 464!

12. Solar 300 offers you
the opportunity to
have solar P.V. And solar
water heating systems installed at very
competitive prices in conjunction with Eco2solar.
The project was initiated in 2009 and is run by a
dedicated team of volunteers who regularly do
presentations across the Leamington District.
A whopping 26 installations were completed in
the year 2010/11.
Bringing the total number of installations to
Approx 60.
Sydenham Community Insulation Project -which
completed in November 2010, reached
60% of houses in the 'target zone‘. Our campaign
informed people about the need for insulation (loft,
cavity & hot water cylinders and pipes).

13. Dobson Lane
Community
Allotment
Project -
50 allotments

14. 2010 & Beyond
• 3 days of workshops on recycling, composting & much more
• 1263 children from 45 local Primary Schools
• Partnership project with lots of local authorities
This year saw the 10th anniversary of the highly successful event with
2011 & Beyond and we are all set to repeat it for 2012 & Beyond in
partnership with Warwickshire County Council, Coventry City
Council, North Warwickshire Borough Council

15. East Lodge
Sustainability Centre,
currently our main project and has been open on Sundays.
• Info on how you can live your life
more sustainably
• Signposting point.
• Workshops, talks and demonstrations
• Demonstration Permaculture Garden

16. Community Ranger
Jephson Gardens
Laura Smith
Is our Community Ranger
In addition to patrolling the park Laura
organises 6 public events
and 6 school events each year
Events so far have included:
A bird of prey falconry display, Moth trapping and bat detection, Recycling Relays , Tree-
mendous Trees: tree identification and crafts for kids, Bird feeder & nest box making with
the Boys Brigade and encouraging schools to use the Park’s facilities for educational
purposes.

17. Every year Action 21 provides a
litter picking & recycling service for
the Leamington Peace Festival.
Last summer we diverted 1 tonne of waste from
landfill.
The Dr. Bike Team are also there doing minor repair
to bicycles.

18. What are Action 21 (2010)’s plans for the future?
In the coming years, our key areas of focus will be:
•Reducing the environmental impact of the Leamington and
Warwick population
•Further developing opportunities that engage the local
community in Action 21 (2010)’s activities
•Increasing our provision of learning opportunities in the areas of
re-use, energy, transport and food that contribute to the
upskilling of the local population.

19. Questions