EcoACTIVE can trace its roots back to the Hackney Environmental Education Project (HEEP), which operated from 1984-94. There Prue Poulton worked with HEEP founder-member, Gillian Symons, to develop the unique combination of urban studies, environmental education and active learning which is still today at the heart of the ecoACTIVE approach.
Prue went on to work at the Rubbish Dump in 1995, an interactive learning centre which was part of Hackney Community Transport (HCT). She worked as Hackney Environmentalist-in-Residence from 1997-99 and then returned to manage the Rubbish Dump which re-launched as ecoACTIVE in 1999. EcoACTIVE then became independent of HCT in 2002 and registered as a charity in 2008.
Our achievements
HEEP, and later ecoACTIVE, has over the years produced many well-received publications including EcoSchool (WWF), People and Communities (WWF), Urban Environments (A&C Black), Refuse, Re-use, Recycle or Throw Away (Waste Not Recycling), Too Good to Bin (Rubbish Dump) and Fact Pack Waste and Recycling (Hackney Recycling).
We acquired our signature electric vehicle, Shirley, in 2003 and adapted her as a mobile interactive environmental exhibition. After many outings to schools and community events promoting our message Shirley was recycled in 2008. EcoACTIVE’s work has in recent years expanded to nearby boroughs including Islington, Haringey, Camden, Tower Hamlets and Enfield, and has also moved from primary into secondary schools – and we’re fairly certain that we’ve worked with every school in Hackney!
We are now also working with social housing providers and with parents’ groups through children’s centres. Today we provide educational services on diverse topics including carbon footprints, energy, waste and recycling, biodiversity and habitats, food, school grounds development, fuel poverty and composting, to name but a few.
Our location
EcoACTIVE has had various salubrious bases in Hackney: a recycling centre; the Clown’s Church hall; the mortuary at Abney Park Cemetery; a shared cubby hole at the aptly named Space Studios; and now a cosy railway arch at Free Form Arts Trust, next to London Fields.
Our funders
Our funders have included London Borough of Hackney, City Bridge Trust, the Jack Petchey Foundation, commercial organisations such as KPMG, campaigning bodies like the Local Food Fund and educational bodies such as the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) and The Learning Trust.
We are grateful for their enormous support over the years. We are also proud of the fact that a growing share of our income is now earned from fees for the individual projects and services we deliver.
Our people
Our education team is supported by a volunteer management committee and team of volunteers and session workers. Many ecoACTIVE workers have gone on to employment with other environmental education projects.
Sadly Prue Poulton died suddenly in 2009 after a short illness, and we miss her leadership and inspiration. But ecoACTIVE’s fantastic staff rallied together with the Management Committee to ensure that the charity continues to flourish and develop. And our work continues to be ecoACTIVE – activity-based education for sustainable living.
