ZERO Support 2025

The environment

In the period supported by the crowdfunder our river water testing project carried out 86 e.coli tests on the River Wey (processed in the lab at ZERO) as well as 83 chemical tests. This citizen science work is crucial to build an evidence base for water quality over time, with results open-sourced for use to monitor and improve the health of our rivers. Our projects support residents to reduce climate impact through collective action which also benefits them in other ways. For example, our Community Fridge saved and redistributed 10 tonnes of food from Jan-March, avoiding the equivalent of 26 tonnes of CO2 emissions and providing residents with access to good quality, free food. Loans from the Library of Things in the same period saved 4.5 tonnes CO2e and saved users over £34,000. This crowdfunder enabled the Library of Things to buy a new carpet cleaner and sewing machine, as well as maintaining existing items to keep them in circulation for longer. The carpet cleaner and sewing machine alone have saved 1.9 tonnes CO2e since purchase.

The local economy

Through ZERO’s projects we provide opportunities for local residents to develop skills through volunteering and paid work, and provide training to support this upskilling process. In the period supported by the crowdfunder, we ran a training course for new Energy Champions at ZERO, which is an entry-level opportunity for people interested in developing experience and potentially careers in retrofit.

Volunteering, jobs & education

ZERO is a hub for community volunteering, and we currently have over 200 volunteers actively working across all our projects. In the period supported by this crowdfunder, we recruited and trained 7 new volunteers, and trained 8 new Energy Champions. Training for new volunteers includes an induction to ZERO, engagement training and project-specific training.