Faiths For a Fair low carbon Future (4F)
Getting Started with Project 4F
People of faith, like many others in our country, want to get started on the journey to a low carbon future. However, there are obstacles to be overcome. Faith and community buildings may be out of date. Members may be struggling to reduce their fuel costs. They would like to reduce, reuse or recycle their possessions but don’t know where to go for help. This is particularly true of those who are poorest and most isolated.
But now help is at hand. Through Project 4F Footsteps has obtained funding to work with partner organisations to give advice and help in all these areas, and to spread the information through a regular radio programme.
Photo: Cobbler Repair Shop by Rocco Lucia licenced under Creative Commons BY 2.0
Faith Building Energy Reduction
- Whole building energy assessments for heavily used faith buildings with high fuel will be carried out by an experienced energy assessor.
- Opportunities for reducing energy use and bills identified
- Small grants for initial changes.
How faith buildings have benefited
Repair Cafes and Swishing Events
- Promoting a sharing culture and moving away from ‘throw away’ society.
- Help for places of worship to run ‘swishing’ clothes exchange events.
- Repair café where craft and trades people mend broken household items.
Household fuel bill advice & support
- Practical support for faith community members who are facing difficulties paying fuel bills and keeping warm.
- Free, impartial advice not aligned to a particular energy company.
- Help for faith community members to become more confident and take control of their own energy bills.
- Working with your faith community to provide e.g. training, events or advice sessions.
How households have benefited
Birmingham Faith Community Map
The map is being developed as part of Project 4F to help direct support on faith communities in localities of greatest need. The 4F Birmingham Faith Community Map draws together information about Birmingham’s places of worship from a range of current and historic sources, including the faith map that was on the Birmingham City Council website until 2013.
The map is linked to information about levels of disadvantage and fuel impoverishment in Birmingham and also contains details of how places of worship are working with and supporting their local communities.
Read more about the Birmingham Faith Community maps and to download maps booklets Provisional Birmingham Faith Community Map booklets for different areas of the city.
Radio Shows
Over Winter and Spring 2021/22 a series of one-hour community radio shows were broadcast on Unity FM with speakers discussing different aspects of Project 4F with co-hosts Dr Peter Rookes and Mahmooda Qureshi.
You can listen here to the shows using the links below.
| Monday 15th Nov 2021 | Project launch |
| Monday 6th Dec 2021 | Fuel poverty |
| Monday 10th Jan 2022 | Swishing and Repair Café events |
| Monday 24th Jan 2022 | Faith Building Energy Assessments |
| Monday 7th Feb 2022 | Getting the Message Out |
| Monday 21st Mar 2022 | Fuel Poverty |
| May / June 2022 TBC | Learning from Project 4F |
Project 4F 2021.