BSustained

Sustainability Workshops

Workshops for schools and community groups on healthy living, healthy eating, and organic gardening

Examples of workshops:

‘Fork to Fork’

workshops with children, young people and adults. These workshops show the link between gardening, planting and harvesting one’s own food as well as cooking and eating it. It is a good way of getting (young) people more enthused about eating vegetables through growing them and therefore (re-)connecting to the food they eat in a more positive way. Additionally, the gardening itself is a very positive way of ‘being out and about’ and doing exercise.

‘5 a Day on a Budget’

. Here, families can participate together in working on ways of shopping within their budget to achieve a minimum of 5 daily portions of fruit and vegetables in their diet – and ways of cooking fresh meals without having to spend more than 30 minutes a day on their main meal. This is done in a very participatory way, particularly focusing on the already existing knowledge in the families, rather than ‘lecturing’ participants.

Sustainability Workshops

. Workshops to introduce issues related to sustainability, such as energy & water consumption, waste reduction and recycling; for example through producing useful items out of packaging. One particular workshop encourages participants to make a fully functioning clock out of an item of packaging; possibly of their favourite toy, cereal or drink. This links with Birgit’s craft side of BSustained.

The workshops – which are always specifically tailored to the needs and skills of the participants – combine Birgit’s skills, experience and knowledge really well:

35 years’ experience of organic gardening

. Birgit started gardening together with her father in the family allotment at the age of 5. Her dad managed to inspire her to enjoy gardening through introducing ‘play’ into the ‘work’ side of the tasks. This technique is also used in Birgit’s workshops to help engage (young) people when gardening.

Over 20 years of catering practice

. Birgit has worked in catering since she was a student in Augsburg, Germany and has kept practicing in this field ever since, working in a variety of different restaurants and cafes in Germany and the UK, plus working freelance for a number of years. The events she has catered for included weddings, anniversary birthdays, large charity functions, barn dances, childrens’ parties, Christmas meals for organisations and much more …

15 years of training experience

Birgit has worked with people of all ages and backgrounds and particularly enjoys the diversity of working with groups in Birmingham. She is good at achieving rapport across the whole spectrum. She has worked with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds on getting them into employment, with children on gardening and cooking and with adults and young people alike on capacity building such as confidence workshops and team building.

25 years’ involvement…

in a wide variety of environmental and development work. Birgit has a strong and sustained interest in these issues, reinforced by a degree in geography.

To discuss the needs of your organisation, group or individuals, please contact us for details.