Last week I led an EMS
Implementation course on behalf of the Environmental Association of
Universities and Colleges (EAUC). It was a very interesting course with some
thoughtful and hardworking delegates. It’s always exciting to lead a course
like this, hearing of people’s experiences, problems and achievements. What
made this course rather special was the location. We ran it as a residential
course based at the Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre in Selly Oak, Birmingham. It
was formerly the family home of George Cadbury, the chocolate maker.
The Quaker ethics are
embedded in the service provided so the place was both friendly and welcoming
and very beautiful. We all ate together in the communal dining room overlooking
the grounds. The food was wholesome and tasty and catered for meat eaters,
vegetarians, and those with food intolerances. I’ve rarely eaten so well and so
healthily. At the end of each meal we took our plates and stacked them ready
for washing, emptying food waste into a bin, none recyclable material (butter
wrappers) into a separate (small) box and put our cutlery into a container of
hot soapy water which would make the cleaning process more efficient. There was
minimum waste, not least because you were welcome to keep returning for seconds
and didn’t, therefore, take more than you turned out to need.
During the breaks in the
training day not only was coffee and tea available but herb and fruit teas
together with home baked biscuits and cakes. Yum. The water was not
commercially bottled but filtered tap water in reusable glass bottles, again a
much more sustainable option.
Our training room, the Eva
Koch Room, was lovely. We had comfortable armchairs rather then cold plastic
chairs and tables. It made for a very relaxing experience with a view through
the sash windows of the glorious autumn garden.
I don’t know what everyone
else’s rooms were like. Mine was small but very cosy and they left my towels
alone. I can’t count the number of hotels I’ve stayed out where I’ve followed
instructions so that they shouldn’t wash my towels and they’ve taken them
anyway. It was so nice to have a room that was not messed with, other then the
coffee and tea being refreshed.
Much of the activity at the
centre is Quaker based but wider education and accommodation is very much
welcomed. When we arrived there was a class of children learning to work
together and we were not the only outside adult training course they have.
They work hard to be
sustainable and invest in sustainable refurbishment. At present they have a box
where you can donate to cover the carbon footprint of your travel. The money
raised will contribute to installing solar water heaters. This together with
the egg timers in the showers (my showers were always over before the sand ran
out) will reduce their impact again. All but one of us arrived by train/taxi
because this is a very accessible place, within walking distance of Selly Oak
station, unless you are carrying a laptop, clothes for three days and a lot of
course paperwork. The grounds are wildlife sanctuary and a haven of peace for
the residents. Who knew there was such beauty just off the A38? Certainly my
taxi driver didn’t.
I think training facilities,
conference centres and hotels could all learn a lot from Woodbrooke. I’d
certainly like to work there again. (Hint).
