At Sussex Emmaus, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. Everyone involved in our charity actively supports the environment, reduces waste, and improves the biodiversity surrounding our community home. To those new to Emmaus or keen to learn more about our approach to sustainability, here is a summary of just some of our environmental initiatives in Sussex.
Reuse and social enterprise
Our community is built on the principle of reuse, offering a lifeline to those experiencing homelessness while championing the environment. By donating your surplus items to our charity, you help create a sustainable cycle, giving these goods a second life instead of sending them to landfill, incineration, or recycling. We save more than 300 tonnes of furniture each year from ending up in the waste chain.
The Sussex social enterprises offer a treasure trove of pre-loved furniture, fashion, household items, and more to encourage sustainable living. Every purchase helps our mission, directly funding our community and the support we offer to people who have experienced homelessness and are rebuilding their lives with us.
We believe in reducing waste, promoting reuse, and encouraging a more thoughtful approach to consumption. By extending the life of items, we not only support individuals in need and help people live more sustainably but also contribute to the global effort to combat climate change.
Allotment and gardens
The Sussex Emmaus community in the heart of Portslade Old Village sits on the historical site of a 12th-century manor house. In 1807, a new Georgian manor house was built which later became a convent. The buildings now used by Emmaus are surrounded by gardens that have been revitalised and put to good use by our charity.
Our extensive grounds provide a great space for companions to sit and take in the fresh air in a peaceful and relaxing setting. We also have several allotments for them to grow fruit, vegetables, and flowers, not only learning new skills but also enhancing their wellbeing. As well as a wide range of herbs, carrots, beetroot, sweetcorn, and chillies are also grown in our allotment.
Commenting on his time in the garden, Simon, one of our companions, said: “Working on the allotment is good for my mental health and anxiety. If you are feeling down, it is good to come down and get on with gardening and afterwards you feel happy that you have done something for the community. I love gardening.”
Book in a tour to see our allotment and gardens and hear more about the range of activities within our community.
Poly Tunnel project
This year, Sussex Emmaus has relaunched a polytunnel project with a focus on cultivating fresh produce, improving wellbeing, fostering community spirit, and promoting sustainability. Our goal is to grow year-round produce for our community and café, craft more preserves, and sell surplus produce to support our community.
Our polytunnel project is also about creating opportunities for our companions and local volunteers. Being outdoors and active with nature has proven benefits to mental well-being and is incredibly therapeutic. Here at Emmaus, we can see first-hand how being involved in our allotment, garden, and polytunnel has a positive impact on people’s lives.
Garden volunteer Angie said: “Having joined Emmaus as a volunteer in May last year, it soon became clear to me that more companions would like to do some gardening and grow produce.
The benefits of gardening can be many:
- Fresh organic fruit, vegetables, salad & herbs
- Beautiful flowers to brighten the view
- Exercise
- Reducing stress and anxiety
- Reconnecting with nature to help relaxation
- Improving mood
- Improving self-esteem which gives a sense of purpose and worth, along with confidence”
Angie explained that it has not all been plain sailing in the garden: “We have wonderful grounds here at Portslade, with the added bonus of a large polytunnel, so I encouraged a small group to sow some seeds and just see what happened. Some things worked and some didn’t but that’s to be expected and I helped explain what could be done differently to overcome problems. There were certainly some new problems for me, like dealing with the differing temperatures in the polytunnel and, worst of all – the PESTS! Not just the usual slugs and caterpillars eating the seedlings but also the crows pulling out young onions, carrots, and beetroot, and also the squirrels and foxes eating the sweetcorn, apples, and pears and damaging the tomato plants. We will be more prepared next year!”
If you have some gardening or food growing skills and would like to lend a hand, view our volunteer opportunities and register your interest today. You can also help by donating cuttings to the community.
Food composting
As well as a sustainable cycle through reuse and our social enterprise, we maintain a sustainable cycle within our garden, allotment, and polytunnel. Through food composting, we ensure that our growing areas are replenished with a constant supply of nutrient-rich soil.
Companions recycle ‘brown’ garden waste alongside ‘green’ kitchen waste into homemade compost. With a busy community kitchen feeding up to 58 companions each day and a thriving café serving visitors, we’re never short of kitchen waste to add to our compost.
Beekeeping
In addition to the allotments, Sussex Emmaus also has bee hives that produce honey, not just for use in the community but also for sale in our social enterprises. Like all seasons, the bees tell you what they want and as a beekeeper, it is your job to understand what the bees are saying to you.
This season started in a wet way with too much rain, and the blossom started late. With three hives we had to breed a new Queen to make up for the loss over the winter. Despite the wet spring and splitting the hive, the bees were still making honey, albeit not as fast as in other seasons. But within a few weeks, the hives picked up weight and numbers with the arrival of the new Queen who had traits of her mother and a good breeding line.
Joseph, one of our companions who helps to look after our bee hives, said: “Back on form for the start of the summer, we had the added bonus of some hot and sunny days and a hint of rain which led to a late harvest in August of 80 kilos of honey.”
Looking to the future
We are improving our own environmental footprint resulting from daily operations and using our land mindfully to respect nature, ecological diversity, and wildlife. Building on our current activities, we will be developing a ‘green policy and strategy’ that will form the basis of future plans to reduce our carbon footprint.
Following on from the impact of increases in energy costs and aligning with our strategic priorities, we employed the services of BHESCo, a nationally renowned community green energy adviser, to conduct a feasibility study. They provided a detailed report highlighting opportunities, improvements, and recommendations for the most cost-effective solutions to reduce heat loss and generate our own renewable energy. Importantly, the report also provided an example of payback for each area that has enabled us to focus on the most cost-efficient solutions first. Whilst this is a long-term project that will require considerable investment, work has already begun on implementing some of the quick wins.
At Sussex Emmaus, sustainability isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a way of life. Whether you’re donating, shopping, volunteering, or partnering with us, you’re part of a community committed to making a positive impact, helping people and the planet, one pre-loved item at a time.
We are immensely proud of our achievements to date but know that there is much more we can do to positively impact the environment. If you are feeling inspired and want to get involved, please see our list of volunteer opportunities and register your interest today.