HISTORY
A brief history of Changeworks
CHANGEWORKS Resources for Life Ltd. came into being in June 2006, but that name change was a new chapter in the history of an established, successful environmental charity that goes back to the early 1980s.
Changeworks’ predecessor Lothian & Edinburgh Environmental Partnership (LEEP) was formed in 1989, itself a reincarnation of the Lothian Energy Group, which had provided advice and installed energy efficiency measures for fuel poor households for most of the 1980s.
LEEP was founded by Edinburgh District Council, Friends of the Earth Scotland and the Centre for Human Ecology. LEEP’s remit extended beyond the fuel poverty work of the Lothian Energy Group and was an environmental charity with a strong economic development focus. LEEP aimed to establish businesses that provided real employment as well as working to protect the environment.
Sometimes these businesses were established by third parties with development support from LEEP staff e.g. Edinburgh City Cycle Couriers and Nappy Days, which provided a real nappy laundering service for families in the early 1990s.
Sometimes the businesses were developed by LEEP staff and then sold, for a token sum, to others to take forward. Examples of this included The Edinburgh City Car Club and an office paper recycling business (which closed soon after being transferred to a private concern).
Other businesses were established and operated by LEEP itself. Examples include Lothian and Borders Energy Efficiency Network, which was an installership for government-funded energy efficiency measures in the early to mid 1990s and LEEP Resources, which ran the highly successful Fridgesavers scheme on behalf of electricity companies in the late 1990s.
As LEEP grew it was able to undertake more and more complex and ambitious grant-funded projects, particularly on behalf of local authorities in South East Scotland. Two factors greatly contributed to this: first, a strong relationship with the Energy Saving Trust following the establishment of a highly successful local energy advice centre in 1993, and second, registration as an 'environmental body' under the system of landfill tax credits that supported recycling initiatives until 2003.
LEEP's grant-funded work sought to find solutions to environmental problems in energy, waste and transport with a particular focus on the alleviation of poverty and disadvantage. By the turn of the 21st Century LEEP was highly regarded as a deliverer of innovative projects on the ground, as well as an authoritative voice supporting the development of progressive policy and practice.
Changeworks was born in June 2006. The name change was made to reflect our Scotland-wide presence (we’d long since outgrown the 'Lothian and Edinburgh' moniker) and our mission and vision were re-cast to emphasise the role we play in sustainable development.
Contact us:
T: 0131 555 4010
