Positive Impacts

Climate Change | Wildlife Diversity | Wellbeing

BEAMZ Trust CIC is a not-for profit Social Enterprise.

Its objective is to synergistically create three positive impacts.

Reducing climate change, supporting wildlife diversity and supporting wellbeing .

Climate Change

It is now well-established that climate change is happening now and is caused by the release of CO2, chiefly from energy production by the burning of fossil fuels.

The biggest “slice” of energy, and therefore CO2 release, for which we as individuals are responsible, is embodied-energy.

This is the energy used to make the goods we buy and the biggest proportion of that, is energy used in mining, refining, forming and heat-treating the materials required.

By contrast a hardwood pole has been created by a natural process requiring rain water and carbon dioxide which is removed from the atmosphere.

The process is powered by sunlight through photosynthesis in the leaves.

A BEAMZ bicycle frame requires less than 5% of the energy input compared to an equivalent aluminium bicycle frame. See our aluminium equivalence analysis here

Wildlife Diversity

Wildlife diversity is vital because the biosphere comprises a highly interwoven network of interactions between organisms of all kingdoms and scale.

Our understanding of most of these interactions is incomplete, so losing species locally or completely to extinction, may have serious knock-on effects and costs.

For example, the loss of pollinator insects is currently restricting agricultural output.

We should not underestimate the impact on our collective psyche of the shameful role we have played in the degradation of our environment, depriving future generations of fascinating, useful and often beautiful species.

BEAMZ uses and encourages coppicing as a sustainable method of harvesting wood. It is an ancient practice that encourages wildlife diversification and maintains a natural balance within woods.

Wellbeing

The cost to the nation of poor mental health is estimated to be £105 Billion. BEAMZ will create work and voluntary activities involving skilled manual work, working with wood and working in woodlands.

These have all been shown to be very helpful in supporting and repairing poor mental health.

Many conventional employment opportunities either ignore or exacerbate the issues of climate change and wildlife diversity, casting a long shadow over our sense of wellbeing.

BEAMZ will explore the best deployment of this benefit but it is anticipated that staff and volunteers will be mixed, comprising people from the general population, people who self-identify as having a vulnerability and people identified as vulnerable by organisations such as the local authority or the Criminal Justice System.

How The Three Impacts Guide The BEAMZ Directors

Balance

These three objectives must be kept in balance, with the aim of maximising the combined impact. Each action or decision must be considered in the light of the three objectives and no objective, or aspect of the objective will overwhelm the others.

Locality

BEAMZ aims to expand by creating a network of local branches, so that people nationwide can buy BEAMZ products made from material grown locally, worked by local people. This will provide a short supply chain and maximise support for local and rural economies.

Meet the directors here