posted by julika

Pitch
Pledge Party gets a bit out of hand

Our experiment in funding 10:10ers' carbon-cutting projects was a huge success – could this be the start of something bigger?

11 Oct 11

If I'm totally honest, I was always a little sceptical about the 'Party' bit of our Pitch Pledge Party event, which happened at the Guardian offices last night.

The idea was for 10:10ers to pitch their carbon-cutting cutting projects to a roomful of donors, who'd then pledge the funding needed to turn these ideas into reality. This, we hoped, would inspire all present to party hard enough to leave with a smile, but not so hard that we'd have to buy the Guardian a new carpet afterwards.

But as the pledges rolled in – £100, £300, £500 at a time – and the onscreen totals spiralled upwards, I knew we were in for a good night.

In the end we raised just over £15,000 – well over our target and enough to help Remade in Edinburgh, Energise Barnet and the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare take their projects to the next level.

In the end we raised just over £15,000, and the Guardian's carpet made it through more or less unscathed

We also heard the results of the People's Project award – a £1,010 grant given to a project chosen by the 10:10 community. Nearly 2,000 of you voted, choosing Remade in Edinburgh's community repair and reuse centre to get the extra cash.

And as it turns out, pitching and pledging is a pretty good way to start a party, and the carpet made it through more or less unscathed.

We'll be following each project's progress in the coming months as they get to work converting last night's windfall into real carbon cuts. Stay tuned.

Our three finalists

Remade Scotland. Photo: Lisa Yarost
Remade in Edinburgh
...plans to set up a repair and reuse centre in Edinburgh, reviving lost repair skills and offering a counterweight to the throwaway culture that's responsible for millions of tonnes of extra CO2 each year.
Total raised: £5,500

Project website

Energise Barnet Energise Barnet
 ...runs a one-stop shop for local advice, resources and discounts on home energy saving measures, and are planning to train up a team of advocates to spread the word and help Barnet residents make the most of it.
Total raised:£4,200

Project website

Centre for Sustainable Healthcare. Photo: Josh Hough
Centre for Sustainable Healthcare
...wants to help NHS organisations upgrade kidney dialysis machines to make them 20% more energy efficient. The goal is to retrofit 1,000 machines in kidney care units UK-wide.
Total raised: £4,500

Project website

 

Representatives from the three projects hear how much they've raised