SHEBEEN stands for Sheffield Black and Ethnic Minority Environmental Network. We believe that a positive experience of our immediate environment is everyone’s right and everyone’s responsibility. Traditionally many black and ethnic minority communities have been excluded from that experience. Environmental organisations widely acknowledge that few BME individuals or organisations take up activities such as conservation, recycling, horticulture, or simply visiting local and national parks for activities promoting health and social well being.
We want to change this and we want to enable people of all ethnic backgrounds to get involved in the wide range of activities that are happening both within Sheffield and beyond. Our aim is to promote the greater social inclusion and empowerment of Sheffield Black and Ethnic Minorities in relation to the built, human and natural environment at a local, regional and global level. We are doing this by providing links between environmental opportunities and the wide range of ethnic groups, Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the Sheffield area. SHEBEEN helps to get people involved in many activities either as a volunteer or as part of accredited training.Some of these activities include:
- Walks in local parks, woodlands and surrounding countryside.
- Trips to the Peak National Park to enjoy picnics, walks, rock climbing, canoeing, exploring villages etc.
- Environmental courses making links between local and global environmental issues.
- Joining others to improve community spaces - collect litter, clear streams and paths.
- Growing your own fruit and vegetables, flowers or herbs in gardens or allotments.
- Recycling your waste—paper, plastic, cardboard, cans, bottles, old clothes, furniture, disused equipment etc.
- Turning your green waste to compost to improve your local green spaces.
- Information on conserving energy - how to reduce electricity, gas and water bills.
- Training in construction of solar panels or water saving devices.
- Environmental training courses and jobs.
