Who We Are
Enrich the Earth is a collaborative campaign created by a coalition of expert organisations helping each other to make more informed and impactful environmental choices. Our partners include environmental charities, horticulturalists, retailers, academics and trade organisations.
This campaign is powered by Sizzle: an innovative platform that supports organisations to explore and develop ground-breaking solutions. Sizzle strives to push boundaries and discover fresh approaches that can drive meaningful change.
We are independently funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation: an organisation committed to enhancing and preserving our natural world.
Our principles
Enrich the Earth operates on the following five principles:
We prioritise using organic waste derived products to improve soil quality and as a growing medium. These materials need to be used locally to minimise transportation costs and environmental impact.
We actively foster partnerships between government bodies, businesses, academia and community organisations to get most value from their combined experience and resources.
We focus on reducing contamination in waste materials to get the maximum value from organic waste.
We create compelling communication campaigns that raise awareness and enable people to make sustainable choices.
We advocate for supportive evidence-based policies and regulations that deliver environmental benefits and responsible use of organic waste.
Meet our sector leads
Enrich the Earth’s activities are informed by recognised experts in their fields.
Simon Blackhurst
BSc (Hons) Applied Chemistry, MCIH, MBPR (Hort) FQA
Growers, Producers and Retailers
Simon Blackhurst is the expert lead on the peat alternative trials that will run in the Northeast of England. He has extensive technical and practical experience built within the horticultural sector, holds a Member Chartership of Horticulture award and has run a composting facility producing over 16 million bags of growing media a year.
Professor Chris Baines
Gardeners
Professor Chris Baines is one of the UK’s leading environmental campaigners, an award-winning writer and broadcaster and an experienced speaker at national and international conferences.
Chris is a qualified horticulturist, a landscape architect and a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Biology and the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management. He has served as a Trustee of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and is an adviser to the National Trust. Chris is best known to the public as a champion of wildlife gardening, urban green space and community participation.
Professor Margaret Bates
Local Authorities and Waste Companies
Professor Margaret Bates who is a Visiting Professor of Wastes Management and Circular Economy. Margaret has over 30 years’ experience in the waste and resources sector. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, a Chartered Environmentalist and an International Wastes Manager. Margaret serves on several government panels and advisory boards.
Peter Young
Legislators
Peter is a seasoned environmentalist, currently acting as an independent trustee, chair and advisor. Peter has sat on various Government and independent bodies concerned with environmental regulation and voluntary standards.
He co-founded two campaigning organisations; the Aldersgate Group, which he formerly chaired, and the Broadway Initiative, which he currently chairs. He sits on Esmee Fairbairn’s Our Natural World Advisory Panel, and is a Trustee of Cumbria Wildlife Trust.
Jo Holmes
BSC MSc MIEMA CEnv
Community Engagement
Jo Holmes has worked in the environmental sector for over 20 years, leading regional projects with a focus on partnership working across the Northeast of England. She has an extensive network from running environmental consultancy businesses for the past 17 years.
Jo has an Environmental Management degree and a Master’s degree in Environment, Health and Safety, is a Full Member of IEMA and is also a Chartered Environmentalist.
Pam Jose
Meg Watts
Community Engagement
Pam has worked in the Environment sector for over thirty years. She ran her own recycling business in the Northeast of England, and worked with many partnerships including community groups, local authorities, NGO’s and the private sector.
She helped develop the networking and mapping of the North East Environmental sector, working with the Regional Development Agency. Pam has also worked extensively to develop partnerships within the environment sector in other English regions and the devolved administrations, through the UK Environmental Industries Federation.
She is a keen gardener and has been gardening organically for 25 years.
Communications
Meg is the lead Campaign Designer for Sizzle. Their work focuses on translating the science and politics of environmentalism into accessible language for everyone.
Meg is a recent graduate from the University of East Anglia with a first class honours in Literature and Creative Writing, however they have been working as an activist for 8+ years.
Meg was the inaugural Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) lead for Norfolk Wildlife Trust, and is the youngest person ever to have written policy for The Wildlife Trusts.
Meg has a long history as an environmental writer, artist and grassroots climate justice activist, notably working in strategy, event organisation and communications for Right to Roam, Rewriting Earth and Climate Live.