Churchstanton
Transport...
In rural areas such as ours emissions from transport are nearly double that of the national average, 43% against 25%, and form the largest single contributer. Buildings account for 28%, agricultural 8% and industrial and commercial 21%. This is a tough one to tackle as public transport is limited, and we have all come to enjoy the freedoms that come with having our own vehicles. My own car use runs to 17000 miles a year and produces 4.5 tons of carbon. Liftsharing can be an immediate and easily attainable way of 'cutting your carbs', as every extra person you carry with you shoulders their share of the carbon from that journey. Lift sharing is quite a big thing up here already, with parents using the local school sharing very effectively, but we'd like to put two more offers of a lift here:
Churchinford to Taunton: Leaving every weekday 8 am and come home around 4.30- 5 pm except Wednesdays when it's 7.30 pm.
Churchinford to Honiton: Tuesdays times to be arranged, but generally leaving in the morning, returning to the village by 3pm
Please contact us using the link on the left.
Waste...
One of our members hopes to be working with the school soon to achieve their next eco-award.
Household waste: The council now takes plastic bottles. But there is still much, much more than we can do to stop our bins from overflowing. First is always if you don't want to waste it...don't buy it! It is hard to avoid packaging sometimes, but we can reduce the waste that we buy in. Next, we can recycle a huge variety of stuff at the local tip. You'll have to find some space to store your recycling while you save up a carload, and then almost all plastic pots and bottles washed out, plastic bottle tops and lids, tetrapacks, batteries, lightbulbs, electrical goods and so on can be put to a new use. Look up your local tip online to find their opening times.
Ofwell Recycling Centre [near Honiton http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/environmentplanning/recycling/recycling_centres/sutton_barton_honiton.htm
Taunton and Wellington Recycling Centre http://www.recyclesomerset.info/pdf/HWRC/Recyclingcentrebooklet.pdf
Here's a really good website for helping recycle those more obscure items http://myzerowaste.com/
Food...
We are blessed with many fabulous food producers in these hills, and communities working hard to support them. Here in Churchinford we have several farm shops selling vegetables and meat, and a community shop that is now open and stocking lots of local produce together with ordinary household items. Keep up to date and find out how to help at www.churchinfordshop.co.uk.....or,......... grow your own with help from the BH Gardening Club. Chairman is Graham Salmon ( 01823 601182) and there's a write up of each meeting included in Parish Pump, the Upottery parish mag. Generally, meetings are monthly on the 3rd wed evening of the month, held in the Churchinford Village Hall at 7:30 and mostly include a speaker. Visitors/Accompanying persons pay a minimal fee. That said, this month's meeting in a week's time is in Vera Mannings garden on Practical Pruning at the earlier time of 7pm. Next month is the talk by Alun Tarr on Climate Change Gardening at the usual time of 7:30.
Housing...
Introducing.....6 Moor Lane, a house in Transition! The owner, Selena, wants to turn this ordinary 3 bed semi into a zero carbon house. A tall order, but worth a go. Energy and heat, water and food are the first things on the to-do list, but the main idea is that the process is open to anyone from the parish who wants to learn a bit about solar power, or rainwater harvesting, or even learn some basic carpentry skills. There is no charge as this is not a course, it's simply that there is much to be learned from this process, much work to be done......so you can learn from Selena's trials and tribulations before starting your own project!
June 15th...Solar survey at 6 Moor Lane, 2pm. Come and listen in while I find out if I can have solar thermal working in tandem with a wood stove and PV on the rest of the roof.
