Boost biodiversity, with or without the kids!
Watch bird-box and bee-hotel building demonstrations, with templates to take home and make your own. Plus videos and discussion on what we can do to boost biodiversity – bring your ideas, questions and tips! (And kids!)
Wednesday 30th November, 7:30pm, St Andrew’s Church Hall, Oakington
Talk by Paul Kershaw and Philip Garsed about Retrofitting Eco Homes, 25th October 2022
Both Paul’s and Philip’s homes featured in this year’s Cambridge Eco Homes tours.
There are various paths to achieving an “eco home” – new-build or (in his and Philip’s case) retrofit, all at once or in stages. There are also various standards (eg Passivhaus, Enerphit Standard).
The two core principles of energy efficiency are insulation and ventilation. Helpful tools include the EPC certificate (not especially good), a thermal camera, an airtightness test, using an incense stick to detect draughts, existing energy bills and your own experience of living in a property.
Paul’s retrofitting project had as its aims: considered quality of living design, eco-friendly products, and energy efficiency. He explained how, by having an overall plan drawn up, he was able to take advantage of grants and trials when they arose. Considered quality of living design includes such aspects as wider doorways, ergonomic design, assisted bathing facilities by design not a bolted-on eyesore, and air quality through ventilation and lower VOCs. Eco-friendly materials included natural materials such as marmoleum flooring Materials were reused where possible. There is provision for a future grey water system; for the present, water-saving shower and taps. The gas (“methane”) supply has been cut off along with the standing charge!
There were some eco-friendly compromises which had to be made. Clay plaster was prohibitively expensive but clay paint has some of its advantages. A sedum carpet can form a green roof without having to structurally alter an existing flat roof. There are pros and cons to internal and external wall insulation and different materials for the latter. Cork was chosen for the rear but more visually appealing woodfibre boards and scotlarch cladding for the front.
Ventilation is necessary once a house is sufficiently air-tight to prevent a build-up of moisture, and options range from “natural” ventilation (windows and doors) through passive stack (chimney flue via fire heat or wind), mechanical ventilation and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR).
Paul’s key pointers: educate yourself, plan, and stand firm to your ideals.
Philip says he is often asked what the payback time on his house improvements will be, but that question ignores the very tangible benefits of living in a much more comfortable house in the meantime. Eco-houses are comfortable: super insulation, air tightness and MVHR result in stable temperatures, constant humidity, fresh air and quiet homes.
What makes us feel cold? Draughts, cold feet, colder surfaces (eg windows), changes in temperature as we move from one room to another. An eco-home does not have these, so can feel warmer than the actual temperature. Plus they are cool in summer.
Homes which are too dry or too damp are bad for health – the optimum humidity is 40-60%, which the MVHR maintains. Other benefits are being able to dry washing indoors, cook without steam, no bathroom mould, and a nicer living environment.
A lot of discussion followed. One question was about steps you can take if you are not able to launch into a full retrofit. LED lights and, when replacing appliances, choosing ones with good energy ratings. There was debate about the merits of battery storage. On the one hand, they make solar panels more worthwhile because stored solar energy can be used at times of the day when electricity is expensive (time-of-use tariffs will become normal.) On the other, in summer you can’t use all you store and in winter you can’t make enough.
Talk by Ann Mitchell of Cambridge Sustainable Food on 28th September 2022
Key messages: our choices make a difference, and so does asking sellers about food.
Food’s environmental sustainability fits in the broader picture of health and fairness, and includes: carbon footprint, land use (& biodiversity), soil (1/3 of our arable land is degraded), animal welfare and working conditions.
We import at least 50% of our food. Food waste – up to 30% of the food produced globally is wasted. A lot of waste caused because we expect well-stocked supermarkets. The world does produce enough to feeds its population but it’s not fairly distributed. 8.8% of UK households suffered food insecurity (Jan 22). Obesity in the UK has doubled in the last 20 years.
Impact of our food choices. Not straightforward. Ann used the example of plant-based milk. 1 pint of cow’s milk results in 1.9kg of greenhouse gas emissions, plus concerns about animal welfare in the huge dairy industry. 1 pint soya milk causes 0.5kg, 1 pint oatmilk 0.5kg, 1 pint almond milk only 0.3kg, BUT almonds have become a huge monoculture in California, using precious water resources and requiring imported bees. Soya milk concerns are that the soya is grown in Europe, not on land cleared from rainforest. Oatmilk sludge can be eaten by local pigs but is instead sent to an anaerobic digester to keep the oatmilk completely vegan.
Lots of variation in carbon footprint. A lot of land is used to grow animal feed. Beef reared in the UK has a lower carbon footprint than some beef reared elsewhere, because mainly grass fed.
Where to get protein from? Lab grown meat is coming but not commercially viable yet. Mealworms are a low-impact source of protein and can supplement the diet of animals including in pet food. Wild meat (venison, rabbit, muntjac) from animals that have to be culled anyway (because we don’t have top predators roaming about) is another option. Ann brought examples of vegan alternatives: tinned beans (no soaking required), dried lentils and split peas of various types (ditto) – Hodmedod is a Suffolk grower of dried beans and peas; mushroom also contains protein and chopped up resembles mince; brocolli. Meat intake can be reduced by mixing minced meat and one of these alternatives in dishes like bolognese, shepherd’s pie.
Miscellaneous: British tomatoes in March/April (hothouse-grown) are at least as bad as green beans flown in from Ethiopia. Rice grown in paddy fields has a high carbon footprint, wild rice eg from Italy grown differently is better.
Tips for a Sustainable Diet
Recommendations: “Food and Climate Change without the Hot Air” by S.L. Bridle – free to download. Updated edition of “How Bad are Bananas” by Mile Berners-Lee. For website recommendations see below.
There will be a climate diet festival in Cambridge 15-22 October: Festival programme — Cambridge Sustainable Food
Useful web site links to find out more
Feeding Britain | Sustainable Food Trust
The most damaging farm products? Organic, pasture-fed beef and lamb | Food | The Guardian
Climate change: Do I need to stop eating meat? – BBC News
The simple formula to cut your diet’s carbon footprint – BBC Food
Useful web sites for tips, suggestions and recipes
Veganuary 2023 | Home | The Go Vegan 31 Day Challenge
Events in Oakington, Westwick & Northstowe
Talk on Sustainable Food – choices, diets, local food, recipes, growing our own, reducing
waste. Wed 28 Sep, 7:30pm at St Andrew’s Church Hall, Oakington
Great Green Trail – follow the trail of eco ideas around the village, starting at the notice
board near Oakington Village Stores. Prize for the first person to solve the clues!
Community Recycling Event – including “Take It or Leave It” stall – for items pre-loved items,such
as books, toys and clothes (no electricals) that are in good or working condition; recycling skip for
broken and unrepairable small electrical items; seed swap; upcycling craft.
Sat 24 Sept, 11am- 1pm, Northstowe Green
Wellbeing Walk led by Oakington wildlife experts John Terry and Jake Camilleri. Followed by free
refreshments. Sun 25 Sept, 3pm, Northstowe Green
Recycling Workshop by the County Council Waste Education Team- Cambridgeshire County
Council, including what can and can’t be recycled! Mon 26 Sept, 7pm, Online – contact
sustainable.northstowe@outlook.com @sustainablenorthstowe
Cloth Nappy & Wipes Workshop. Tuesday 27 Sep, 1.30pm, Northstowe PathFinder School (Old
Wing). (During the baby group session there.)
Booking required, email ChildAndFamilyCentre.South@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Talk on Trees by tree expert Jake Camilleri from Westwick. Another opprtunity to hear this if you
missed it when held in Oakington earlier in the year.
Tuesday 27 Sept, 7pm – Northstowe Secondary Colllege (Library)
Talk on Wildlife Gardening by Oakington expert John Terry. Another opprtunity to hear this if you
missed it when held in Oakington earlier in the year.
Thursday 29 Sept, 7pm, Northstowe Secondary College, Community meeting room
Also coming up:
Eco Homes – Wed 26 Oct, 7:30pm at the Church Hall – get tips and inspiration from local
residents who have renovated their homes with the environment in mind
Wed 30 Nov, 7:30pm at the Church Hall – Bird Box Building – how to make a bird box from
reclaimed wood (TBC)
Contact Sustainable Oakington & Westwick:
sustainableow@gmail.com sustainableow.co.uk
Bird Box Building – Wed 30 Nov, 7:30pm at the Church Hall – – how to make a bird box from
reclaimed wood (TBC)
Contact Sustainable Oakington & Westwick:
sustainableow@gmail.com sustainableow.co.uk
Wednesday 29th June, 7.30 – 9.00, Church Hall
Hi all, next meeting of Sustainable Oakington & Wetwick group …interested in trees and would you like to know more about their benfits and how to help them? We have a resident tree expert to talk to us about this important subject and relate it to the village …. + group discussion re this and other things we can do toward a sustainabale village … all folk of all ages most welcome
7.30 Wednesday 25th May, Church Hall
Keen to reduce your environmental footprint but don’t know where to start? Not sure what to look out for, or what will have the biggest impact? From day to day swaps, to lifestyle changes, Sarah, from local business Green Blue You will share some tips on how you can reduce your environmental footprint and save some costs at the same time … what to watch out for in household ingredients, places and ways to source sustainable products and the local support available for doing things differently.
Followed by discussions.
Wednesday 27th April (last Wednesday every month)
7:30pm in St. Andrew’s Church Hall
With guest speaker fm the council, an expert in waste and recycling in practise.…
Wednesday 30th March, 7:30pm in St. Andrew’s Church Hall
Find out how to make your garden better for biodiversity plus discussion of other actions we can take in our community If you’re concerned about nature and the environment, come along!
Or get in touch: sustainableow@gmail.com / 0785 7704 636 / sustainableow.co.uk
Future meetings: 27 April: Waste & Recycling workshop,
25 May: Lifestyle Changes, 29 June: Trees
Thanks to all 30 who completed this one: if the while village behaves in the same way we are doing pretty well on this front: everyone who answered uses their own shopping bags, and the great majority use a reusable water bottle (93%), avoid single-use plastics (72%) and donate to charity shops (86%) and buy second-hand (69%). Most people avoid unnecessary purchases by buying things that will last (83%) and repairing things (79%). Many of us would like to avoid
packaging by using refills (52%), share tools (41%) and have a shopping-free month (34%)
click here to open full survey results
The most wide-ranging and systematic assessment to date (at least that I’ve heard of) of community lead initiatives (CLIs) for climate change mitigation was conducted by TESS (Towards European Societal
Sustainability), an EU funded research project. Based on case study research on the social, political, economic, technological and environmental impacts of 63 community led initiatives (CLIs) in six European countries (Spain, Italy, Romania, Germany, Scotland and Finland), TESS calculated carbon emissions savings compared with national baselines in each country.
This included a calculation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, compared with a baseline figure based on national per capita average emissions in the domain/s in question. This provides an estimate of the emissions avoided by each CLI, based on average consumption levels in each country, rather than a direct calculation.
Results indicated that CLIs achieve the highest reductions in GHG emissions through heat and electricity
generation, personal transportation and promoting / providing vegan and vegetarian diets (with provision of meals being a star performer rather than worrying about where the food comes from)). In terms of absolute total reductions, some headline figures are as follows:
In relation to total reductions, some headline figures are as follows:
• energy: average absolute reductions are 612 tCO2e/year (84.3% below baseline),
ranging from 40 to 2367 tCO2e/year across CLIs
• food: numbers of members and beneficiaries significantly influence figures. On
average, redistribution of food leads to a reduction of nearly 145 tCO2e/year per CLI
• transport: transportation of goods leads to an average 94.7% reduction of GHG
emissions compared with baseline figures, with absolute figures ranging from 1.8 to
43 tCO2e/year for different CLIs
• waste: the average absolute emissions reduction resulting from the activity “Repairing,
Reusing, Upcycling” is very high (1,574 tCO2e/year, with an average saving of 34 kg
CO2e per unit product)
Full report on this link – its chapter 5 that discusses the results and analyzes for the most effective activities
Sustainable Oakington and Westwick 