<![CDATA[Castlepoint Climate Action Group - Blog]]>Thu, 28 May 2026 19:47:01 +0000Weebly<![CDATA[ECO FAIR Hadleigh - September 25th]]>Wed, 10 Aug 2022 12:32:18 GMThttps://www.castlepointclimateactiongroup.org/blog/eco-fair-hadleigh-september-25thAs climate change is increasingly becoming of concern to more and more people we in CPCA have been thinking about what changes we can each make in our day to day lives to help bring about the changes we urgently need. 
Big changes or small, we can all make a difference!
If you are interested to know more about climage change and the changes we can make in our lives then come along to ...
Hadleigh Old Fire Station, 20 High Street, Hadleigh, SS7 2PB 11 am - 4 pm o
                                               Sunday September 25th

]]><![CDATA[Would You Like to Join In the Community Allotment?]]>Thu, 14 Apr 2022 06:28:56 GMThttps://www.castlepointclimateactiongroup.org/blog/would-you-like-to-join-in-the-community-allotmentUpdate on plans for the community allotment:
A plot has been allocated on the allotment site near Vic House Corner roundabout in Hadleigh and the first initial planning meeting has been chaired by Tracy Bliss from Active Essex.  Tracy is very keen to get the allotment up and running so she is looking out for people to join the leading group.
Whether you are an expert gardener or just keen to get stuck in and learn you will be very welcome. We simply need your enthusiasm for the project and some time to give.
Because the allotment will be for all the community the Council won’t allow it to come under the umbrella of any particular group  but, as we all know, growing food close to home helps to reduce the carbon emissions involved in transporting food over long distances..
‘Localisation’ – doing as much as we can close to home – is seen by many (see https://www.localfutures.org/) as the solution to the multiple global crises we face so Castle Point Climate Action Group is very keen to support the project.
If you’d like to be in at the beginning please get in touch with Tracy on - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1112035099652350/?multi_permalinks=1120575285464998&notif_id=1649165916363945&notif_t=group_activity&ref=notif
]]><![CDATA[Community Allotment is Ready to Go!]]>Wed, 23 Mar 2022 07:36:52 GMThttps://www.castlepointclimateactiongroup.org/blog/community-allotment-is-ready-to-go
The first community allotment meeting will be held on Friday 1st April at 3.30 pm at - 
The Farmhouse
Canvey Road
Canvey Island
Essex
SS8 0QU.
 
Please let us know if you are able to come and we look forward to meeting with you, if not then, some time soon.
]]><![CDATA[Let's Get Together!]]>Sat, 12 Mar 2022 10:32:16 GMThttps://www.castlepointclimateactiongroup.org/blog/lets-get-togetherOur next group meeting is planned for next Saturday 19th March from 10.30 - 12.30 at the Trust Links room behind Castle Point Council Offices and Runnymede Swimming pool (Post code SS7 1TF).  For parking take the turning on the Hadleigh side of the council offices and turn second right (swimming pool turn left). Go right down to the bottom before going through the gates.  The entrance to the meeting is on the left.  We've lots to catch up and look forward to hearing your ideas.
]]><![CDATA[March 12th, 2022]]>Sat, 12 Mar 2022 10:31:18 GMThttps://www.castlepointclimateactiongroup.org/blog/march-12th-2022<![CDATA[Why litter pick?]]>Wed, 16 Feb 2022 18:24:00 GMThttps://www.castlepointclimateactiongroup.org/blog/why-litter-pick
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Why litter pick?

1.  Protect wildlife - many animals and invertebrates get trapped in litter.  It's important to protect our local eco-systems from the little slugs to the badgers, for their survival and ours.
 
2.  Education - when you litter pick you learn so much about the natural environment but also the impact of human activity.  Just litter picking once will open your eyes to the way our society lives - waste and throwaway single use plastic.  In turn it will help you understand other environmental issues our planet faces locally, nationally and globally.
 
3.  Community - looking after your local area and working with others to make Castle Point a caring, welcoming place.  Litter picking is by no way a means to an end but a way to find solutions to our problems and that means working together.
 
4.  Exercise and mental wellbeing - all that fresh air is great for your physical and mental health.
 
5.  Socialising - you get to meet likeminded people and hopefully make some new friends.  What better way to spend your time than with others who are caring and have a sense of empathy.
​
Written by Emma Powell, Keep Britain Tidy Litter Hero Ambassador and Founder of the Castle Point Clean Up Crew
#litter
 #litterpicking
#waste
#climatechange
]]><![CDATA[Do we need a Community Allotment?]]>Sun, 06 Feb 2022 09:19:22 GMThttps://www.castlepointclimateactiongroup.org/blog/do-we-need-a-community-allotmentThe Castle Point Council has expressed an interest in allocating us a community allotment but it will no doubt take quite a lot of work in setting it up and then maintaining it.
So, before we go ahead to try to make it happen would you please let us know if you are interested in being part of this project?  It will be fun and will produce (we hope!) some nice food which will cut down on carbon emissions.  Also, of course, we won't be using chemicals so our produce will be organic.  A win-win really but it will also need a few of us willing to put in the work! 
Please respond here if you want to be part of the team.
]]><![CDATA[Change your bank to help change the world]]>Sun, 05 Sep 2021 21:33:14 GMThttps://www.castlepointclimateactiongroup.org/blog/change-your-bank-to-help-change-the-world
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Climate change is the biggest single threat facing the future of our planet and everyone will need to act if the predicted crisis is to be avoided. eCommonSense founder and CEO Andy Scothern explains that simply by changing our bank accounts, we all can make a difference and start shaping the agenda before it’s too late.
 
51 Billion tonnes!
 
That’s how much Co2 and Co2 equivalents human society emits into the atmosphere each year.
 
It’s hard to imagine how much that is, but if there was a motorway with 47 lanes to the moon and all lanes were full of 44 tonne articulated lorries all made from, and carrying a full load of bricks made of Co2, you’d be somewhere close. Safe to say, it’s a lot. To stay within the 1.5 degrees safety margin for global warming, we must get this imagined traffic jam to the moon cleared by 2050 or face potentially catastrophic changes to the climate and society. I’m not going to get into the details here, but a quick google search will yield plenty to have nightmares about.
 
1.5 degrees doesn’t sound much hotter than it is now, but when you put it into the context of the fragility of the ‘goldilocks zone’ of our planet it’s worth noting that during the last ice age when the world was a total ball of ice, it was only about 5 degrees colder than it is now and last time there was no ice anywhere on earth i.e. it was a total state of ‘Greenhouse earth’ and crocodiles existed at the North pole, it was only about 5 degrees warmer, so we’re only operating in a window of 10 degrees. With that frame of reference, 1.5 degrees now seems a lot, especially when the global average temperature is 15 degrees.
 
Climate change is massive and mind-boggling in every way. There are so many contributors and for some, it seems so far away that it’s easy to think that you’ve either got nothing to do with it or that you can do nothing about it. In some respects, you’d be right, as many of the solutions seem to be difficult to do, involve loads of personal sacrifice (for very little perceived global benefit), should be the job of the government or are simply too little too late.
 
“Don’t eat meat, don’t have kids, don’t have a car, forgo foreign holidays, get rid of your gas boiler, change your lightbulbs, insulate and retrofit your home, decarbonise your lifestyle… in fact, just stop living.”
 
There’s no question that if we give up all these things, then it’s going to be hard to enjoy life at all.
 
So, what do humans tend to do in such dilemmas? We do nothing and say things like: “Technology will save us, the government will step in, it won’t be as bad as they are saying (hopefully) and we all go back to normal, close our eyes and our ears and keep living the dream.”
 
There’s talk about planting loads of trees, which will help, but a tree can absorb 1 tonne of CO2 over 100 years or an acre of trees can absorb about 2.5 tonnes per year, so there’s not enough land for that to be the solution, so we need to do more – much, much more!
 
So, what can we all do as businesses and as individuals? Well, as is ever the way with societal change, you need to follow the money or more accurately, move the money. Throughout history, government subsidies and taxes and have elevated and crushed industries, as has access to finance. We can’t do much about the government except vote in elections, but we can influence the ability of the fossil fuel industries ability to access investment. 
 
How? Well, the top 5 banks in the UK for funding climate change industries are in descending order: Barclays, HSBC, Santander, Natwest & Lloyds. 
 
Collectively they have invested hundreds of billions into hugely damaging fossil fuel industries since the Paris climate accord; Investment that might otherwise have been channelled into renewable energy and businesses that are trying to get to Carbon Zero, including the high carbon manufacturers such as cement, bricks, steel and transport to mention a few.
 
It’s all too easy for us all to point the finger at these manufacturers and say it’s their responsibility, while we all use their products every day and at the same time, many of the readers of this article will have significant cash deposits and other assets held by these five banks.
 
This may be a bit out of a radical idea for many people, but if the construction products industry moved our bank accounts to a bank that does not invest in fossil fuels, a powerful message would be sent to the market that the banks need to change. You may think that the banks are already changing or that will not change anything.
 
First of all, there are numerous senior executives for whom banking and big oil careers are a revolving door, so don’t expect those turkeys to vote for Christmas.
It’s also worth noting that the oppressive and racist regime of apartheid collapsed in 1990 when European countries stopped investing in their economy and the Soviet Union collapsed at the end of 1991 when the finances dried up, so money matters.
 
Of course, it sounds like a pain to move banks (it's not- see note below), but it is nothing compared to the economic and societal damage that climate change is predicted to cause in the next 30 years. 
NOTE: The Current Account Switch Guarantee means your new bank will switch your payments and transfer your balance, and your old bank will take care of closing your old account. So you don’t need to worry​.
https://www.currentaccountswitch.co.uk/Pages/Home.aspx
 
History has shown that change happens when enough people demand it. This is the chance for the building supplies sector to lead the way by taking some simple steps that send out a clear message to the rest of the building industry. No doubt there will be more things that we can do, which I hope to explore in future articles, but by acting together now we can start to make a difference.

How to-tips
 
Actions you can take to make your cash make a difference to climate change:
 
1.   Write to your bank to ask what their investment policy is in regards to ethical matters, including the environment and fossil fuels.   
2.  Research alternative banks that have more ethical investment policies  
3.   Switch to a bank that has a more responsible approach to fossil fuel investments and inform your existing bank why you are moving.
NOTE: The Current Account Switch Guarantee means your new bank will switch your payments and transfer your balance, and your old bank will take care of closing your old account. So you don’t need to worry​.
  
4.   If you are a business- inform your customers, staff and suppliers why you are moving banks.  
5. Promote your climate change stance on communications such as email signatures, social media, promotional materials and on your website.  

 Useful links:
https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/money-finance/banks-climate-change-environmental-crisis
https://ethical.net/climate-crisis/fossil-fuel-divestment-101-a-complete-guide-to-divesting-your-money-uk/
https://www.energylivenews.com/2021/01/29/almost-80-of-barclays-and-hsbc-customers-unaware-of-their-banks-fossil-fuel-investments/

#divest, #banks funding climate change, #ethical banking,   #global warming, #barclays, #HSBC, #Santander, #Natwest
 
 

 
 
 

]]><![CDATA[Planning for our Community Allotment]]>Wed, 31 Mar 2021 17:16:25 GMThttps://www.castlepointclimateactiongroup.org/blog/planning-for-our-community-allotmentThe sap is rising, the temperature is going up and many of us are beginning to think about growing our own fruit and veggies.  Taking on an allotment single-handed might seem like a pretty big task for many of us, so we've been turning out attention to getting together and setting up a community allotment.
There's quite a lot to think about so we really need to get together to discuss how we can bring the idea into reality.  Lots of issues have already come to mind ...
1)   With a long waiting list for allotments how long will we have to wait to find a suitable plot?
2)   We'll need public liability insurance - how much will that cost?
3)   Talking of cost we obviously need tools which could set us back a bit although we might find people have tools surplus to their requirements which they would donate
4)    What facilities will we need?  Toilets? A shed? etc .  etc.
We really need a few energetic and enthusiastic people to steer us through the early stages as well as gardeners who know what they are doing and novices who are keen to learn!
If you are interested in being involved at the beginning of this exciting new Castle Point project please get in touch through - cpclimatecrisis@gmail.com ,
            By growing food in a community allotment we can share the work,
                                     share the produce and share the fun!

]]><![CDATA[Castle Point Clean Up Crew]]>Mon, 01 Mar 2021 08:34:11 GMThttps://www.castlepointclimateactiongroup.org/blog/castle-point-clean-up-crew
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by Emma Powell

I have been meaning to write a blog for quite some time but time is something I’m often short of. Some might say litter is a passion of mine and after years of litter picking and reading research, I consider myself to be knowledgeable of the psychology and behaviour behind littering.
I founded the Castle Point Clean Up Crew in August 2019, shortly after my appointment as a Litter Hero Ambassador for Keep Britain Tidy. Since then the group has grown in a way I never could have anticipated with volunteers across Castle Point litter picking their streets and local areas, as well as taking part in organised group picks when Covid-19 restrictions.
Whilst types of litter and behaviours can vary from place to place, the common trend is always the littering of particular items. Keep Britain Tidy conducted a survey in 2020 which found that 75% of items littered in the UK are single use drinking receptacles whether that be aluminium cans, plastic bottles or Costa Coffee cups. Castle Point is no exception to this rule. But why is this? I can’t help that feel that our culture, our economy and even our society is driven by an underlying ethos that nothing has value – items are cheaply mass produced, usually from plastic and then discarded just as quickly as they are ‘used’. Hence the single use item is so easily litter  don the ground.
What those who litter and consume in this manner, fail to comprehend or even consider is the resources that have been used to create that item (embodied resources) or the greenhouse gases produced from the factory (embodied CO2e) that are part of the climate crisis we currently face. Then when that item is discarded, where does it go? Chances are it’ll most likely go to landfill or swept into our ocean or even get buried in the ground. I’ve found crisp packets and aluminium cans dating to the 1980s and 1990s in some cases. Rarely will they get recycled or reused. It’s awful to think that all of those resources were used for one item to be discarded so easily without a thought.
Our litter epidemic we currently face as a borough and indeed a country is not just thoughtlessness but a consequence of how we use the earth’s resources. We need to change that mindset on how our society and our economy is shaped. Litter and waste is just the tip of the iceberg.

For more information, or to join, please check out the Castle Point Clean-up Crew facebook page


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