One of our members thought it would be good to create some imagery, highlighting the issues facing castlepoint- after all- a picture paints a thousand words. We asked if he could provide some commentary for the inspiration behind these images.
'The concept came to me last night during a restless sleep and a moment’s inspiration. I have been commenting on various facebook sites about the current Castle Point Local Plan which is putting developers’ profits before residents’ health and well-being, by allowing destruction of the carbon absorbing green fields to accommodate unnecessary house building. Then the catchy rhyme of Residents’ Health before Developers’ Wealth materialised. I compiled the diagram image, from forest to deforestation, and this demonstrated and inspired the Evolution of Air Pollution slogan. Finally, I wanted a ‘green’ slogan to encourage protection of the green belt to avoid fuelling over-congestion. Where a picture paints a thousand words, it is sometimes more communicative to create a visual image of the point you are trying to put across, than lengthy paragraphs of texts. Feel free to utilise these posters to promote the principle that all this development will adversely affect our health and negatively increase the effects of climate change.' You will find these images below and also on the resources page. Feel free to print, use and promote local issues. :-) #castlepoint #climate change #essex #hadleigh #benfleet
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We hear a lot nowadays about ‘ethical consumption’ so, wondering exactly what it means to be an ‘ethical consumer’, I went off to search. In Google, of course, like you do! I was especially interested to know whether in this mad world of ours buying ‘ethically’ is difficult and whether it really helps to bring about the urgent change we need if we are to protect our planet for future generations.. It’s generally accepted that buying ethically means we think about whether the manufacture and transport of the goods we buy are harmful or not to the environment and to society generally. So we think about the carbon footprint, resource use, animal welfare and workers’ rights along the supply chain. The Co-operative Society’s Ethical Consumer report last year showed that total ethical spending rose almost fourfold in the past 20 years. It seems that UK consumers are really beginning to think about what they buy and how their purchasing power can be used to bring about change. For starters, lots of people are suggesting that when we are going out to buy something new we need to pause a moment to think about whether we really need it. Can the old one be repaired if it is broken? Are we simply replacing something because the fashion has changed and is that really important? An important reminder here is that when we say we’ll throw something ‘away’, there is no such place as ‘away.’ Some things, fortunately, can be recycled but much ends up in landfill either in this country or more so in recent years in poor countries overseas. Much of the plastic we throw ‘away’ ends up polluting the oceans, the rivers and the land. Important in the attempt to encourage people to shop ethically is the ‘Boycott Amazon’ campaign. What’s that all about? From the Ethical Consumer website I learned that …
Another problem with a global corporation like Amazon is that is goes against what many people believe is the best way to move our planet towards a better future – localisation. The argument is that globalisation has caused many of the problems we face today, loss of biodiversity, global heating and massive inequality, so the remedy is localisation. A very good case for localisation is made by Local Futures - www.localfutures.org But, the question still remains: Can the way we choose to spend our money help to bring about the changes we need? There’s no doubt that taking account of the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of things we do and things we buy (our ‘carbon footprint’) can only help in the important and urgent task of keeping the planet’s temperature within reasonable limits. Ethical Consumer - https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/- makes it easy to keep tabs on your carbon footprint and you might decide to take out a subscription for their bi-monthly magazine which is always full of interesting facts. ick here to edit. The Friends of Coombe Wood is a community group which helps to preserve this lovely ancient woodland in the middle of Thundersley (on the left of Bread and Cheese Hill going up).
The Friends successfully applied for the woodland to be granted Village Green status which means it is protected for use by locals for leisure in the future. It is a joy to visit at any time of the year but especially in Spring when the bluebells add a beautiful blue blanket. The officers who have been spearheading the work of looking after the woodland for a number of years are now looking for new members to add their support. If you’d like to find out more please visit the website on http://www.friendsofcoombewood.org.uk/ and/or call the Chairman, John Rostron on 01268 757984 I’d just been thinking that we could use the restrictions we’re all living under to prepare for action when we are able to get out and about again when I came across the really inspirational website which is full of really good news stories Carbon Copy - (www.carbon.copy.eco) Many of us are concerned that the government aren’t doing enough to bring about the changes we need to avoid catastrophic climate change but the good news is that at the grassroots action is taking off big time. Throughout the UK (indeed all over the world!) people are getting together in their local communities to work on projects ranging from tree planting to repairing, recycling and generally living a more ‘green’ lifestyle. Of course it’s a good idea not to ‘reinvent the wheel’ so instead of leaping in with an idea without experience it’s always worth seeing what other people have done, what has worked and what hasn’t. So it was that I came across a gold-mine of information at Carbon Copy who say they are … ‘ … a hub that connects local communities, councils and companies who share the goal of a carbon zero future. We are a non-political, non-profit organisation. Our aim is to help more people in taking local climate action and collectively in building something better.’ So, as we in CPCA group get ready to go out and make things happen as soon as restrictions allow, a look at what people in other parts of the country have successfully done will be a good start. I’ve made my selection from the website below but you might like to take a look yourself. . You might feel you have the time & interest to get involved in something similar in Castle Point. If so, please do get in touch with us. We’d be really pleased to hear from you. CropDrop in Bath & N Somerset is increasing the local supply of fruit and vegetables from bountiful allotments and food growers to community projects and organisations. Volunteer drivers transport food from growing sites to alleviate food shortage. Allotments and food projects are connected within the same area to help strengthen communities and minimise the ‘food miles’ of the produce. https://carboncopy.eco/initiatives/cropdrop Plastic Shed in Stockport work closely with the community to reuse plastic waste that isn't currently recycled by the council. They work with people in the community to turn plastic waste into new useful things. https://carboncopy.eco/initiatives/plastic-shed Upcycle Fashion started in 2010 by a student of sustainable fashion at the London College of Fashion and allows for creative collaboration with schools, businesses and community groups to explore the potential for reusing, reshaping and repurposing garments, to engage citizens with sewing skills and variation: To see that their clothes have more than one single use, shape or style. By using skills to extend the life of clothing we are more likely to become emotionally attached to that item and place value in its longevity. Through this approach, Julia hopes to slow down the disposable culture of fast fashion. https://carboncopy.eco/initiatives/upcycle-fashion ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Library of Things is a social enterprise based on a franchise model which is fully insured taking on the majority of risk and responsibility in the first two years while locals establish a new Library. Members of the community host and run the space. Things are borrowed at affordable (daily) rental rates, and items vary by each Library of Things location - from drills to gazebos to carpet cleaners. https://carboncopy.eco/initiatives/library-of-things Food Connect aims to redistribute food that is perfectly good to eat but would otherwise go to waste. Food Connect helps to bridge the ‘final mile’ between food retailers and the community, as the vehicles will be a super-efficient redistribution service to retailers and help deliver great food to community fridges. https://carboncopy.eco/initiatives/food-connect The Edible Garden Project is all about engaging young children and their parents in growing and eating healthy food, as well as providing training and local employment. Projects are based in schools https://carboncopy.eco/initiatives/the-edible-garden-project A bee corridor - The decline in the bee population is becoming a real problem so some Councils have decided to manage their green areas differently. A mix of wldflower meadows across parks and open spaces create a “bee corridor” and encourages a host of different pollinators to return. Could we see if our Council is doing this? https://carboncopy.eco/initiatives/brent-bee-corridor Tree planting - Many acres of our woodlands have disappeared over the last few centuries. This trend is continuing with the current development of our green belt. This is disastrous for many reasons but perhaps most pressingly because trees are essential for tackling climate change. Tree planting groups are taking off across the country. https://carboncopy.eco/initiatives/avon-needs-trees --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We in CPCA group are always looking for ways we can help to bring about the changes we urgently need to prevent catastrophic climate change. We welcome anyone interested in joining us and as soon as we are able to get out and about we will be back in action. Recently come to our attention is an on-line event describing how to set up a community repair project. Mending something instead of throwing it away and buying new is just one way in which we can move forward to a more sustainable way of living. If repairing is up your street you might like to look at - https://www.facebook.com/events/824255161724455
Please get in touch if it is something you might be interested in helping with. Labour has launched its Green Economic Recovery Plan. The plan details the shortfalls of the current Government and sets out plans to tackle the job crisis created through the impact of Covid 19 and how the UK can decarbonise the economy. For more information visit: labour.org.uk/page/green-recovery-report/ or access the document below:
Earlier this year our group wrote to Rebecca Harris to ask if she would support the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill which is being put forward by Caroline Lucas MP. We were, of course, hoping she would support this very important Bill. For her reply see our home page.
The Bill which had its first reading in the House of Commons in September this year has a long and arduous route ahead and we had hoped that we could rely on our MP to give it her support. Its second reading will be on 12th March 2021. The Bill was drafted by a broad alliance of scientists, lawyers and activists who see the Bill becoming law as crucial if we are to come close to dealing with runaway climate change. In a nutshell it calls for:
It's time that we all realised that our increasing use of fossil fuels to power mechanisation is causing overpopulation, vast inequality and the accelerating rate of extinction of all complex life on our planet.
It should be basic knowledge to everyone, particularly those in power, that all life is totally dependent on the presence of vast quantities of vegetation and fungi. Early forms of them grew by absorbing the greenhouse gas- carbon dioxide, releasing all the non-greenhouse gas- oxygen that we have in our atmosphere now! This process cooled the Earth's atmosphere to a temperature range suitable for more complex forms of life to evolve as it calmed the planet's violent climate. Early forms of crustaceans (shellfish and corals) aided this process of carbon dioxide removal by using it to form almost half of the mass of their protective shells. The accumulated vast amounts of dead vegetation and shells were deposited in huge layers over most of the world as fossil fuels and limestone type rocks (like the Alps). These processed removed an immense amount of carbon dioxide. Vegetation supplies the basis of all life's food and all the oxygen for complex life to move and think. In the past, all life took only what it needed to grow, reproduce and mutate before dying. It's waste products and living parts are totally recycled to form more living things. Early humans lived this way initially, but their brains enabled them to learn how to use and control their environment- making life safer and easier, but in a more competitive way. In the last two centuries, rapidly expanding mechanisation powered by burning fossil fuels has completely reversed all that vegetation and crustaceans have achieved. It blasted millions of tons of hot carbon dioxide back into our atmosphere as it burns and as limestone releases it in the production of iron and cement to create vast human infrastructures. This transformation leaves less room for life giving vegetation to grow, whilst pollution's acidity kills off crustaceans in our seas. This is why all sensible people must stop burning fossil fuels now wherever possible, and quickly revert o renewable energy. We must also work with manual tools where possible to plant and cultivate as much diverse native vegetation as we can to restore our natural food chains and reduce the carbon dioxide concentration to a safer, cooler level. We are Earth's only custodians. Ray Lennard Brown, We are in grave danger. We face the worst crisis we have ever had to deal with. The CEE Bill is an historic opportunity to change course. To make the CEE Bill law, the majority of MPs will need to back it.
Although the UN has warned of the horrific dangers of global temperature rises and we've all experienced yet another record-breaking heatwave this summer, the Government is still missing most of its climate targets. Where are the emergency measures to protect and restore nature, which our lives depend on? Every MP needs to know what awaits if there is continued inaction and that we won’t wait around any longer. Sign up at www.CEEbill.uk to join the campaign and find out more. If enough of us heed the call, then change becomes possible. Please put pressure on our MP, Rebecca Harris, to take the CEE Bill seriously and act with the urgency we need. I’ve been sad recently to notice that so many front gardens are being paved over and artificial grass is being laid.
Of course, we all need somewhere to park the car and perhaps we aren’t all keen on gardening, but giving nature space to flourish in our front gardens is essential if we are to deal with the climate crisis and give wild life a home. The money spent on paving and artificial grass would pay for lots of gardeners and even if we have more than one car there’s usually some space for pots, baskets or even a small flower border. Greening the space round our homes helps to keep the air clean, absorbs carbon and provides a welcome habitat for visiting bees and other wildlife. How pleased I was to spot a petition asking the government to ban artificial grass. If it gets enough signatures it will go before parliament and hopefully become law. Please sign! https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/300919 |
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