Cambridge Carbon Footprint

January 2010 Newsletter

Happy New Year from Cambridge Carbon Footprint!

See below for our January Newsletter, with information on our Carbon Conversations Courses starting in January, other CCF events coming up, and tips and ideas from our DIY, Garden and Cookery experts on how to reduce your carbon footprint this month.

Contents:

I. Carbon Conversations

If you haven’t yet taken part in one of our 6-session Carbon Conversations groups, the New Year is the perfect time. Meet with like-minded folk, share ideas, plans and feelings and get on the road to halving your carbon footprint.

Everyone gets a copy of the 128pp fully illustrated Carbon Conversations handbook and the whole thing costs only £15. Enrol through the office. Here are the dates times and venues:

In Cambridge:

Group A: Tues fortnightly, 7:30-9:30pm beg. 12th Jan, Newnham area
Group B: Wed fortnightly, 7:30-9:30pm beg. 27th Jan, off Mill Rd
Group C: Thurs fortnightly, 7:30-9:30pm beg. 21st Jan, near Grafton Centre
Group D: Sat daytime, fortnightly, starting 9th Jan Barnwell Area. A group for parents. Babies and toddlers under 2 yrs old are welcome to join us.

In the villages:

Gamlingay: beginning January. Contact on ccgamlingay@hotmail.co.uk for more details or to register.
Histon: Wed fortnightly, 7:30-9:30pm beginning January 13th.
Waterbeach: Tues fortnightly, 7.30-9.30 beg, January 19th

Within a faith perspective:

Christian: Thurs fortnightly, 7:00-9:00pm beg. 21st Jan, Castle Street Methodist Church.

II. Upcoming CCF Events

* Communication workshop: Brick walls and Brickbats with Penny Henderson
Tuesday 12th January 7.30-9.30pm
Venue: St Luke’s Centre, Victoria Road CB4 3ED

This evening is an opportunity to think about easier ways
to have difficult conversations with colleagues and friends about climate
change. We will explore creative responses to lighten the situation and leave
you and them feeling better.

* CCF Post christmas Party – Sing Bring and Buy Seasonal Meal
Sunday 17th January 6.30-9.30pm
Venue: Ross Street Community Centre, CB1 3UZ

Cambridge Carbon Footprint invites you to celebrate the New Year with us. Bring
food to share, unwanted presents to swap and your best singing voice.

* Say it with Music – Helen Odell-Miller
Tuesday 26th January, 7.30 – 9.30pm
Venue: Music Therapy clinic, Anglia Ruskin

Express your feelings about climate change with music to help us access thoughts and feelings which might be hard to put into words. The workshop will use a variety of instruments, voice and listening and you do not need any musical skills to participate. Booking essential.

* Communication Workshop: Creativity – Anne Miller
Tuesday 2nd February, 7.30 – 9.30pm
Venue: St Luke’s Centre, Victoria Road

This workshop will teach you a powerful technique for being more creative when thinking about how to reduce carbon emissions (or anything else). It will be run by creativity expert Anne Miller, Director of The Creative Partnership. Participants are invited to discuss and build on a carbon reduction issue on which they would value creative ideas from the group.

* Eco-renovation in practice – visit to AC Architects
Thursday 11th February, 6pm
Venue: AC Architects, Victoria Road

In 2002 AC Architects took on the challenge of renovating the corner shop at the junction of Albert Street and Victoria Road as an exemplary low energy building for their own office use with residential accomodation above. This building visit allows you to see the results and listen to a talk on the project by the Director, architect Anne Cooper. Booking essential.

III. Other events

* Seed Swap organised by Trumpington Allotment Society
Sunday 17th January, 1.30pm – 4pm
Venue: Trumpington Village Hall, High Street, Trumpington

£1 entry fee – children free

Prepare for 2009’s planting! Come and swap your surplus seeds with other keen gardeners, whether collected from your own garden or allotment, or commercially grown.

Trumpington W.I. will be selling Fairtrade tea,coffee, biscuits and home-made cakes. Local Cam Valley apple juice will also be on sale.

* Nonviolent Communication training
Saturday 17th–Sunday 18th April 2010

Advance notice of this valuable weekend training event in Cambridge.

For more details and how to book, please go to www.lifeatwork.co.uk.
Or contact Yogaratna (event organiser): dh.yogaratna@googlemail.com, 01223 327 253

IV. Ro’s Reflections – Coping after Copenhagen

The Guardian’s January 1st promotion of the 10:10 campaign bore the headline “The politicians failed in Copenhagen – so now it’s up to you.” Psychologically, this rang alarm bells for me: emphasising small personal steps as an alternative to large-scale political failure is known to confuse and disillusion people. Coping with the fall-out from the hugely disappointing result requires more than exhortations to turn off the lights.

The first thing is to acknowledge the emotional impact, both on ourselves, and on the general
public. How did you feel when you heard? Here are a few of the responses I’ve met amongst activists:
·    Numbness and shock – not thinking, distracting oneself, avoiding the implications;
·    Exhaustion – finding it hard to think, continuing mechanically with current tasks;
·    Rage – sounding off in fury to anyone who will listen, (and to some who won’t!)
·    Cynicism – implying that one foresaw the result, expected little and is not surprised;
·    Depression and fear – feeling anxious and powerless, pre-occupied with the vulnerability of children, family or friends;
·    Grief – uncontrollable weeping and distress.

Many of the general public will share these responses, but we are also likely to find an increase in complacency and disinterest. The message from Copenhagen can also be read as ‘it doesn’t matter that much’/ ‘it can’t be important’ /‘I needn’t do anything yet’/ ‘it’s nothing to do with me’/ ‘it can’t be solved.’

Like many, I had hoped that the outcome from Copenhagen would give a strong, motivating framework for national and local action and provide a model of leadership and co-operation that we could reflect in our own work.

There is disappointment here, but it is important to recognise that the outcome does not devalue or lessen the importance what we do. Carbon reduction remains an essential task, as does the complex work of understanding, both socially and individually, how to achieve it. Our Carbon Conversations groups, network, calendar, communications workshops, Climate Friendly Homes project, Akashi project, support and outreach, all remain a vital contribution. We hope that 2010 will be the year that many more people in Cambridge will take big steps towards carbon reduction, plan for major changes and join with others in creating a worthwhile low-carbon future.

We have a great variety of excellent meetings coming up in January. Some of them create space for talking through the implications of Copenhagen. Others carry on the essential work of creating the low-carbon future. I do hope we will be seeing you at them.

In hope for the future,

Rosemary Randall

V. Politics and Campaigning by Tom Bragg

Many of us from Cambridge joined The WAVE, UK’s biggest climate demonstration, demanding a fair, ambitious & binding deal at Copenhagen. But the resulting Accord is none of these: it’s a big disappointment. http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2009/cop15/eng/l07.pdf

The US side-stepped the UN process and agreed the Accord in a closed meeting with China, India, Brazil & South Africa. It recognises that global temperature rises should be kept below 2°C but is vague on how to achieve this. It has a “goal” of providing $100B/yr by 2020 to help developing countries minimise their carbon emissions, as proposed by Gordon Brown, but doesn’t say how it will be raised or allocated.

The last 2 pages are blank tables for industrialised countries to fill in by 31st January, declaring their 2020 emission reduction targets and actions. Email Ed Milliband, demanding we pledge a 40% cut: www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/economy/press_for_change/cop_out_22404.html

Let’s keep climate change high on the political agenda this year, particularly at the forthcoming elections.

VI. It Pays to Save – by Martin Roach, House DIY

To help consider what steps you can take to make energy improvements to your home, here is a list showing the cost, likely annual savings and return on your investment. These are just averages, mostly taken from Energy Savings Trust data, but should give you a pointer for your home. And remember that they are not all additive – the total savings may add up to more than your energy bills! – for as you make improvements then your energy bills will be lower so you will not get the stated benefits from the next step you take – but don’t let that put you off.

I have split them into categories to help you decide where to start:

“No Brainers” – Low cost and great savings

Low energy light bulbs; (Cost £100; likely annual savings £120; return 120%)
Hot water cylinder jacket and extra surrounding insulation (£50; £38; 76%)
Chimney balloon for when open fire not in use (£30; £20; 67%)*
* or save even more by using an inflated bag from inside a boxed wine carton)
Filling gaps in floor/skirting boards (£50; £25; 50%)
Improved heating controls – wall thermostat/etc. (£150; £60; 40%)

“Bankers” – Low cost but good savings
Cylinder thermometer to control hot water temperature (£50; £22; 44%)
Draught proofing doors/windows and other gaps (£100; £30; 30%)
installing temperature control vales on radiators (each: £30; £8; 27%)
Lag hot water pipes in hot water cylinder cupboard etc. (£100; £12; 12%)
Reflector panels behind radiators against outside walls (£5; £1; 20%)

All of these improvements cost under £100 each and many a lot less, especially if you can do them yourself. But the key point is that just about all improvements pay for
themselves from the savings in energy costs you will enjoy

***Offers***
Best price on loft insulation two large rolls (200mm thick) for under £7 from B&Q
Rigid board insulation for loft storage areas £26.99 for two packs from Focus – if in stock Chipboard panels to protect rigid loft insulation: £4.99 per pack from B&Q

VII. Ask Andy:

How much insulation do I need in my loft?

In 1985 the recommended thickness was 150mm. The Energy Saving Trust now recommends 270mm. The 10:10 campaign consultants,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/31/10-10-homes-energy-efficient propose 400mm. So why stop there? Does adding more and more make a difference?

There a few points to consider:

- The law of diminishing returns

Upgrading an uninsulated loft makes a huge difference, saves up to 600kg of CO2 and covers its cost within a couple of years. Topping up from 270mm to 400mm will save another 30kg and have a payback of several years. While it may not be a priority, it still makes sense.

As the insulation piles up, the heat losses around the edges also begin to limit the possible savings.

- Ventilation

Most lofts are ventilated through the eaves. Insufficient ventilation will cause unwelcome condensation on the felt, under the tiles or slates. You have to leave a gap between the edge of the insulation and the felt, with an allowance for the insulation to settle.

Air movement within the insulation becomes more significant as it gets thicker. Beyond 300mm it will be essential to use rigid foams or fibre insulation wrapped in sealed bags.

- Access

Most ceiling joists are 100mm deep, so the first layer of insulation fits snugly between them and you can put all those old boxes back, balanced on the joists. Thicker insulation covers the joists and has to be protected from anything that might compress it. While it is possible to build a platform over fibre insulation, rigid polyurethane boards are a better solution. The insulation will support boarding for access. Polyurethane is also twice as effective as mineral wool, so 150mm of polyurethane over 100mm of mineral wool between the joists will have the same effect as 400mm of mineral wool.

It is probably worth putting in more insulation that you thought, but it is also important to
have a plan that works for the whole house. If you need more advice, start with a free survey from our ‘Climate Friendly homes’ project.
http://cambridgecarbonfootprint.org/action/climate-friendly-homes-project/

VIII. January Gardening – Plant fruit trees for a longterm crop

By Keith Jordan

When temperatures plunge to sub-zero it is important to protect any stored fruit and veg you have. To store well they need to kept cold but not frozen. I’ve added extra temporary insulation to my apples, pumpkins and marrows in a store cupboard outside which will hopefully see them through the worst of the cold weather. Potatoes and root crops are still outside in a heap covered by old compost bags and soil but I may put an extra cover over them. When milder weather returns it’s an ideal time to plant new fruit bushes or trees (while they are dormant). The roots will have a couple of months to grow and establish before the leaves develop and demand a supply of water. Soft fruits such as autumn raspberries will probably fruit in their first year, around August and September. Plant soon and you should get a first crop in 2011.

Apples, pears, cherries, plums and gages are crops that will take a few more years to produce a crop, but when they do they will crop for years and provide great habitats for wildlife. For most gardens where space is limited buy plants that are dwarf or semi-dwarf. Growing several varieties means that, for apples, you can eat your own fruits from August (the early varieties), throughout the autumn (later varieties) and well into the News Year (April/possibly May) with those that store well. After that the soft fruits take over!

IX. Seasonal Recipe by Jacky Sutton-Adam

This latest cold snap has me reaching for comfort food: hearty soups and stews that have an almost instant warming quality. The trouble is, my taste buds are still craving fresh zingy flavoured foods as an antidote to the rich excesses of the Christmas season: it feels like a heart against stomach fight and I need to find a win-win solution! This month’s recipe uses lemon and ginger for the zip and zing factor in this warming, comforting Jerusalem artichoke soup.

Zingy Lemon and Ginger Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

* 500g Jerusalem Artichokes, peeled and sliced
* 1 small onion sliced
* 1tbs butter/ olive oil
* 20ml lemon juice
* 1cm cube fresh ginger peeled and finely sliced
* Salt and black pepper
* 1L vegetable stock

Prepare the Jerusalem artichokes by peeling and slicing them, slice the onion.

Heat a large saucepan with the butter, once the butter starts to foam add the onion and the sliced Jerusalem artichokes with the sliced ginger and a little bit of seasoning. Saute until the artichokes and onions are golden brown.

Then deglaze the pan by adding the lemon juice, and cook until the caramelised bits on the pan dissolve and coat the artichokes and onions.

Add the vegetable stock and bring the soup to a gentle simmer with a lid covering the pan. Gently simmer the soup for 25 – 30 minutes. Finally, whizz with a hand blender until everything is smooth and serve with a slice of sourdough bread.

For more recipes visit www.wildfoodie.com