Summer 2010 Newsletter

In this month’s newsletter:

Cambridge Carbon Footprint Events

• 27th July, 7.30 – 9.30pm: Eco-renovation workshop: Eco-renovation on a Budget

Venue: 32 Nuttings Rd, CB1 3HU. (Off Coldhams Lane, near Sainsburys)

Suzie and Iain Webb will share their experiences of transforming their 1950s semi on a limited budget. Andy Brown of Cambridge Architectural Research will be on hand with technical explanations. We’ll also be making time to hear from you about which topics you’d like covered in future meetings.

Please let us know if you’re intending to come.

Coming up in the autumn:

Eco-renovation of Victorian and listed homes. Architect David Crowther will talk about the issues and solutions and answer your questions.

Choosing an eco-friendly heating system. Dave Jordan from Ridgeon’s Sustainability Team will discuss the options and answer your questions.

• 7th September, 7.30 – 9.30pm: Grow your own workshop – Autumn Review

Venue: Ross Street Community Centre, Ross Street, CB1 3UZ

A chance to meet fellow gardeners, share your gardening successes and failures, and pick up some seasonal tips and inspiration with local gardener and allotment holder Keith Jordan and former Trinity College Head Gardener George Thorpe. All levels of gardening experience are welcome!

Special to this season: we’ll look back over the last season – how was it for you and your garden? Bring along some produce you have grown. Saving seeds and storing produce. Start making plans for next season and preparing soil before conditions become too wet and sticky.

Sessions are free of charge and open to all. No need to book.  Donations are invited towards cost of room hire and refreshments.

More details about Grow Your Own workshops.

NB Ross Street Community Centre is accessible for disabled people with disabled parking bays near the side entrance.

Open Eco-Houses & Eco-renovation News – Liz Serocold

We’re looking back on the success of our Open Eco Houses project in June – 16 homes opened their doors for tours and there was a fantastic response from our supporters and the wider public. Over 200 people booked for tours, and there were almost 500 tours altogether – some of the householders said they got a bit hoarse by the end of the day!  Visitors made comments like ‘very inspiring and enlightening’, ‘really useful to see everything for real rather than just reading about it’ and ‘a spur to the small actions I am planning to take.’

The eco-renovation movement is increasing its momentum – and there are lots of ways for people to follow up their interest.  CCF is organising a series of Eco Renovation workshops – the next meeting is on 27 July [see above] And our friends at SmartLife are organising a 5-week Eco-Refurbishment for Householders course at Cambridge Regional College starting in September. For more information contact Sarah Bearpark 01223 226430; or sbearpark@camre.ac.uk.

Cambridge Carbon Footprint in the News

Our Open Eco Houses days were featured in the Daily Telegraph – in an article by Sarah Lonsdale, who visited two of the families opening their homes in June. Here’s the link:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/greenproperty/7829404/Green-property-Open-Eco-Homes.html

CCF at the Big Weekend

Thanks to all who helped on or visited our stall at the Big Weekend, and congratulations to Colin from Arbury, winner of our prize draw.  Enjoy your bottle of bubbly, kindly donated by the Co-op.

Politics and Campaigning: Sustainable Growth? – Tom Bragg

June’s meeting of G8 leaders agreed a 5-point plan to boost growth, to avoid further recession and to climb out of our debt. Their communiqué uses the phrase “sustainable growth”, but maybe meaning without further economic setbacks, rather than environmentally sustainable. Of course our planet limits growth, as shown in this delightful video: www.impossiblehamster.org, backed by a serious report.

I asked the thoughtful economist, Will Hutton, if long-term growth can be sustainable and he said yes, by using new technology. As a technologist, I find this unbelievable. Most of the inventions that have transformed our lives come from the period 1850 to 1950, with only a few recent transforming technologies, like the internet, in spite of massively increased R&D spending. Technology is on diminishing returns – although it can help solve our problems, it won’t fix them.

Tim Jackson’s book “Prosperity without Growth” ably describes the problem of an economic system hooked on consumer-driven growth and how to escape this.

www.sd-commission.org.uk/publications/downloads/prosperity_without_growth_report.pdf

Gardening in July – Think positive and creatively! By Keith Jordan

**Editors comment: Keith predicted if he wrote about drought there would be rain before the newsletter was published, and so it has proved! Who knows what awaits us in August though, so read on for tips for dry weather…

The dry period we are experiencing is reminiscent of the long drought in 1976 when lawns were parched, water butts empty and plants wilting in the strong sun.  It is challenging for gardeners but think of the good points of this weather, compared to wet, cool summers we sometimes experience.  It is great for crops that need hot, sunny conditions to ripen the fruits (tomatoes, peppers, chillies, etc.). Damage from slugs and snails is significantly down and Song Thrushes are despatching many snails from the signs of broken shells.  Fungal diseases like potato blight are less common in dry weather and even weed germination is low – only established weeds are growing.

Unless rains come soon water conservation measures are needed.  A huge proportion of the water applied to the UK’s gardens will have evaporated by the following day as it is often applied to the surface.

1. Half sink empty plant pots or drainpipe sections next to plants that need watering – e.g. courgettes, squashes, sweetcorn, tomatoes, new fruit bushes or trees, etc.  This makes sure water gets down to the roots rather than staying on the soil surface where much of it will evaporate.  Keep pots covered to stop baby frogs or toads falling in and snails hiding!
2. ‘Mulch’ around any bigger plants (after watering) with cardboard, straw, bulky organic materials or even non-flowering weeds – at last I’ve found a use for Horsetails (Marestail)!
3. Shade more leafy plants like lettuces and other salad crops, turnips, brassicas – use any shading material, old umbrellas/gazebos or leafy stems of shrubs you prune (many shrubs can be pruned just after they have flowered). Shady gardens or allotments with fruit trees can be better in heat waves as long as the plants obtain enough moisture.
4. Don’t mow lawns! – longer grass survives better in drought – just snip off any grass flowers, etc with shears.  As in 1976, grass will grow back once ‘the rains’ finally come
5. In greenhouses leave some water in trays/ damp down paths – the evaporation cools the air
6. Install water butts or any containers to catch rain water (when it eventually comes) from buildings and sheds.  On a holiday to Malta years ago I remember seeing big steps to capture run-off from roads and buildings to be used for irrigating crops.  This Mediterranean island has little rain and what comes down is precious. We need to take similar steps to prepare for drought conditions.  My allotment site obtained some large (1000litre) metal rubbish bins a few years ago that were no longer needed by the City Council. Mine is still half full, with rain collected over the winter.

Ups and Downs – Monitoring Electricity Usage by Martin Roach

For a year or so I have been monitoring my electricity usage using a real time display in the kitchen. Here are my thoughts so far:

1. Seeing the display makes you think about your overall usage and energy consumption in general – ‘it helps keep it top of mind’ – and visitors ask about it.
2. It also shows higher than normal usage and so what appliances are be turned on that needn’t be -  although this has not been often
3. It once proved useful in detecting that the oven had been left on accidentally – and so reduced potential family conflict
4. It helps me understand the pattern of usage during the day – higher in the morning and evening
5. It has not yet lead to any lifestyle changes – but then we were already thinking about energy usage
6. The monitor has been temperamental but regular upgrades are sorting out the problems – it is not yet fool proof
7. The most valuable information is knowing now much each appliance consumes  and so reducing usage or planning an upgrade strategy – this is best done with a single appliance monitor
8. There is information on feedback from other users on the following link: http://www.tyndall.ac.uk/sites/default/files/twp141.pdf