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In this issue:
- Good news for local air quality
- Sustainability and Climate Crisis Strategy 2024-27
- St Albans Greener Together
- Make your home a Super Home
- Local recycling incentives we love
- Local beekeepers warn public to be vigilant about reporting Asian Hornets
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Good news for local air quality
 Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) pollution levels in St Albans District have improved so much over the last five years that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has approved the revocation of two out of three of the Districts Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA).
The remaining AQMA, at the Peahen Junction in St Albans City Centre, continues to be monitored as some pollutants are still quite close to national air quality limits. Last year however, pollution levels were below air quality standards. We hope this trend will continue and we continue to investigate how we might make ongoing improvements in future. You can find out more about local air quality here.
Nitrogen dioxide is produced when fuels such as oil, gas and diesel are burned at high temperatures. Road transport is the largest emission source in the UK. The gas is known to be harmful to health with particular impacts to the lungs and respiratory system. Children and the elderly are most vulnerable.
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Sustainability and Climate Crisis Strategy is now live |
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Our strategy to reduce emissions and protect the environment
 Everywhere we turn we are confronted with more disturbing headlines about climate change. February has been the warmest February on record and the same goes for each of the seven months preceding it. Sea surface temperatures are higher than ever and Antarctic sea ice is reaching record lows. This all correlates with atmospheric greenhouse gases being at their highest levels for over 2 million years. We all need to play our part in transitioning away from a fossil fuel powered lifestyle.
Our new Sustainability and Climate Crisis Strategy 2024-27 sets out what we will do to reduce our emissions and facilitate a community-wide movement towards a more sustainable future. Our action plan seeks to drive progress in six key areas:
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Governance and Leadership: Reviewing corporate processes around decision-making, procurement, reporting and monitoring, recruitment and training to ensure they all reflect our commitment to achieving net zero by 2030. We will also focus on raising awareness across the community and encouraging action from everyone who lives or works here.
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Energy and Buildings: Decarbonising buildings, developing sustainable projects, creating a Local Plan that encourages efficient and sustainable development that protects local biodiversity and supporting local landlords to improve the efficiency of their properties.
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Transport and Air Quality: Moving away from a fossil fuel powered fleet, providing greener travel options for staff, supporting low carbon travel across the District where we can and improving air quality.
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Circular Economy, Waste & Food: Reducing waste across Council operations, improving reuse and recycling across the District and promoting sustainable and healthy food choices.
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Biodiversity and Natural Environment: Making land more wildlife friendly, improving carbon sequestration and improving resilience to climate changes.
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Water Resources and Flooding: Improving water efficiency and minimising flood risk.
You can see how we are doing by checking our Sustainability and Climate web pages throughout the year where we will be posting progress.
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St Albans Greener Together |
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A new initiative to get everyone working together
 St Albans Greener Together is a district-wide initiative to empower and enable local residents, community groups and businesses to come together to create a more environmentally sustainable future. The project has been funded by Innovate UK which is supporting creative approaches to achieving net zero across the UK.
St Albans District is a hive of sustainability activity, and many local projects were started by individuals wanting to do something positive, with the Council supporting their passion. St Albans Greener Together will encourage and facilitate these activities by inspiring ideas and providing expert advice, support, and funding to bring forward practical community-based sustainability solutions.
Whether you are an individual wanting to learn more, an expert with skills to contribute, a business, voluntary organisation, school or community group, everyone will be encouraged to take part in the network, by sharing, learning and creating projects to improve the sustainability of the District.
Look out for more information in the press, social media and on our website in April.
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Make your home a Super Home |
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Free home energy retrofit plans for eligible homes
 Are you in interested in making your home more energy efficient? If so, you’re in luck as for a limited time, the National Energy Foundation is delivering free Home Energy Retrofit Options (HERO) Plans in Hertfordshire!
SuperHomes is a FREE service to help homeowners understand how to maximise the energy efficiency of their home to achieve greater comfort, cost savings and a reduced carbon footprint. Homeowners can obtain a free home survey, conducted by a qualified Retrofit Coordinator. You will then receive a free bespoke HERO Plan with independent advice on the best retrofit measures for your home. You will also receive free advice on how to put your HERO plan into action.
SuperHomes prioritises hard-to-treat homes which are difficult to retrofit and are under 150m2. Example homes include listed buildings, poorly insulated, located in conservation areas or built with solid walls. However, SuperHomes will service other homes where possible, so do still get in touch!
SuperHomes has a limited number of HERO Plans available, so please click the link below today to find out more and register by calling 01908 699991 or completing the form at https://superhomes.org.uk/beds-herts/register-interest/.
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Free Trees for Schools and Communities
 The Woodland Trust is giving away free trees to UK schools and communities.
Applicants can apply for different tree packs including: hedge, copse, wild harvest, year-round colour, working wood, wild wood, wildlife and urban trees.
Successful applicants will receive their tree packs in November 2024. Stocks will be allocated on a first come first served basis so you are advised to apply in the next few months.
New Enterprise Car Club vehicle has up to 250 mile range
 Sadly one of our local Car Club vehicles was written off in January but we are pleased to announce that Enterprise Car Club has provided a new vehicle. The new all-electric Peugeot 208 has a range of 200-250 miles and is available for use on a pay-per-hour basis by all registered members of the Car Club. As an incentive to join, Enterprise Car Club has extended its £10 only first year registration offer until the end of 2024.
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Even old homes can be energy efficient
 Judith Leary-Joyce, local resident and author of Beginner’s Guide to Eco Renovation, is leading tours of her Victorian terrace in Bernard’s Heath, AL1, to help people understand the different elements of retrofitting for energy saving and the environment.
At the end of the tour you will understand: options for insulation, why air-tightness is important, how to manage ventilation in an old house and will have seen and heard an air source heat pump. Judith’s renovation has meant that she is now saving 75% on her energy bills.
This 1.5 hr session is available for booking on Saturday 6th April from 9.30am – 11 and 11.30-1pm. There is a small charge for the viewing and bookings should be made via Eventbrite below.
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Local recycling incentives we love |
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We are proud to be in the top 5 recycling rates in the country and we will continue to promote reuse and recycling to enable that to continue.
Whilst the kerbside recycling system is able to take your used plastic and glass bottles and containers, and unwanted textiles and shoes, there are also incentives to recycle them with local High Street retailers. Here is a selection of some of the rewards available locally. Please check Terms and Conditions before travelling.
Schuh: Sell Your Soles scheme offers £5 off a £25+ spend when you bring any old shoes back to the store.
Marks & Spencer: M&S will provide a £5 off a £35+ spend voucher. The voucher can be obtained when donating items to Oxfam. One item of clothing or soft furnishing in your donation needs to be from M&S.
H&M - Hand your bag of unwanted clothes and textiles in to the local H&M store and receive a voucher for £5 off a 25 spend.
Lush - Return any full size Lush packaging back to the shop for 50p off your next purchase, or return five of their black pots for a fresh face mask.
Boots – Receive 500 points worth £5 when you recycle five items and spend more than £10. You will need to register online, log the products you wish to recycle and await approval before putting them in the recycling bin at a participating boots store. Finally you can show the online £5 code at the till when you spend £10+.
John Lewis – Get £5 off £20 spend when you recycle five items. 'My John Lewis' card members can bring in five cosmetic items for recycling to any John Lewis beauty counter to get £5 off a £20+ spend there and then. Any brand's packaging can be brought for recycling – except for glass nail polish, perfume bottles or aerosols (which you can recycle at home). A similar scheme exists for clothing. See John Lewis for full information on its 'Beautycycle' and 'Fashioncycle' schemes.
L'Occitane – Receive 10% off one new full-size product on the day you return your empties from any brand in a standalone L'Occitane store (there is one in Christopher place) good if you've run out and there's no sale. See full T&Cs for participating stores and what's accepted.
reGain app: You can receive up to 25% off brands such as Superdry and New Balance (see full list), when you donate 10+ items to one of 331 participating Red Cross Charity shops. Clothes, including underwear, and shoes are accepted – but bedding, towels, and curtains aren't.
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Local Beekepers warn public to be vigilant about reporting Asian Hornets
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Photo - National Bee Unit
Asian Hornets pose a threat to our native honey bees and experts warn there could be catastrophic consequences for the UK’s wider ecology if the insects are allowed to become established here. These hornets become aggressive when defending nests, which also poses a risk to public health
In 2023, more nests were discovered in the UK than in the previous six years combined which is a worrying trend.
Asian Hornets are an incredibly destructive invasive species that specialise in preying on honeybee hives. One Asian Hornet can kill 30-60 honeybees per day quickly wiping out a hive. First discovered in the UK in 2016, the insect has travelled to our shores from northern Europe Initially detected in southern France in 2004, they have spread rapidly and there are now over half a million nests annually in France alone. The cost to the French economy as a result is estimated to be in excess of £26 million ever year.
Local Beekeepers are calling on the public to be vigilant and look out for Asian Hornets and nests as we head into the warmer months. A number of awareness presentations have been held to help the public identify and report sightings on the Asian Hornet Watch App. Expert teams from the National Bee Unit, part of Defra, will be deployed to track hornets back to their nests, which are then destroyed.
By 2022, just 16 Asian Hornet nests had been discovered in this country. But in 2023, this rocketed to 72 nests in 56 different locations, with Kent and the South East most impacted. There have been sightings in many other locations, including as far north as Scotland, and a credible sighting already reported in January this year, sparking fears the non-native insect may become established in the UK.
Further information including how to identify Asian Hornets, and the latest updates, can be found on the British Bee Keeping Association and National Bee Unit (NBU).
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This newsletter is brought to you by the Sustainability Projects Officer
at St Albans City and District Council.
For inquiries or comments, please contact sustainability@stalbans.gov.uk |
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