In this edition
Read on to find out...
- Climate emergency news over the last month.
- Home energy grants and tips.
- A look back at our climate conversations with local businesses.
- How Freely Fruity are providing fresh, healthy food and helping to save the planet.
- How you can help us shape our new waste strategy.
- What's coming up.
In case you missed it
Dinton Activity Centre (pictured above), the borough's first net zero carbon building, officially opened its doors this month, with a brand new cafe offering spectacular views and a hub for the country park's activities.
re3 launched a recycling calculator, inviting you to enter the numbers of items such as cans and cardboard boxes into each field to find out how much CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) is removed from the environment thanks to recycling them instead of putting them into the rubbish bins.
Key milestones were reached in the Carnival Hub development, with the external build almost complete and work due to start on the residential properties. The plans were revised in 2020 to make sure the building is maximising decarbonisation opportunities.
MPs visited the new housing on Arnett Avenue and the next area for development on Gorse Ride. The regeneration of the area is replacing existing dated and poor condition properties with modern energy efficient homes to better meet residents' needs.
Recycling has stopped being collected from black boxes this month and people are continuing the spirit of recycling by rehoming unwanted boxes on the 'Wokingham Borough black box rehoming hub'.
The council's executive committee approved 25 recommendations made by the Climate Emergency Action Plan task and finish group, including energy efficiency in homes, alternative transport options and road infrastructure.
A new bridge in Barkham is improving journeys by removing the bottleneck caused by the old one lane bridge, leading to expected improvements in air quality with reduced idling.
A new road in Arborfield has won a biodiversity award for its 'green' bridge, which allows animals to move safely around the countryside.
More than three-quarters of participants in a scheme encouraging Wokingham borough residents to travel more actively are now doing so on a regular basis.
Evendons Primary School in Wokingham has become the first school in the borough and only eighth in the country to be awarded platinum in the national Modeshift STARS scheme, recognising sustainable school travel.
Pupils from The Emmbrook School in Wokingham enjoyed a visit to a new public green area at Ashridge Farm to the north of the town.
Residents and community groups from all backgrounds will be brought together by Wokingham Borough Council to share their thoughts on the best ways to tackle the climate emergency locally.
Helping you to heat your home
As the nights are drawing in and the temperature is dropping, you may be starting to nudge the thermostat up, but is your home as energy efficient as it could be?
We are able to help residents to improve energy efficiency through our Help to Heat grant, which since it launced last October has helped over 700 homes become more energy efficient.
Eligible households have access to free, or heavily subsidised home insulation, including cavity wall and loft insulation.
Those eligible for the Help to Heat Scheme include residents in receipt of certain benefits, those with a household income below £35,000 after taxes or those on a list identified as persons vulnerable to cold. This includes residents aged 65 and over, or with children aged 5 or under with a range of health conditions such as cardiovascular disease or cancer. If you would like to find out more, or apply for help to heat, please visit our energy saving page on our website.
Launching later this year, the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery Phase 2 (GHG LAD2) will offer a wider range of renewable energy and insulation upgrades, including loft insulation, solid or cavity wall insulation, upgrades to renewable energy heat pump heating system or the installation of solar panels to generate free electricity.
To qualify for a GHG LAD2 grant, residents will need to have a household income of below £30,000 per year and live in a property with an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of D, E, F or G, indicating that their property has high energy bills and poor energy efficiency.
We will be writing directly to homes across the borough who we believe may be eligible, and telling them how to register their interest or apply. Those who have not received a letter, but believe they may qualify, will also be able to apply after the scheme has launched. Further information will also be published on the council website and promoted via social media.
Designing our new waste and recycling service
Our current waste and recycling collection contract expires in 2026 and, to make sure we get the right service for the future, we are starting early engagement with residents to understand their priorities. This early engagement will be followed by further consultation next year to make sure your views are considered at every stage as a waste strategy is produced.
This early engagement will increase the council’s understanding of your priorities for a future waste and recycling service, such as cost, environmental issues and convenience. Later we will consult on different service options and then later still on the drafted strategy.
The consultation on waste and recycling will take place on the council’s new online platform, Engage Wokingham Borough, which will be used to improve the waywe listen to residents and to ensure we have genuine two-way dialogue.
To take part in the waste and recycling engagement, please visit our new platform Engage Wokingham Borough.
Climate conversation
Last month we held our second discussion with local businesses in the ongoing series of climate conversations, aiming to explore the challenges we face and the opportunities available to help us achieve net-zero carbon.
In this workshop, the processes of carbon footprinting and reporting were examined in detail, to demonstrate the many benefits to all of doing so and exactly how it is done to demystify the process, along with how it links to wider opportunities such as joining the Race to Zero pledge.
Key takeways included:
- It is never too early to start thinking about sustainability.
- The process can be as simple as you want it to be.
- Break the process down into small manageable steps.
- Take advantage of the multitude of resources available online to assist in both processes.
If you missed the discussion on this occasion, the recording of the event can be found here. Meanwhile, if you would like to find out more about how we support local businesses please email us and we'll get in touch.
Spotlight on...Freely Fruity
In this month's spotlight, we are talking to Freely Fruity - a community based initiative with an aim to make fruit available to all, and lower carbon footprint.
Here, Matt tells us more about the project.
Can you tell us about what you do?
In March 2020 three friends (Ryan, James and Matt) decided to follow our dream of making fruit freely available to everyone and Freely Fruity was founded.
The vision to provide food to people and wildlife through planting fruit trees and bushes in local communities.
Beyond sustenance, there was the added benefit that the trees would directly reduce carbon emissions and lower the carbon footprint of shop-bought fruit.
The charity had only just put down roots when the Covid-19 pandemic hit and we became aware of the increasing dependency on local food banks.
Even with all the fabulous work they were doing there seemed to be a lack of fresh, healthy produce available to people who really needed it.
We wanted to do something to help, so we changed our plans to include a community allotment and started planting produce for the food banks. Over the next few months, we supplied three food banks a week with hundreds of kilos of free produce.
We really came to appreciate the power of community and all the help we were given.
What are the key things you have achieved so far?
In our first year as a registered charity, we’ve achieved a number of really meaningful objectives. On our site we grow and propagate a number of fruit trees that are all destined to be planted out into the community. We’ve already planted orchards in two schools, have three more schools lined up and will be looking to further increase this. We’ve also worked alongside another local gardening group and have plans for a community orchard in Winnersh this autumn.
Aside from fruit trees, we’ve also been growing fresh organic produce that is donated to food banks. On our two-acre site we grow everything from tomatoes to strawberries. It’s really important that people who rely on food banks have access to quality, healthy food. As of September 2021 we have donated an incredible tonne of fresh produce already.
How do you think the project benefits the local community?
Our main objective is to get fruit freely available into the community. There are so many benefits to locally available produce. Aside from the reduction in cost, carbon footprint and packaging it also helps wildlife whilst lowering carbon emissions.
The produce we grow has been gratefully received by several different charities, groups and food banks. We’ve also listened to the people working on the front line. They know what is most useful and ultimately needed by their service users.
This helps us to grow what people will use, therefore reducing our own waste footprint. A good example of this is can be seen in the addition of a herb bed to our site this year. Food provided through banks can be long life or tinned goods. Our partners asked what their service users would like most - spices and herbs was the common answer.
Do you have any tips for people wanting to get involved?
We are very fortunate to be fully staffed by volunteers on site currently. However, if people wanted to express an interest in helping on any future sites or projects they can contact us through our Facebook page or website.
We are always looking for new sponsors as well. If members of the community know of any organisations or businesses you think may be willing to help in our projects; please just get in touch.
You could of course start up your own growing networks with friends and family. We’d be delighted to offer advice and assistance with anyone who wanted to get involved.
What is coming up next?
We are currently working on a number of tree planting projects across the borough. We will also be getting out into our community; attending several local events.
We are also looking to obtain future sites for expansion of the charity. Growing fruit trees requires plenty of space and we are close to filling ours. Again we’d welcome contact from anyone who thinks they are in a position to help.
Saving the planet and your money
As the nights are drawing in and the temperature is dropping, you may be starting to nudge the thermostat up, but could you be doing more to save the planet, and your money? Here are some free (or low cost) tips to try this Autumn and Winter.
- Make sure your radiator system is working at its best. Do your radiators need balancing? Is the water clean and free of sludge?
- Turn the thermostat down. Even one degree can save you £60-80 a year.
- Block off draughts. For windows, close curtains, use draught proofing strips and even create a temporary layer of glazing by covering your window with clingfilm. Use a draught excluder on doors, fill gaps in floorboards and consider fitting a cap to your chimney pot if your fireplace is unused.
- Use the timer on your heating so that it’s only on when it’s needed.
- Turn radiators off in rooms when not needed. You don’t need to heat your bedroom if you’re downstairs all day.
- Keep internal doors shut to keep the heat in.
- Have a shower rather than a bath to use less hot water.
- Get dripping or leaking taps fixed.
- For a toasty night's sleep, keep blankets nearby to adjust temperature during the night, use a higher tog duvet, warm your bed with a hot water bottle and wear socks to bed.
- After cooking, turn the oven off and leave the oven door open to let the warm air heat your kitchen (if safe to do so with children/pets).
- Move your furniture around to get the best benefit of the heat sources. Putting furniture in front of radiators can stop the air flow and drying washing on radiators can make the boiler have to work harder to generate enough heat.
- Find out how long it takes for your room to heat up and cool down so that you only have the heating on when you need it.
- Unplug/switch off devices when not using them.
- Make sure you are using appliances efficiently. Only boil the right amount of water you need for your hot drink. Make sure your dishwasher is full before you run it. Keep your freezer full so that it uses less electricity to cool down (you could fill empty bottles with water to fill the space).
- If all else fails, pull on a snuggly jumper and cuddle up under a blanket with a hot water bottle and a cup of tea.
If you have some money to spend, you could go an extra step by doing things such as updating your thermostat, getting a hot water cylinder jacket, using smart switches that can be controlled remotely and replacing your existing lightbulbs with LED bulbs.
What's coming up
Tree Project
Later this week, we launch our early engagement to help form our strategy to plant 250,000 trees across the borough. Sign up to our Engage platform to take part in the survey.
Heath Lake Project
On 11 November, Thames Water is hosting an evening virtual event for people to find out more about the improvements being made to Heath Lake. For more information on the project and how to book, visit our webpage.
World Vegan Day
Today (1 November) is World Vegan Day. Why not investigate how being vegan can help towards reducing climate change and try out some recipes?
National Tree Week
27 November sees the start of National Tree Week - keep an eye out on our social media posts and the next edition of our newsletter to see how we are celebrating.
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