May 2008 Archives

Well, to be fair it wasn't a tea party, but they were vicars and we did drink tea. I was sitting in the vicarage here in Ashton Hayes sharing lunch with a group of vicars from across Cheshire who all serve rural parishes. The discussion followed a showing of the Ashton Hayes film made for Live Earth last year, which features some lovely footage of the parish - and a particularly full Sunday congregation!
Initially the conversation was about the community becoming carbon neutral and the role played by the church, but quickly moved on to more general rural issues, which for me are part of the debate about a low carbon lifestyle.
Of course it's the "right" thing to shop local - but how easy is that when new housing estates are designed to make life easy for car drivers and not pedestrians? When Cheshire farmers can't get a decent price for their milk and the supermarkets are full of European semi skimmed when I live half a mile from a dairy farm? Living a low carbon life is about making informed choices in order to reduce our impact on the environment and our neighbours. Living low carbon is about choice, not self denial and so this weekend I'll be tucking into ice cream made here in Cheshire - no designer label but equally delicious, butter and milk from local farms and eggs from a small holding in the next village. I'll be drinking Cheshire apple juice and Weetwood's Eastgate Ale while I share a meal with friends who will have traveled to Ashton Hayes by train.
Going without? Giving up a decent standard of living? Not me - shop local, support your community and reduce your carbon footprint all at the same time. Try it yourself - if you still have a village shop - try walking there this weekend and buying provisions for lunch, seek out your nearest farmers market or farm shop or even arrange to have local food delivered direct to your door instead of an internet supermarket. You may be surprised what Cheshire has to offer.

There are a number of low carbon groups across Cheshire, all working hard to engage their communities in the low carbon message. I've been speaking to Brian Westcott, who lives in Westminster park. he told me
"The Westminster Park Low Carbon Group was set up in September 2006 and is part of the WP Forum, a residents' association covering 1200 households. We have carried out a survey to determine the extent to which houses are insulated and equipped with energy saving devices, as well as residents lifestyles in terms of travel. Carbon footprints (ranging from 3 to 50 tons of carbon per household pa) have been calculated and fed back to respondents to the questionnaire.

We have involved the local school - the eco teacher works with the children to raise their awareness of climate change and is on our committee. We have held a number of events on the school premises including an exhibition of insulation/solar heating products, a Green Transport day and a Recycling Day. We are having a showing, and discussion, of "An Inconvenient Truth" and have other events planned to raise residents' awareness of climate change and its consequences.

We are developing an action plan - our main aim is to encourage WP residents to take actions in their personal lives to help solve the problems that increasingly confront us all".

Another inspiring example of community action to reduce a community's impact on the climate. Want to share your story? Leave a comment below