November 2008

Thank you to those who came to Friday night's Cutting Carbon Together talk by Ian Byrne from the National Energy Foundation, and thanks again to Wolverton Library for hosting the event. The Library have put together a selection of relevant books which you might like to borrow so do pop in and take a look.

Thank you also for your great ideas and suggestions for actions you can take to cut your carbon and steps you think Milton Keynes can take too. We will be feeding them back to the Thimkagain people. We will also ask for their feedback about how your suggestions can be taken forward.

Their website is www.thimkagain.co.uk and there is a quick feedback form that is just waiting to be filled in!

You all raised some great questions for Ian, such as 'What is MK doing about reducing reliance on car travel?' 'Does this mean we should have nuclear power?' and 'Why are we switching to digital if it uses more energy?'

It's clear to us that many of you are already convinced about the realities of climate change and are keen to move on with practical solutions. As we mentioned at the talk, we are (as far as the Transition Town approach goes) still in the 'awareness raising' phase and are putting together an exciting programme of talks, films and workshops for the first four months of 2009. We want to get these messages out to as many Wolvertonians (and would-be Wolvertonians!) as possible, to gather a head of steam before unleashing the programme's true potential for creating lasting practical change.

To this end we'd really appreciate your help with getting our programme of events out there. Can you offer to deliver flyers to your street? Do you work in Wolverton or go are part of a social network that you can give information to? Are you part of a green group or allied organisation that is planning an event in 2009 that would like to link to the Transition group? Please let us know if there's a way you can help spread the word.

Your actions and ideas from Friday's talk:

I can:

  • Turn off lights, turn off appliances.
  • Use an energy saving kettle.
  • Have a compost bin.
  • Walk/Cycle
  • Grow own food.
  • Spread the word about reducing carbon and Tranistion Town initiative!
  • Encourage management at my workplace to make sure all of the apprx 100
  • computers are switched off overnight.
  • Turn down hot water.
  • Save the run off when I want hot water.
  • Use draught excluders.
  • Walk don't drive.
  • Use a bicycle it's THE most efficient way of getting about.
  • Use part of the garden for growing fruit and veg.
  • Use my library more - don't buy new books.
  • Don't iron my clothes.
  • Tell people I know about the small steps - in the home.
  • Get the family to put lids on pans and boil no more water than is necessary.

MK can:

  • MK should investigate more local renewable energy and reduce dependence on insecure national sources of energy
  • Switch off lights in office blocks at night.
  • Shops not blow hot air as you enter.
  • MK Council should reconsider the internal automatic doors in the civic offices.
  • Shops in Winter should adjust heating to consider customers who wear coats, not staff in short sleeved dresses
  • Coppice unused land
  • Create a community planting park where there is a vegetable patch, a flower patch and a tree patch. A park for children's benches and a pond!
  • When will Wolverton's Urban Farm be up and running?? (Note: Expected to be up and running Summer 09)
  • Put motion operated light switches in all public buildings where appropriate.
  • Switch off lights in business premises in the evening/night when building unoccupied.
  • Only use free range eggs in all Council cafeterias.
  • Grow hemp for materials and all the other things you can do with it.
  • Make wasting energy illegal.
  • Biogas plant for MK, taking waste organic matter and generating electricity and compost.