July village notes
Water, eco-homes event, energy grants for hospitality businesses, and plastic free July!
The water challenge - As the dry hot spell continues into July, we’re reminded of a recent speaker who pointed out that water is now as much of an issue for the world as net zero, and there’s a need to reduce the current very high levels of extraction. Meanwhile in our gardens and public spaces, our plants and trees are desperate for water. The village has experienced recent episodes of no or low water pressure, which whilst very inconvenient (!) did provide a good reminder both of how dependent most of us are on our mains water supply, and also how much we take it for granted.
So what to do? In the short term, perhaps make up for extra plant watering by taking slightly shorter showers, and the usual reminders to ensure you’re only running washing machines and dishwashers when they’re full, and not keeping taps running unnecessarily. In the medium term, for those with gardens, investment in as many water butts as possible is definitely the way to go. Inside our houses, if you haven’t already, it’s worth looking at the increasing number of ‘eco smart’ shower heads available that reduce water flow down to 8 or 9 litres per minute (from sometimes huge 18+ litres per minute), whilst still providing a great shower experience. Especially given the significant recent increases to water bills, reducing water use will also help save you money.
Open Eco-Homes event – If you’re thinking of renovating or looking into how you can make your home more energy efficient, Bucks Community Energy are hosting an ‘Open Eco-Homes’ event in Princes Risborough on Sunday 13th July. You can visit five different homes, showcasing different combinations of technology and environmentally friendly approaches to energy efficiency and de-carbonised power and heating systems. You can find out more and book your tickets on Eventbrite here.
Calling all Long Crendon hospitality businesses – free energy saving support available – apparently the average pub loses £2000 of profits every year through energy waste (that’s 16,000 pints down the drain!). As part of a 12-month trial, there’s government funding available for small and medium sized hospitality businesses – not just pubs - to get carbon footprints done and energy saving support. It’s definitely worthwhile signing up! Find out more information here: https://www.zerocarboncompany.org/sme-trial
Seasonal, locally grown food, without the plastic waste – if you haven’t discovered the Fork Ranger app yet (https://www.forkranger.com/), check it out for some really interesting infographics about how to ‘eat for the climate’. That said, as we’ve got Bucksum, we know they always have the best, lowest impact produce and it’s now the bumper time of year for fabulous selection of locally grown fruit and vegetables. It’s also Plastic Free July, so between Bucksum and Renewed Eco, we’re spoilt in Long Crendon for the ease of doing locally sourced, plastic free shopping – but check out https://plasticfreejuly.org for lots of ideas and information about plastic free living at home, work, school or in the community.