JANUARY NEWS

Gem’s big push is towards local suppliers: supporting the regional economy and reducing food miles at the same time. Not just bread, meat, Somerset ciders and beers but local wine, charcuterie, gin, ready meals, plant-based sausages, non-alcoholic whisky and Aperol and a range of honey-based skin care. The more Gemma looks to find innovative local companies, the more she finds to bring to Farrington Gurney. It’s not just that the products are novel and tasty: the more we can support regional producers, the less travel and transport they need, the more local jobs are created and we all travel less, lowering our carbon emissions.  Like so many of us, Gemma finds that they more you start to think about sustainability, the more opportunities you find.

 It’s all a big change from the past few years – and there are more changes on the way: a new cookware shop opens in April, the play park is being revamped, plans for electric vehicle charging points, farm tours are coming back, along with wine and food tasting events – and a barn dance for the Jubilee. And that is just in the next 6 months. It sounds exhausting and it probably is but, says Gemma, “it’s incredibly satisfying – and it’s fun, seeing how much can be done!”

The Rotary Club kindly donated nine trees  — 3 Himalayan birch, 2 East Asian cherries, 2 crab apples and one maple — which have been planted just outside the village playground. Thanks to everyone who helped with these too!

Under new government targets, some 30,000 hectares (over 74,000 acres) of woodland will be planted per year in England until the end of 2024. Our new trees are, of course, a leafdrop in the forest. So we need to do more! At the next litter pick, we are going to ask pickers if they can identify anywhere and everywhere we might be able to plant more. So please keep your eyes out for safe, attractive spaces.

With energy costs are going up, everybody wants to reduce their energy consumption. According to Uswitch, turning down your thermostat by just one degree can save you £80 a year – and that was before prices went up. To get a better night’s sleep, experts advise a cooler room, between 16 and 19C.

You don’t want to pay for energy flying out the window. Insulation is critical and can be complicated but there are some short-cuts. Draught proofing around windows and doors, loft hatches, floorboards and pipework saves money and energy – but if you have a chimney, don’t forget that either.

And don’t forget good, old fashioned curtains, which (depending on their thickness) can reduce heat loss by 14 percent or more.

Also don’t forget lighting. Before LEDs, every household consumed an average of 720 KWh of electricity just on lights. Since LEDs, that’s gone down to 400 KWh. But experts like Brenda Boardman have pioneered reducing energy consumption in our homes; she says that if all houses were lit with LEDs, the energy cost would halve. So there’s a way to go…

Action on the climate is patchy. Some villages are leading the way with amazing projects; some are doing nothing. Here is what some nearby communities are up to:

Compton Dando: A village of just 129 households, its Parish Council decided not to declare a Climate Emergency, so a few residents decided to crack on themselves, as a Community Association. They spent a lot of time talking to everyone about a renewable energy scheme; one conversation led to many more. A village survey identified enthusiasm for solar, less for wind and none for hydro. Together with Bath and West Community Energy, the residents are now discussing a Solar Array and Orchard which could ultimately generate enough energy for 580 homes. That would reduce the amount of carbon by the equivalent of 1,180 people’s annual car emissions. So it’s a big bold project which could also increase biodiversity by anywhere between 10 and 53 percent.

“By distributing smaller renewables projects local to demand, we will be able to reduce transmission losses that occur when moving electricity around the country. But importantly we will also have a better chance of meeting locally increasing electricity demand with local green energy supply. A better local balance of supply and demand will put less strain on the local grid, reducing grid (and so consumer) costs and reducing carbon emissions. We also believe that a closer relationship between local people and where their energy comes from may help focus people’s minds on how they use energy as well.”

There is a larger scheme near Chelwood and one under discussion in Pensford. Keynsham Community Energy is behind a 92 KW energy generation project on their Riverside site The idea behind all of these is that

·         Energy is generated and managed locally

·         Local people and businesses can become active participants and/or investors.

 Would Farrington Gurney ever go down that road? We are going to find out more….

Good News

Between 2008 and 2019, the average amount of meat eaten each day per person in the UK fell from 103.7g to 86.3g – a total reduction of 17.4g a day, or just under 17%. This included a 13.7g drop in daily red meat consumption, a 7g reduction in processed meat, and a 3.2g increase in white meat. The overall changes in meat intake equate to a 35% reduction in the amount of land and a 23% reduction in the amount of freshwater needed to rear livestock, as well as a 28% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture overall. This is certainly progress in achieving goals of the National Food Strategy.