NB Due to changes to Action Network, our email tool, you cannot currently respond to this email via the ‘reply’. If you wish to respond to this email / contact CASaV please use this email: climateactionsav@gmail.com
Welcome to February’s Update from Climate Action Stokesley & Villages
Thank you for playing your part in taking urgent action globally and locally on climate breakdown.
Diary dates
(event details below)
Saturday 10th February 10-12 noon Repair Cafe, free sewing workshop & Transform Trade Big Brew at the Globe Community Library, Stokesley
Tuesday 13th February 1 – 3.30 pm Community Garden Working Party, Yatton House Community Garden, Great Ayton
Tuesday 13th February 7.00pm Waste Group zoom meeting
Tuesday 20th February 11 – 1 Guided walking tour of Rosedale peat bog restoration (natural carbon capture) with the Yorkshire Peat Partnership
Tuesday 20th February 7.30 – 9 pm Whole group meeting at the Globe Community Library, Stokesley
Thursday 22nd February 7.00pm Food Group zoom meeting
Friday 2nd March 9-11 Free Seed Giveaway Stall Stokesley Market
Tuesday 12th March 7.30pm Gardening for Wildlife Talk, Faceby Village Hall
Newsletter
Our online newsletter / magazine focuses on our group’s values and purpose, summed up by our motto ‘Think global, act local’, beginning with global / national issues including ways in which you can influence policy, followed by local news and activities you can participate in that develop our relationship with the environment and fight climate change.
“Think global”
National and global climate action news and campaigns
The Climate Coalition letter to party leaders
The Climate Coalition is the UK’s largest group of people dedicated to action on the climate and nature crises. Along with sister organisations Stop Climate Chaos Cymru and Stop Climate Chaos Scotland it is a gathering of over 130 organisations including the National Trust, Oxfam, RSPB and the Women’s Institute, with a combined supporter base of 20 million. As this is election year, the organisation reminds us of the need to show all politicians, political parties and candidates that we need urgent action to address the climate and nature crises
The Climate Coalition has launched an open letter to the leaders of the main national political parties, calling on them to commit to doing everything they can to meet our national and international commitments to tackle climate change and protect and restore nature. The open letter is for local groups and organisations to use our collective voice to call for change. The open letter sets out a vision for the world that we want to live in – where children breathe clean air, where wildlife is thriving, where our homes are powered by renewable energy, and where communities have adequate resources to rebuild their lives after extreme weather events.
Following discussion at the last CASaV whole group meeting, Caryn has signed the open letter on behalf of CASaV. If you are part of other local groups or organisations (churches, town councils, conservation groups, community libraries etc) please consider signing the letter to ask our politicians to listen to communities across the UK and take action on climate and nature. theclimatecoalition.org/community-open-letter
If you’re not part of another community group there will be future opportunities to get involved. More information here: https://www.theclimatecoalition.org/take-action
Climate Justice, Transform Trade & The Big Brew 2024
Climate justice is the concept which recognises that, although global warming is a global crisis, its effects are not felt evenly around the world. The worst effects of the climate crisis – for example extreme heat, flooding and crop failures – are disproportionately felt by countries and communities in areas of the world which often do least to contribute to climate breakdown. Big corporate trade deals can drive up carbon emissions and block action on climate change whilst people centred trade can be more protective of the planet.
Transform Trade is a global community of farmers, workers, collectives, campaigners, donors and supporters, which works together for trade that values people over profit. Focusing on farming (including tea production) and fashion manufacture in South Asia and East Africa, the organisation partners with farmers, workers and artisans to help them benefit from more sustainable and equitable trade. In the UK they advocate and campaign for changes to business practices and government policy.
The Big Brew is now an annual event running through February and March to raise funds and awareness of the importance of people centred trade and climate justice. At February’s Repair Cafe on February 10th (more information below) there will be home made cakes and treats made from fair trade ingredients, fair trade beverages and information leaflets so you can learn more.
The Oxford Real Farming Conference 2024
Every January the Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) connects people in the UK and around the globe who want to transform our food and farming system. ORFC aims to be the place to share progressive ideas. Subjects usually include agroecology, regenerative agriculture, organic farming and indigenous food and farming systems. The programme encompasses farming practices and techniques as well as addressing the bigger questions relating to our food and farming system.
This year’s conference included presentations on Perennial Veg from Riverford Organics, the Veterinary Role in Ecological Sustainability and Turning Fashion into a Climate Solution amongst many pertinent to those interested in food, farming and climate breakdown and biodiversity loss solutions.
All talks are available as recordings to listen to now here: https://orfc.org.uk/orfc-archives/
The Call of Fatal Optimism: a poem
One of our supporters, Robert Thorniley-Walker, wrote and submitted this poem to the Darlington & Stockton Times (which published it in on January 12th) in response to Rishi Sunak’s comments to a letter from the Northallerton Climate Action Group.
Robert noted that this was a “new year poem for 2024, the year we will pass the 1.5°C warming threshold into ‘dangerous’ conditions”.
The Call of Fatal Optimism
The D&S editorial back in September, “A heated Debate”
Suggested cuts to emissions have a date that’s far too late.
To his constituents Rishi wrote and explained,
“The plans to meet net zero will only succeed if public support is maintained.”
One point five degrees
Does this explain why denial and fatal optimism and are now the norm?
We know 2024 will face drought, fire, flood and never ending storms.
We lament inaction for covid-spread and each past tragedy,
But none question our absurd ‘climate emergency’ strategy.
Three years of promises are now well gone.
And ever increasing emissions in those critical years can never be undone.
The hopes of Paris 2015, with a maximum temperature rise
Now abandoned, as we sail past one point five.
The current favourite of political boasts
Is just to stop migrants in their small boats.
Yet policies will now scorch North Africa and the Med:
Too bad for those who’ve not yet fled.
Our hyper optimism just makes no sense
As the Barrier can’t save our current pretence
That all will be fine in ‘Marrakesh-on-Thames’.
A haven from an adjacent continent in flames.
“The plans to meet net zero will only succeed if public support is maintained.”
Two Degrees
Net zero by 2050 is considered fine
As a distant target to bring emissions back in line
Why, oh why, one asks, do we emit yet more,
We know full well that temperatures by then will soar.
We think it’s fine, to construct for a far distant time,
And leave a legacy of concrete, steel and brick as evidence of our crime.
We say we would construct in low or minus-carbon if we could
And refuse to research or copy old pre-industrial structures in stone and wood.
Even with no fossil fuels and a total emission freeze
The best we could hope for this decade is a massive two degrees,
Which would still displace two million souls
As they flee from flood and heat-parched soils to cooler goals.
“The plans to meet net zero will only succeed if public support is maintained.”
Three degrees
The next generation will struggle to survive
And face fearful choices, to stay alive.
Do we care, that the current young won’t find a way
To reduce the carbon from the air that we’ve released in much cooler days?
They will see the time for tipping points and temperature cascades,
That will bring, heat on heat, far beyond any human aid.
All our folly at trying to negotiate with thermodynamic law
Will bring disaster on a Black Death scale, as we jump to three degrees or more.
“The plans to meet net zero will only succeed if public support is maintained.”
Five degrees
As the planet then flips to over five,
Fewer than half living things survive,
Scavenging on an alien land
In fiery transition from loamy soil to barren sand.
The killing of our own kin and progeny – ‘progenicide’,
A democratic choice from which we can’t hide.
We who don’t care to think it a Sin,
To vehemently believe we owe the future nothing.
“The plans to meet net zero will only succeed if public support is maintained.”
By Robert Thorniley-Walker
Member of Climate Action Northallerton, Member of Osmotherley Decarbonisation Group
Civil Engineer, Author of the novel ‘Greenhush’
“Act Local”
This month’s local activities and ideas from our focus groups (Nature, Food, Waste, Energy, Transport) to address biodiversity loss and fight climate breakdown
CASaV Monthly Meeting at the Globe Community Library, Stokesley
Tuesday 20th February 7.30-9pm
Our next whole group meeting will be on Tuesday 16th January, in The Globe Community Library, North Road Stokesley, from 7:30 – 9:00 pm. As well as hearing updates from the various sub-groups we will focus on the next steps in the United for Warm Homes and Local Area Demonstrator campaigns. All welcome!
NB If you have any spare seeds for our March Seed Stall Giveaway (see below for details) please bring along to the meeting.
Saturday 10th February 10-12 noon Repair Cafe, Free Sewing Workshop & Transform Trade Big Brew at the Globe Community Library, Stokesley
Show your love for the planet this February by coming to our 21st Repair Cafe at the Globe Community Library, Stokesley on Saturday 10th February 10-12.
You can save yourself money, the earth’s resources and prevent climate damaging gases from waste going to incineration or landfill by bringing along your household items in need of repair – electrical appliances, bikes & toys, clothing & textiles, computers (laptops, tablets) & mobile phones, wooden furniture, clocks & watches, blades in need of sharpening – and have them mended (or receive advice if we can’t) by our friendly volunteer repairers. On average, we manage to fix 70% of items, give advice on possible repair steps for 20% and how best to recycle the 10% that are sadly beyond repair.
By special request, the sewing goddesses will also show you how to use / get the best out of your sewing machine or help you take your first steps in using a sewing machine if you’ve never used one before. Bring your sewing machine along for a sewing tutorial about your own machine or we will have a couple that you can try your hand at to learn the basics. You can make your own Valentines tote bag (or cushion cover) – all materials provided or you can bring your own fabric if you wish.
This month’s free refreshments will be linked to Transform Trade’s Big Brew (see above) and include Fair Trade beverages and home made sweet treats made with Fair Trade ingredients and you can pick up a leaflet to read more about this organisation’s aims and donate towards their funds if you wish.
You will also have the chance to pick up information on the Local Energy Advice Demonstrator project through which you may be eligible for a free whole home retrofitting survey (see article below).
New repair and reception volunteers always welcome – come along, have a cuppa and a chat!
Yatton House Community Garden working party – Tuesday 13th February 1 – 3.30 pm
Global and national research shows that community gardens positively affect biodiversity, local ecosystems, and the well-being of people that work in them.
Locally in Great Ayton the Yatton House Community Garden was established in 2022 to:
• Provide a safe and accessible community garden and space for groups and individuals.
• Provide a space which is fully inclusive by ensuring accessibility and safety are central to the design.
• Bring different sections of the community together.
• Promote awareness of mental health and loneliness.
• Champion environmental impact and climate change through wildlife, biodiversity, and the growing of sustainable organic fresh fruit and vegetables.
• Deliver educational experiences.
To support this great initiative there are monthly ‘Working Party’ days planned, the first of the year having taken place on 9th January with the next opportunity to support the Yatton House Community Garden on 13th February, 1.00 – 3.00pm. Pick up useful pruning skills and other gardening know how along with some exercise in the open air by coming along – all welcome! If you can’t make this session, there will be further sessions each month on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
Rosedale guided walking tour of peat bog restoration Tuesday 20th February 11 – 3.00pm (rescheduled)
What has climate change got to do with peat bogs? Peat bogs play a crucial role in the carbon cycle. Peat bogs in good condition have the potential to offer a significant nature-based solution to tackling climate change as they are capable of absorbing and storing large amounts of carbon dioxide known as “carbon sinks”. Sadly we are in danger of losing this valuable resource as much of the UK’s peat bogs are in decline. The Yorkshire Peat Partnership (YPP) is doing important work locally in restoring eroded peat bogs.
Unfortunately the weather last month thwarted our planned visit but luckily this has been rearranged to Tuesday 20th February 11am – 3pm. This will be a fantastic opportunity to see this important restoration, guided by staff from the YPP. If you would like to join this guided walk, please contact Bridget Holmstrom for more information or to book a place.
Friday 2nd March 9-11 Free Seed Giveaway Stall Stokesley Market
Growing your own seasonal fruit, vegetables and flowers not only provides you with the freshest produce but also significantly cuts the carbon emissions from heated greenhouses and transporting over long distances. Also no packaging from shop bought! The growing season will soon be upon us so what better time to plan your allotment / growing patch / windowsill! The Food Group’s Wendy will be holding a Free Seed Giveaway on March 2nd at the Stokesley Farmers’ market. If you have any spare / surplus seeds please bring these to the whole group meeting on 20th February or pop them into the box provided at the Globe Community Library, Stokesley. Happy growing!
Gardening for Wildlife Talk Tuesday 12th March 7.30pm Faceby Village Hall
Warmer, brighter days are on the way so a good time to start planning the growing year in your garden. With over 15 million gardens in Britain, covering an area larger than all our national nature reserves put together, what we choose to do with our gardens really does matter for nature and biodiversity. Whether we are in a town centre, or the countryside, our gardens have the ability to act as mini nature reserves for local wildlife, as well as forming habitat corridors – bridging gaps between surrounding areas of habitat. To help you plan your garden with nature in mind there will be a Gardening for Wildlife Talk at Faceby Village Hall, 7.30pm 12th March. There will be a small entrance fee. All welcome.
Ideas from the groups: Nature
Regular monthly zoom meetings – contact Bridget Holmstrom for link to join
Local Nature Recovery Strategy
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As required by law under the Environment Act 2021, every county in England will produce a Local Nature Recovery Strategy. These strategies will work together to restore, create and connect habitats across England.
The Local Nature Recovery Strategy will:
- agree priorities for nature’s recovery, such as increasing woodland cover or creating wetlands
- map the most valuable existing areas for nature
- map specific proposals for creating and improving habitat for nature and wider environmental goals
Decisions about where and how to recover nature will be reached through consultation with a wide range of people and groups in each county, from ecologists and community groups to health professionals and local businesses.
North Yorkshire Council are holding a consultation on the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, please provide your input via this link Local Nature Recovery Strategy consultation | North Yorkshire Council
Ideas from the groups: Food
Thursday 22nd February 7.00pm Food Group zoom meeting – contact Wendy for link to join
February Seasonal eating
Eating food in season (local as far as possible) can have substantial positive impact on climate breakdown by reducing high-energy input from artificial heating or lighting needed to produce crops out of the natural growing season. In February’s section we will look at what foods are in season right now together with a seasonal recipe.
Tasty fruit and veggies available now include brussel sprouts, cauliflower, beetroot, celeriac, chicory, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, parsnips, potatoes, purple sprouting broccoli, rhubarb, salsify, shallots, swede, turnips
Try a couple of these immune boosting veggies in this seasonal recipe – perhaps as a Valentine’s Night meal!
Beetroot, stilton and kale wellingtons
Recipe here: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/beetroot-stilton-kale-wellingtons
More information here:
Love food, hate waste this Valentine’s Month
Whilst you’re cooking up a storm with your seasonal veggies and fruits aim to reduce food waste as much as possible. 60% of food waste comes from our homes, 18 million tonnes of climate damaging carbon dioxide is generated by UK homes annually from wasted consumable food and drink and eight meals could be saved each week if we stopped binning our food at home. To address this have a look at the ideas and recipes here for reducing food waste: https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/
Make the most of your freezer for avoiding waste – some great ideas from BBC Morning Live available on iPlayer
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0h7zyfq
Growing & gardening tips month by month: February
A good time to start sowing sweet peas in any pot or receptacle indoors so they get a head start when it is warm enough to plant outside.
Regular sowings of mixed salad greens can be cropped when showing a few leaves and will then regrow.
If you have garlic sprouting it is worth planting it although it may not have time to split into cloves. (Best planted November/December.)
If your sprouts are sprouting, welcome them and eat them like sprouting broccoli.
Ideas from the groups: Waste
Tuesday 13th February 7.00pm Waste Group zoom meeting – contact Simon for link to join
Reduce – Reuse – Recycle: current local actions you can take to prevent waste and benefit our community
Whether household waste goes to landfill or incineration climate damaging carbon gases are produced. Here are some current local options for your unwanted or waste items that will not only cut carbon emissions but in some cases benefit those in our local community. It’s a big win / win.
Confectionery & biscuit tubs – reuse or recycle for charity – ends 11th February!
In the UK we buy tens of millions of these plastic tubs every year!
Make sure your tubs don’t go to waste by using them at home as FREE handy containers or if you don’t need them take your clean, empty plastic confectionery and cracker tubs to any Greene King managed site until 11 February 2024 to be recycled.
Simply leave your tubs with a Greene King staff member at the bar or welcome station within one of their locations.
After 11 February, all tubs will be collected and taken to a plastic reprocessing centre where they’re shredded, before being sold onto plastic manufacturers to use in place of virgin plastics. All money raised from the sale of Tub2Pub plastics will be given directly to Macmillan Cancer Support.
Our closest Greene King pub is the Kings Head in Newton Under Roseberry but check the website for others near to you.
Recycling for Good Causes: household items needed!
The CASaV Waste Group are collecting unwanted items which will raise funds for MacMillan Cancer Support via the Recycling for Good Causes scheme whilst saving them from going to waste in landfill. The scheme has provided us with a large collecting bag and free collection of a minimum of 10kg of items, with funds going to support people affected by cancer.
Items we are collecting are:
- Jewellery and watches
- Any currency UK or foreign of any age / unchangeable currency (banknotes and coins)
- Mobile phones, video / film / digital cameras, computer games and accessories, MP3 players, ipods, tablets, computers of any age or condition
- Stamps (loose /single stamps, first day covers, presentation packs)
Please have a look through your household and if you have any of these items going spare, please bring them along to our next Repair Cafe on February 10th at the Globe Community Library.
More information here: Recycling For Good Causes
Wear it, don’t waste it
Our neighbouring Climate Action group in Middlesbrough is organising a number of events next month (March) named ‘Wear It, Don’t Waste It’ looking at reducing waste going to incineration and landfill and giving clothes (and toys) to those in need for free. If you have any unwanted toys or clothes that you would like to donate please drop them off at Middlesbrough Environment City offices on Sandy Flatts Lane, Acklam TS5 7YN or at the Acklam Green Centre, Stainsby Road TS5 4JS Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm.
Ideas from the groups: Energy
Local Energy Advice Demonstrator (LEAD) project
LEAD is a £1.2M scheme to stimulate demand for energy efficiency measures in homes across North Yorkshire. The funding has been received from the Department of Energy Security and NET Zero and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and will be focusing around retrofitting homes to reduce energy consumption. The project will be piloted in a number of neighbourhoods including around Stokesley.
Led by North Yorkshire Council, the scheme will be focused on specific streets, villages and neighbourhoods where studies have highlighted priority areas and where interest in tackling climate change through retrofitted schemes has been shown.
Households in these pilot areas will be offered a free ‘whole house plan’ – a survey of their homes with advice on what would be needed to make them more energy efficient such as new windows and doors, or cavity wall and loft insulation.
About 325 plans will be facilitated through the project, comprising in-house assessments, whole house plan development in collaboration with the householder, and elements of design work, leaving the resident with a clear plan of action and next steps to implement their retrofit project.
CASaV is actively involved in facilitating this project, led by Mark Lewis, one of our CASaV members with an interest in energy matters.
If you would like more information or to participate in this project, please check our website for updates – LEADproject
Round up of last month’s events
Recent Repair Cafes in Swainby 20th January and further afield in February!
Our January Repair Cafe in Swainby dealt with 63 items, including chairs, watches, clocks, spades, knives, sewing machines, radios, jackets, boots, bags, hair straighteners, …….
If you had been in Saltburn on February 3rd you might have had a sense of deja-vu as volunteers from our Repair Cafe helped Saltburn hold their first repair cafe and they borrowed our pink t-shirts for this first event. Over 60 items were brought for repair and with 30 people helping to repair, provide refreshments and do the admin. It was a very successful event and the Saltburn team felt they learnt a lot, making them more confident to organise future repair cafes. Simon, our Repair Cafe lead, noted “I found it really useful to watch another group adapting our repair cafe model, and so picked up some tips on how to make ours easier to run”.
We are also hoping that Northallerton, Middlesbrough and Redcar will soon have their own repair cafes as well and we have even been contacted by a group in Newcastle who are planning one for Jesmond, so hopefully an idea that’s time has come and will make an even bigger contribution to reduce waste, by giving items a longer life and avoiding them having to be recycled or disposed of.
If you have local friends who are good at repair or just want to help at our repair cafes please let me know, and if they are further afield, then we may be able to put them in touch with a local repair cafe or give them some tips on how to start a new repair cafe where they are.
Allerton Park Waste Recovery guided visit 31st January
Following a number of successful and interesting previous guided visits to our local waste recovery park near Thirsk, Bridget Holmstrom arranged another opportunity last month to see at first hand how our household waste and recycling is managed. This was well attended and well received, stimulating avid discussions on how best our waste could be managed.
Co-op Foodshare continues!
Every night, every week Jenny Earle, joint Food Group lead, organises volunteers to collect surplus food from our local Co-op stores and resdistributes it locally to those in need, not only reducing food waste which produces carbon gases affecting our climate but also providing a huge benefit to the community.
New volunteers are always welcome, please contact.
Signing off
If you have any news or any event / activity you would like promoting on next month’s (March) update please email Kate Gibbon by the end of February.
Kate also helps promote activities via Facebook and Instagram so let her know if there is anything that you would like shared via our Facebook page and Instagram if you are not a Facebook / Instagram user.
Hope to see you at the CASaV whole group gathering on Tuesday 20th January, 7.30 at the Globe Community Library, Stokesley
Kate Gibbon,
on behalf of the Climate Action Stokesley and Villages Steering Group Steering group:
Bridget Holmstrom, Caryn Loftus, Jack Turton, Ron Kirk and Simon Gibbon
Climate Action Stokesley and Villages 