As part of our ongoing campaign to raise awareness of climate change we are running an upcycling poster competition. This is open to individuals or groups from 7 years upwards to 14+ years. We have timed it so that the closing date coincides with National Upcycling Day on June 24th.
There is a short slide show to explain what we mean by upcycling and what we are looking for in the posters – web page or pdf download. It could be used as a homework or adapted as a lesson in a range of subjects; Geography, Citizenship, Science, Design and Technology, to name a few, or as a group activity in Cubs and Brownies, Guides and Scouts or Sunday School.
Follow CASAV on Facebook to get regular update about the competition and to learn about the winners.
If you are a school or organisation please feel free to email me aemannix@aol.com to collect your entries OR deliver them yourselves to the collection box in the Globe library We are excited to see what people come up with and there will be environmental prizes.
Hope you enjoy reading our latest update, including details of our next meeting at 7.30pm on Tuesday 16th May.
Welcome to May’s Update – Spring has Sprung!
Spring has well and truly sprung with the new season’s natural delights all around us. As always we bring you local and national climate action news, events and activities including ideas for growing your own for sustainable eating and the range of CASaV and other local events for the Great Big Green week in June.
What’s Going On – general news and events
Monthly meeting
This month’s whole group CASaV meeting will be on Tuesday 16th May at The Globe Community Library, North Road, Stokesley 7.30 – 9pm. CASaV are members of the River Leven Catchment group working on cleaning the River Leven. Come and find out more about this work and our other activities including plans for Great Big Green Week in June.All are welcome – spread the word!
CASaV produces a monthly climate action column for the Darlington and Stockton Times, April’s focussed on reducing food waste. This month, edition published Friday 11th May, the focus is on the issue of phosphates in the River Leven, linking with our work with the River Leven Catchment Group.
No Mow May
No Mow May is Plantlife’s annual campaign calling all garden owners and green space managers not to mow during May – liberating your lawns and providing a space for nature.
We’ve lost nearly 97% of flower rich meadows since the 1970’s and with them gone are vital food needed by pollinators, like bees and butterflies.
A healthy lawn with some long grass and wildflowers benefits wildlife, tackles pollution and can even lock away carbon below ground – and best of all, to reap these benefits all you have to do is not mow your lawn in May!
With over 20 million gardens in the UK, even the smallest grassy patches add up to a significant proportion of our land which, if managed properly, can deliver enormous gains for nature, communities and the climate. This is why Plantlife is calling for people to get involved with #NoMowMay and let wild plants get a head start on the summer.
Locally, on behalf of CASaV, Bridget Holstrom who chairs the Nature / Environment group made requests to Stokesley Town Council for four areas under their responsibility to remain uncut to increase biodiversity and provide food for vital pollinators. This was agreed by the council and a survey will be carried out to record any change to the biodiversity.
Great Big Green Week is coming – 10-18th June!
The Great Big Green Week is a yearly event across the country to celebrate community action to tackle climate change and protect nature. More information here: https://greatbiggreenweek.com/
There will be a number of CASAV events for Great Big Green Week organised by our different subgroups including Nature / Environment, Food and Waste as well as other organisations – more info here:
Keep the lights shining – Whitby Esk Energy tours for families 18th June
Sunday 18th June
Tours at 1-1:45pm, 2-2.45pm and 3-3.45pm
Can you get the water flowing to keep the lights shining?
Energy related activities for all the family to take part in whilst you visit our community-owned 50kW Archimedes screw hydroelectric turbine on the River Esk at Ruswarp.
Community Earth Festival Esk Valley & East Cleveland 22nd April – 8th July
This grassroots festival started last month and continues until 8th July with a wide range of accessible events aiming to challenge people to look again at our relationship to the natural world. Events include practical workshops, nature recovery projects, creative performances, guided walks, talks and discussions. Full programme of events available here: https://www.eskvalleynews.co.uk/cef-programme
Get out and about for less (and sustainably!) until the end of June 2023
Compared with driving alone, taking public transportation reduces CO2 emissions by 45%, decreasing pollutants in the atmosphere and improving air quality. Across the country, bus companies have many fares capped at £2 maximum no matter how long the journey until the end of June 2023. For example you can travel Britain’s most scenic bus journey (in a 2018 survey) from York to Whitby across the glorious North Yorkshire moors on the Coastliner bus, more info here https://www.transdevbus.co.uk/coastliner/.
United Nations launch two new initiatives towards achieving clean, affordable energy for all
Heartening global news! The UN-Energy partnership brings together some 30 organizations working on all aspects of energy and sustainable development. The UN-Energy Plan of Action Towards 2025 delivers on commitments made at a high-level meeting in September that laid out a global roadmap for energy access and transition by the end of the decade, while also contributing to net zero emissions by 2050.
An Energy Compact Action Network was also launched to match governments seeking support for their clean energy goals with governments and businesses that have already pledged over $600 billion in assistance.
Coalitions to support energy access and transition in Nigeria and in Santiago, Chile, were also announced, thus showcasing the Network’s potential.
Sadly, clean electricity plans in the UK may be stuck for years because of ‘negligence’ by governments over modernising network, say renewable energy developers.
Windfarms, solar arrays and battery projects are stuck in gridlock for up to 15 years as the UK’s electricity grid struggles to keep pace with the appetite for more clean energy – including a car factory being forced to wait until 2037.
The delays threaten to undermine decades of work to attract the investment needed to support the UK’s clean energy ambitions, and risks derailing Britain’s progress towards legally binding climate targets.
Earlier this week, MPs on the Commons environmental audit committee opened an inquiry into how to ease the backlog of solar projects waiting to connect to the grid that “could seriously jeopardise net zero Britain”.
The Food Group are planning to a display of recipe books to encourage people to eat more sustainably at CASAV events during the Great Big Green Week.
Local organic veg boxes
Barbara Beveridge at Battersby Junction provides wonderful organic local veg boxes. She would welcome anyone who would like to volunteer to support her on her small holding at Battersby Junction. Wendy from the Food Group spend an enjoyable few hours with her recently. For more information email barbara at barbarabeveridge118@gmail.com
Co-op Foodshare
Did you know that every evening every week surplus food (which would otherwise go to waste) is collected from our local Co-op stores in Stokesley and Great Ayton and distributed to local charities and groups for those most in need?
Jenny Earle from the Food Group organises this fantastic work and a rota of volunteers collect and distribute the food.
One of the many organisations that receive and make good use of this surplus food is Nite Light CIC who made good use of the surplus food for their recent coronation lunch party. Nite Light is based in Middlesbrough preventing vulnerable people from going hungry. They have a number of activities including a free food market stall and ‘pay it forward’ schemes linking in with local businesses. More info here: https://nitelightcic.co.uk/
More volunteers to collect and distribute the surplus food are needed, even if you can only volunteer occasionally this is very useful for back up cover if one of the regular volunteers is unable to collect the food at short notice. Email us if you can spare an hour every now and then.
Yatton House Community Garden
Are you a Co-op member? If you are, remember you can still help fund the community garden that CASaV are helping develop with Yatton House, Brighten Up Great Ayton group and local Rotary groups. You can find out more and choose this local cause to support. If you are interested in joining a working party in the garden email Caryn [mailto:carynloftus@gmail.com].
Nature / Environment
No Mow May success
Chair of the Nature / Environment group Bridget Holstrom made a request to Stokesley Town Council for four areas that they are responsible for the upkeep of to be left unmown to provide nutrition for vital pollinators and also to enable a wider range of plants to establish and set seed. This was accepted by the council so look out for wider biodiversity in Stokesley!
Lots of interesting and inspiring events for Great Big Green Week and beyond
1. Biodiversity Event: Gardening for Wildlife 10th June
The event will be a guided walk around the garden highlighting the importance of the gardening for wildlife and the different elements in the garden. These include – native/non native plants, different levels, how to be insect friendly, providing winter habitats etc. Children are welcome to look under stones and in ponds etc.
There will be two sessions over the course of the day. 2pm – 4pm and 7.30pm – 9.30pm and the evening session will include using a bat detector!
There will be a limited number of places (15 max) and must be booked in advance, details to follow. The address of the venue will be provided those that book.
Refreshments will be provided.
2. Nature Under Threat & How to Help Display at the Globe, Stokesley 10-18th June
There will be a display all week 10-18th June at the Globe Community Library on the current threats to nature locally and globally, the reasons for this and what we can do about as individuals.
Additional displays are being considered for the Hub at Hutton Rudby and at the Discovery Centre, Great Ayton.
3. Wild flower walk around Cod Beck Sunday 11th June
Meet at Cod Beck car park at 4pm for a 1-2 hour walk led by botany expert Helen Herring.
Further walks and explorations of nature are planned this summer e.g. a walk around Bank Foot, Ingelby Greenhow led by Anne Press and a bird watching event.
Transport
20s Plenty for Stokesley – survey results
20’s plenty is the national scheme backed by United Nations, aiming to introduce 20mph as the norm wherever people and vehicles meet.
The local subgroup ’20’s Plenty for Stokesley’ recently carried out a survey and these results were published in The Loop:
A total of 264 completed the survey
250 agree with a new 20mph limit through Stokesley 14 disagree (comments suggest agreement in part by most of the 14 signatories) 1 person agreed and disagreed Over 70 comments were offered
Many signatories agree that numerous villages in the area should have a 20mph speed limit considered too.
Locally the 20s Plenty for North Yorkshire has been campaigning to encourage local councils to introduce maximum 20 mph zones in the centre of towns and villages and in particular where pedestrians are most vulnerable e.g. outside schools and where there is a high footfall. At these lower speeds not only can road deaths and injuries be substantially reduced but also climate changing exhaust gases can be lessened. Currently 141 town/parish councils in North Yorkshire support 20’s Plenty.
20’s Plenty North Yorkshire groups aim for North Yorkshire County Council to budget for new 20mph signage all around our county. If you agree with this idea please complete and share the petition.
A big thank you to all of you who continue to make our Repair Cafes such a success – repair experts, reception and refreshment volunteers and of course all of you who bring along your household items in need of repair.
Our next two Repair Cafes take place on Saturday 20th May at Swainby Village Hall 10-12 and following that on Saturday 10th June in the in the Stokesley Globe Community Library 10-12 as part of the Great Big Green Week to which we have sent a tentative invite to our local MP!
This now monthly event alternates between Swainby and Stokesley and continues to be well attended with 100s of household items repaired / returned to functional use which might have otherwise gone to waste in landfill or incineration, saving the owners the cost of buying replacements as well as reducing the environmental impact of using up resources and the energy in manufacturing.
The Repair Cafes gives us a great opportunity to share the climate action message with people who aren’t aware of CASAV and many have signed up to our mailing list, joined us on Facebook and volunteered for future Repair Cafes.
Remember, bring your household items in need of repair e.g. electrical appliances, mechanical equipment, furniture, clothing, crockery, laptops, smartphones, etc – to the Repair Cafe and extend the life of your items, learn repair skills, prevent landfill waste and help fight climate change!
We are always on the lookout for more volunteers so please get in touch if you are interested or want more information.
To mark Global Upcycling Day on June 24th Anne Mannix is preparing an ‘Upcycling Challenge’ competition for individuals and groups to design the most inventive way of repurposing items and materials into something useful which would have otherwise gone to recycling or to waste. There will be a number of categories, including most imaginative and most practical across different age ranges and the winners will receive prizes!
Recycling is the process of destroying waste and repurposing it to make something new from it, e.g. scrap metal is melted, processed, and then used to make a new item which is useful but still requires energy which contributes to climate change. Upcycling is more climate friendly in that it uses waste in its current state to create something new, such as a flower vase made from an empty bottle of wine. The benefit of upcycling is that you can give a raw material a second life without spending a lot of money on recycling, and you can also meet a current need with what you make.
The Upcycling Challenge will be launched this month, so look out for updates. If you have any ideas or a group who would like to take part please contact us by email.
Refill – reducing use of single use plastics
The Refill App (https://www.refill.org.uk/) allows you tap into a global network of places to reduce, reuse and refill containers for drinks, food and household cleaning substances as well as getting free tap water for your reusable bottle. Anne Mannix and other CASAV members have been out and about encouraging local businesses to sign up to the refill scheme and appear on the app and there are now almost 20 locations where you can refill your own containers, saving packaging and costs.
If you know any local businesses which would like to join the scheme, please get in touch.
Signing off
If you have any news or any event / activity you would like promoting on this monthly update please email Kate kategibbon@googlemail.com by the end of May.
Kate will also be helping promote activities via Facebook and Instagram so let her know if there is anything that you would like shared via our Facebook group or Instagram page if you are not a Facebook / Instagram user.
Hope to see you at the CASAV whole group monthly meeting on Tuesday 16th May
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
Our next meeting is on Tuesday 16th May, in The Globe Community Library, North Road, Stokesley from 7:30 – 9:00pm.
CASaV are members of the River Leven Catchment group working on cleaning the River Leven. Come and find out more about this work and our other activities including plans for Great Big Green Week in June.
Hope you enjoy reading our latest update, including details of our next meeting on Tuesday 18th April.
Happy Eastertide and welcome to April’s Update
Hoping you all had a good Easter break! This month we bring you local and national climate action news, events and activities including looking ahead to CASAV events for the Great Big Green week in June,
What’s Going On – general news and events
Monthly meeting
This month’s whole group CASAV meeting will be on Tuesday 18th April at The Globe Community Library, North Road, Stokesley 8-9pm following a special presentation ‘Love Food, Hate Waste’ from the Yorkshire Rotters from 7-8pm to which all the public are invited so please spread the word!
The Yorkshire Rotters will be discussing and demonstrating how to prevent food waste including home composting. The monthly CASAV meeting which follows will focus on group developments and coming events and how you can be involved. We will be looking at our events to celebrate Great Big Green Week among other issues.
Darlington & Stockton Times Monthly Climate Column
Great Big Green Week – 10-18th June – coming soon!
The Great Big Green Week is a yearly event across the country to celebrate community action to tackle climate change and protect nature. More information here: https://greatbiggreenweek.com/
There will be a number of CASAV events for Great Big Green Week organised by our different subgroups including Nature / Environment, Food and Waste – see details below and on the updated calendar of events page – CASaV Great Big Green Week 2023.
If you are planning anything or know of any other events in the area please get in touch.
Community Earth Festival Esk Valley & East Cleveland 22nd April – 8th July
A grassroots festival spread over ten weeks aiming to challenge people to look again at our relationship to the natural world. Events include practical workshops, nature recovery projects, creative performances, guided walks, talks and discussions. Full programme of events available here: https://www.eskvalleynews.co.uk/cef-programme
Thirsk World Earth Day Saturday 22nd April
Head on over to Thirsk to celebrate World Earth Day on Saturday 22nd April. In the Town Hall 10.00 – 1.00 there will be opportunities to meet the local and global groups working to protect our environment. As well as displays, exhibitions and local produce for sale, there will be presentations and talks throughout the morning including:
Local Beekeeping Association
Co-operative movement
Country markets
Cycling
Campaign for the Protection of Rural England
Deer Shed Festival
FairTrade
Friends of the Earth
Hambleton Strollers
NY Rotters
Owl Rescue Society
Royal Society for Protection of Birds
Thirsk Community Library
Women’s Institute
Woodland Trust
Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust and more.
Discover how local, legendary cheesemaker, the late Judy Bell, extended the hand of friendship to Syrian refugee Razan Alsous who now has her own multi-award winning cheese and dairy company.
• Learn about the North East Fishing Collective’s continuing fight to discover the real cause of mass sea life deaths in the North Sea.
• Explore bee keeping and climate change with an expert and sample delicious local honey.
• Guided bird watching walks will start from the Town Hall at 10.30 and noon – exploring the importance of our local green spaces.
• Stock up with delicious homemade jams, preserves and local produce.
PLUS Thirsk Repair Cafe – bring broken things to be fixed and tools sharpened in return for a small donation.
Updates from the groups
Energy
Solar panels in action – energy saving thoughts from George Carter
In 2022 the average CO2 emissions from grid electrical generation per kWh were 182 grams whilst gas produces 185 grams per kWh (Government statistics) ***
Like many (I hope) who have solar panels my installation saved 182 x 3,650**= 63.7 tonnes of CO2 in 2022. The heat pump reduced the CO2 emissions when using mains electricity to .182 / 3.89* = .047 grams per kWh of heat – a 74.7 % reduction in CO2 compared to gas heating
The house temperature does not go below 19 degrees C. The gas is disconnected
Sources of information
***grid.iamkate.com and ** givenergy.cloud (recorded independently through the solar installation in the house)
*the heat pump efficiency recorded in the coldest week 2021 compared to a similar week in 2019 (when still using gas)
Considering installing solar panels? Find out more here:
Experts say the UK should leave the climate harming Energy Charter Treaty
Experts have urged the UK to leave the controversial energy charter treaty (ECT), a secret court system that enables fossil fuel companies to sue governments for huge sums over policies that could affect future profits. Most European countries including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands have already made the decision to leave the treaty over concerns about its environmental impact.
Residents here in Hambleton but also Scarborough and Ryedale can apply for funding for energy efficiency measures for their home.
The fund aims to help reduce energy bills, keep homes warmer and cut carbon emissions. If you meet the criteria, you can apply to YES Energy Solutions, who are delivering the scheme on our behalf. They will carry out a survey to identify what funding you could receive from the government scheme to upgrade energy inefficient homes.
If you are a homeowner or private renter you can apply if you meet the eligibility criteria. For privately rented properties, landlords are required to make a contribution to cover one third of the total costs.
See if you are eligible
To qualify for the scheme you must:
be a resident in Scarborough, Hambleton or Ryedale
have a household income of £30,000 or less or receive income related benefits
live in a property with an Energy Performance Certificate rating of E, F or G
Properties rated as D will also be accepted if fewer than 30% of D rated properties sign up to the scheme.
If you qualify for the fund, your property will undergo a survey and YES Energy Solutions will use that to see which improvements would improve your home’s warmth and efficiency the most.
The type of home you live in will determine which improvements can be made and how much funding you could get which could be up to £10,000 or £25,000 for off-gas properties.
Examples of free improvements you could receive include:
The Food Group are planning to a display of recipe books to encourage people to eat more sustainably at CASAV events during the Great Big Green Week.
Local organic veg boxes
Barbara Beveridge at Battersby Junction provides wonderful organic local veg boxes. She would welcome anyone who would like to volunteer to support her on her small holding at Battersby Junction. Wendy from the Food Group spend an enjoyable few hours with her recently. For more information email barbara at barbarabeveridge118@gmail.com
Co-op Foodshare
Did you know that every evening surplus food (which would otherwise go to waste) is collected from our local Co-op stores in Stokesley and Great Ayton and distributed to local charities and groups for those most in need? Jenny Earle from the Food Group organises this fantastic work and a rota of volunteers collect and distribute the food. More volunteers are always welcome, even if you can only volunteer occasionally this is very useful for back up cover if one of the regular volunteers is unable to collect the food at short notice. Email us if you can spare an hour every now and then.
Yatton House Community Garden
Are you a Co-op member? If you are, remember you can still help fund the community garden that CASaV are helping develop with Yatton House, Brighten Up Great Ayton group and local Rotary groups. You can find out more and choose this local cause to support. If you are interested in joining a working party in the garden email Caryn [mailto:carynloftus@gmail.com].
Nature / Environment
Events for Great Big Green Week
1. Biodiversity Event: Gardening for Wildlife 10th June
The event will be a guided walk around the garden highlighting the importance of the gardening for wildlife and the different elements in the garden. These include – native/non native plants, different levels, how to be insect friendly, providing winter habitats etc. Children are welcome to look under stones and in ponds etc.There will be two sessions over the course of the day. 2pm – 4pm and 7.30pm – 9.30pm and the evening session will include using a bat detector!
There will be a limited number of places (15 max) and must be booked in advance, details to follow. The address of the venue will be provided those that book.
Refreshments will be provided.
2. Nature Under Threat & How to Help Display at the Globe, Stokesley 10-18th June
There will be a display all week 10-18th June at the Globe Community Library on the current threats to nature locally and globally, the reasons for this and what we can do about as individuals.
Additional displays are being considered for the Hub at Hutton Rudby and at the Discovery Centre, Great Ayton.
3. Wild flower walk around Cod Beck Sunday 11th June
Meet at Cod Beck car park at 4pm for a 1-2 hour walk led by botany expert Helen Herring.
Further walks and explorations of nature are planned this summer e.g. a walk around Bank Foot, Ingelby Greenhow led by Anne Press and a bird watching event.
Transport
20s Plenty for North Yorkshire
20’s plenty is the national scheme backed by United Nations, aiming to introduce 20mph as the norm wherever people and vehicles meet.
Locally the 20s Plenty for North Yorkshire has been campaigning to encourage local councils to introduce maximum 20 mph zones in the centre of towns and villages and in particular where pedestrians are most vulnerable e.g. outside schools and where there is a high footfall. At these lower speeds not only can road deaths and injuries be substantially reduced but also climate changing exhaust gases can be lessened. Currently 141 town/parish councils in North Yorkshire support 20’s Plenty.
Even more locally, 20’s Plenty for Stokesley is our nearest group, contactable here:
20’s Plenty North Yorkshire groups aim for North Yorkshire County Council to budget for new 20mph signage all around our county. If you agree with this idea please complete and share the petition.
Repair Cafes have been in action twice since the last monthly update, Swainby Village Hall on Saturday 18th March and following that Saturday 1st April at the Globe Stokesley with over 100 items in total repaired / returned to functional use which might have otherwise gone to waste in landfill or incineration, saving the owners the cost of buying replacements as well as reducing the environmental impact of using up resources and the energy in manufacturing.
With spring tempting us back into the garden, our very own Phil ‘Blades’ and his nifty blade sharpening tools was kept very busy with dozens of people bringing their shears and secateurs to get them garden ready.
The Repair Cafes gives us a great opportunity to share the climate action message with people who aren’t aware of CASAV and many have signed up to our mailing list, joined us on Facebook and volunteered for future Repair Cafes. Also we have spread the Repair Cafe word with other local climate action groups such as Middlesbrough who will be launching their first Repair Cafe on Saturday 22nd April at the Hope Foundation on Grange Road 1-3pm.
The next CASAV Repair Cafe will be Saturday 20th May 10-12 at Swainby Village Hall. Remember, bring your household items in need of repair e.g. electrical appliances, mechanical equipment, furniture, clothing, crockery, laptops, smartphones, etc – to the Repair Cafe and extend the life of your items, learn repair skills, prevent landfill waste and help fight climate change!
To mark Global Upcycling Day on June 24th Anne Mannix is preparing an ‘Upcycling Challenge’ competition for individuals and groups to design the most inventive way of repurposing items and materials into something useful which would have otherwise gone to recycling or to waste. There will be a number of categories, including most imaginative and most practical across different age ranges and the winners will receive prizes!
Recycling is the process of destroying waste and repurposing it to make something new from it, e.g. scrap metal is melted, processed, and then used to make a new item which is useful but still requires energy which contributes to climate change. Upcycling is more climate friendly in that it uses waste in its current state to create something new, such as a flower vase made from an empty bottle of wine. The benefit of upcycling is that you can give a raw material a second life without spending a lot of money on recycling, and you can also meet a current need with what you make.
The Upcycling Challenge will be launched next month, so look out for updates. If you have any ideas or a group who would like to take part please contact us by email.
Refill – reducing use of single use plastics
The Refill App (https://www.refill.org.uk/) allows you tap into a global network of places to reduce, reuse and refill containers for drinks, food and household cleaning substances as well as getting free tap water for your reusable bottle. Anne Mannix and other CASAV members have been out and about encouraging local businesses to sign up to the refill scheme and appear on the app and there are now almost 20 locations where you can refill your own containers, saving packaging and costs.
If you know any local businesses which would like to join the scheme, please get in touch.
Reusuable Nappy Week 24th-30th April
In the first 2.5 years of a baby’s life, they will have needed at least 4,000 nappy changes. If of the single-use variety, these nappies will be sent to incineration or landfill at a cost to our environment.
Using reusable nappies doesn’t have to mean going full-time to make a difference. Every day you choose to reuse, you will reduce waste and avoid consumption of single-use plastic equivalent to at least 17 plastic bags a day!
The carbon footprint of nappy usage can be reduced by 40% if reusable nappies are used instead of single-use nappies. Reusable nappies also use 98% fewer raw materials.
Locally we are fortunate to have the Hambleton District Cloth Nappy Library from which you can hire reusuable nappy kits consisting of modern washable, cloth nappies, liners and covers from newborn upwards. They also hold monthly drop in sessions usually every second Friday 11-1 at Crazy Kingdom, 2 Standard Way, Northalleton DL6 2KH where you can have a look at the kits, discuss how they work and get general nappy advice. Due to Easter and to coincide with Reusuable Nappy Week they have shifted this month’s session to Friday 28th April. You can find more information via their Facebook Page or email hambletonclothnappies@outlook.com
Signing off
If you have any news or any event / activity you would like promoting on this monthly update please email Kate kategibbon@googlemail.com by the end of April.
Kate will also be helping promote activities via Facebook and Instagram so let her know if there is anything that you would like shared via our Facebook group or Instagram page if you are not a Facebook / Instagram user.
Hope to see you at the CASAV whole group monthly meeting and talk by the Yorkshire Rotters on the 18th April (details at the start of the update!)
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
This month Climate Action Stokesley and Villages group are hosting a talk by Charles Everson from North Yorkshire Rotters, followed by an update from the group. The meeting, on Tuesday 18th April, is as usual in The Globe Community Library in Stokesley but starting earlier at 7:00pm.
Charles will cover the relationship between food production, food loss and food waste and its impact on climate change on a global scale and the food waste challenges in the UK; how the LoveFoodHateWaste Campaign is helping to reduce the volumes of food waste produced in the UK and the simple actions that we can all take to help reduce the food waste that we all produce; and how home composting is the most sustainable method of dealing with kitchen and garden wastes and will offer tips to assist in the production of good quality compost at home.
The strategy is a 58 page document, but page 6 summarises the strategy, the introduction on pages 7-9 sets the context and on page 46 has the conclusions. The strategy frames the challenges well and suggests many good ways of thinking about ways of addressing these challenges. Bearing in mind the urgency as just pointed out by the IPCC’s AR6 Synthesis Report, it is disappointing that much of the strategy refers to planning rather than acting and where acting is discussed it is unlike to start before 2024.
The survey asks for your level of confidence that the strategy will achieve its aims, our reading of the strategy is that there is insufficient detail to have confidence that the aims will be achieved.
This post is aimed at helping you to complete the survey, starting with suggestions from our meeting, followed by NYC’s thematic strategy (as shown on page 6), items covered by the NYC strategy and finally some comments on the survey.
It is important that NYC as our elected local government get a strong message from as many members of the North Yorkshire populations as possible that we want North Yorkshire to go further and faster in the reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increase resilience to climate change and recovering nature.
So please consider sending your response to North Yorkshire Council as detailed above. If you feel the strategy is too complex, then please email climatechange@northyorks.gov.uk explaining how important you think addressing climate change is, how you expect NYC to lead in North Yorkshire and some things you are doing personally to get to Net Zero and beyond as soon as possible.
CASaV Suggestions for the North Yorkshire Council Climate Change Strategy
Below you will find our suggestions from the meeting which may inspire you with ideas for other things you would like to see in the strategy.
North Yorkshire Council has identified 3 themes to tackle:
Mitigation – reducing NY’s emissions
Adaptation – preparing NY for climate impacts
Supporting Nature – helping the natural world, on which we depend, to thrive
North Yorkshire Council – becoming a climate responsible council
So rather than work through the strategy in the meeting instead we split into groups to work on mitigation, adaptation and supporting nature, we did not feel qualified to comment on the council’s internal policies.
Meeting Outputs
Mitigation
Retrofitting
Retrofitting of public buildings and social housing
Support co-operative developments for retrofitting and social care and domestic
Alternative energy
Better use of solar panels,use undeveloped council land (or cheap land purchased to use for solar panels
Solar panels on car parks Wind turbines
Transport
Cycle routes – make commitment to the provision of safe cycle routes
Major commitment to 20’s plenty
Free public transport on key routes
Bike tracks – like Stokesley and Great Ayton
Connected and integrated rail and bus travel
20 mile an hour zones to reduce speed
Behaviour change
Empower young people’s voices
Plant based school dinners
Link to cost of living to nudge behaviour
Tax breaks for carbon neutral businesses that are eco
Adaptation
Built environment
Shade provision in car parks with solar panels on the roof to generate electricity Solar panels in car parks Houses built for high and low temperatures
Planning
More diversity for supermarkets
Local shopping
+ – All new buildings to be appropriately designed to be future proof
PV Panels
Solar thermal
Reduce emissions by appropriate lighting
Motion sensored lights instead of constant floodlightsAlso switching traffic and streets lights off when not needed
Reduce emissions by reducing the need for transport by making town, villages and all communities more self-sufficient – with regard to shopping, medical centres, schools, etc..
Nature
Treeplanting
Hedgerow planting and management
Restoration and improved management of peat moorland
More shade trees
Growing suitable crops
Water
Increase water storage (i.e. water butts etc.)
Better use of open spaces for absorbing rain water through wild flowers etc..
Nature
Sustainable agriculture
Less waste
Wonky vegtables – but not lip service
Regenerative farming
How to resource the transition?
Hedges cut within an inch of their life
Payment for margins?
Move from money spent on weedkillers
How do we feed the nation?
Food security?
Easier for vegans
Factory produced food from microbial base
Move away from animal based to plant based/frementation processes
Major issue on how to encourage a radical change in farming practices in a short space of time
Make space for nature – rewilding?
Trees
NYC Strategy by Theme
Mitigation – reducing North Yorkshire’s emissions
A low energy and low carbon built environment powered by local renewable energy.
Easy, accessible, and affordable low carbon transport to enable active travel, public transport, and electric vehicles.
A low waste and circular economy with support for communities and businesses to reduce resource use and benefit from green economic growth.
Making the most of our land to store carbon. Encouraging everyone to reduce carbon emissions.
Adaptation – preparing North Yorkshire for climate impacts
Ensuring that North Yorkshire is climate resilient: reducing exposure to, prepare for, cope with and recover better from extreme weather events and global supply chain and health impacts that will become more intense and frequent.
We will draw up climate adaptation plans to support infrastructure, services and residents to prepare and adapt.
Adaptation for and by nature, enabling nature to adapt to changing habitats and using nature based solutions to cool our towns and reduce flash flooding.
Supporting Nature – helping the natural world, on which we depend, to thrive
Developing strong forward plans and community partnerships for nature.
Protect, enhance and link important nature sites and corridors and realise opportunities to grow sustainable economic prosperity.
Prioritise nature based solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
North Yorkshire Council – becoming a Climate Responsible Council
The Council aims to be carbon neutral by 2030 and will measure and report its progress annually.
A detailed decarbonisation programme will cover our buildings, fleet, and the goods and services we buy and how we use our assets to support nature.
Climate Responsible actions will be built into the Council’s governance and culture, training, impact assessments, officer groups, and regular progress reporting.
Notes on NYC Strategy
Preamble
Must support nature recovery
Funding – additional external funding
Shift from business as usual – no extra funding needed
Not just council everyone
Introduction
Super sparse
Poor housing thermal performance
Limited electrical grid
North Yorkshire Targets
+ – Emissions
33% agriculture
28% transport
20% domestic
12% industry
+ – Targets
+ – Transport
Sales of zero emissions cars reach ca. 20,000/yr by 2038 Increase active travel for short journeys, ensuring walking and cycling accounts for 17% of distance travelled by 2038 Increase public transport share of travel by bus to 8% of all journeys and by train to 16% by 2030
+ – Land Use
Plant 37,000 hectares of new woodland by 2038 Increase amount of hedgerows in the region by 20% by 2038, alongside improvements in hedgerow width and health 100% of upland and lowland peatlands under restoration by 2038
+ – Buildings and Industry
Retrofit of 250,000 homes to reach EPC C or better (reduced thermal energy demand)
270,000 heat pumps installed by 2038
Hydrogen equipment developed and deployed for industry
+ – Power
Upgrade the electricity infrastructure to enable over double the existing demand by 2038 Install an additional 2,500 MW megawatt (MW) of capacity from solar, onshore wind and hydropower by 2038 Install Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) to large biomass and fossil plants, capturing 8 MtCO2/yr by 2030 and CCS retrofits onto Energy from Waste (EfW)
Principles
Equality of opportunity
Work and collaborate with partners
Using the evidence
Financially aware
Co-benefits
Public health
Improvements in air quality
Economic development
Resilience and vulnerability
Rural commission and rural task force outcomes
Mitigation
Reduce GHG
Decrease production of GHG by reduced energy demand and modernised agriculture
Generate low carbon energy
Capture GHG and store in organic sinks and via industrial CCS
+ – Priorities
Retrofit buildings
Phase out fossil fuel use
Future proof new buildings
Ensure hydrogen readiness
+ – Low carbon transport
Local transport plan by Summer 2024
+ – Waste and circular economy
Reduce
Accelerate CCUS
Circular business
Behaviour change in waste
+ – Energy generation
Landfills
Support community energy projects
+ – Agricultural emissions
Measure
Increase efficiency
Local food
+ – Capture
Through farming
Trees
CCUS
+ – Everyone reduce GHG
Change awareness
Actions for individual, organisations and businesses
Adaptation and Resilience
Prepare for change
Plan / retrofit
Nature at heart of adaptation
Nature
Support nature to thrive
Increase storage of carbon in our landscape
Enhance marine and coastal ecosystems to improve carbon sequestration
The first questions are fairly direct, please complete these as you see fit, don’t hold back on emotion, the survey is about your personal views and feelings. So it is important that NYC learn how the residents truly feel, as this is what will give the council the license to act faster and further than if we don’t support climate positive actions.
How aware are you of climate change?
How worried are you about climate change?
+ – What actions have you taken to tackle climate change?
Home energy improvements
More use of public transport
Electric vehicle
Reduced energy consumption
Recycling
Reducing waste
Changed diet
Installing renewable energy
Community activity
More waling or cycling
No action
Questions
The document does not give sufficient detail to have confidence that it will address the 4 themes. For example it many of the suggested actions from the CASaV meeting are not mentioned. So when you complete the “why you feel this” section you can highlight the ones you believe are necessary to explain why you are not confident with the strategy.
+ – How we plan to slow it down – mitigation
How confident do you feel that this approach will help slow down a changing climate in North Yorkshire?
+ – How we are preparing for climate change – adaptation
How confident do you feel that this approach will prepare for a changing climate in North Yorkshire?
+ – Helping nature to help us
How confident do you feel that this approach will help nature to help us in North Yorkshire?
Prioritise
All of these items are very important and so prioritising without specific background is not useful, so skip this. For example you need to know relative costs of each action per tonne of carbon dioxide emission reduction and/or the land area needed for each tonne reduction. The list is also obviously very incomplete, for example there are many other ways to reduce waste, such as repair, design for longer life, removal of single use items, etc..
Capturing and storing carbon
Encouraging everyone to reduce carbon emissions
Energy efficient built structures
Farming emissions
Renewable energy growth
Travel and transport
Reduce waste by reuse and recycling
The final two questions are opportunities direct how the council works to achieve the strategy.
Openness is probably the key item to mention for the working with question.
How do you we can best work with our partners and the community to tackle Climate Change?
Please include whatever ideas you have that you haven’t included in the earlier confidence questions here.
What other suggestions do you have to help us manage a changing climate?
Published in the Darlington and Stockton Times Friday 17th March 2023.
Nowadays we buy, use, throw away and replace things that break or develop any problem, when often with a simple repair they could continue being used. Our buy, use, throw away culture carries ever increasing costs – the cost of the new item, the environmental impact of extracting, processing, and exhausting our natural resources, plus the climate impact of incinerating or burying the waste.
We’ve forgotten the make do and mend ethos of times gone by, knowing how to make repairs is a skill quickly lost. This is why every community needs a Repair Café! Repair Cafés are an international idea, summed up in their tag line – “Bin it, No way!”. You bring your broken item and spend time with people with repair skills – the item gets repaired for free (or advice is given if its beyond repair) and practical skills are passed on.
It’s worth noting that Repair Cafés differ from the TV ‘Repair Shop’ as the focus is not on restoring precious antiques but to extend the life of everyday household items.
In March 2022 Climate Action Stokesley and Villages volunteers started the now monthly Stokesley and Villages Repair Cafés. The Stokesley and Villages Repair Cafés have repaired nearly 400 broken items including vacuum cleaners, computers, kettles, furniture, decorative lamps, clothing, bicycles, toasters, crockery, dog blankets – even a singing reindeer! Our Cafés have reduced CO2 emissions (manufacturing new products and recycling or disposing of old ones causes CO2 to be released) and saved people the cost of new purchases – many thousands of pounds.
Locally, Repair Cafés are also running at Hovingham, in the Upper Esk Valley and at Thirsk with plans to start new ones in Northallerton, Guisborough and Middlesbrough.
Interested? The next Stokesley and Villages Repair Cafés will be at Swainby Village Hall on Saturday 18th March and at Stokesley Globe Community Library on Saturday 1st April, 10-12. You can find details of other local Repair Cafés via their Facebook pages or through the national Repair Cafe website
Repair Cafés are always keen to welcome new volunteers with repair skills, use the website above or for Stokesley and Villages Repair Café visit our Repair Cafe webpage.
Repair Cafés just want to show how much fun repairing things can be, and how easy it often is. There’s a free cuppa too! Of course we also accept voluntary donations to cover the costs. Why don’t you give it a go, either to get your stuff repaired or to volunteer as a helper or a repairer?
If you haven’t already completed the consultation on the new draft Climate Change Strategy for North Yorkshire Council then you still have time. The draft strategy document and a link to the Let’s Talk Climate survey can be found online. Reference copies are also available in local libraries. The consultation closes on 7 April 2023.
Hope you enjoy reading our latest update, including details of our next meeting on Tuesday 21st March.
Welcome to March’s Update and all things spring
This month we bring you local and national climate action news, events and activities including how to access and give feedback on North Yorkshire Council’s Climate Change Strategy, the successes of the Food Group’s free seed stall and the Waste Group’s Repair Cafes, how to support the local 20’s plenty campaign, how to apply for energy efficiency funds and where you can obtain a swift box to help protect this highly endangered bird.
What’s Going On – general news and events
Monthly meeting
This month’s whole group CASAV meeting will be on Tuesday 21st March at The Globe Community Library, North Road, Stokesley from 7:30 – 9:00pm. Everyone is welcome to hear about group developments and coming events as well as to discuss current topics and how you can be involved. Our focus this month will be on responding to the North Yorkshire County Council climate change strategy consultation – see below for details.
North Yorkshire Council Climate Change Strategy
The North Yorkshire Council Climate Change Strategy Draft was published on Monday 13 February and is available to view online here:
The Strategy outlines the activities which the new North Yorkshire Council can take to tackle the causes and impacts of climate change through four areas:
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions to slow down climate change.
Preparing Council services and North Yorkshire residents for the changing climate.
Supporting nature, on which the county depends to thrive.
North Yorkshire Council – to be operationally carbon neutral by 2030.
It also highlights how North Yorkshire Council will work with partners across the public, private and voluntary sectors to support the regional ambition to become a carbon negative region by 2040 – following the York and North Yorkshire Routemap to Carbon Negative.
Reference copies of the strategy draft are also available in local libraries. Residents, communities, voluntary groups, businesses and partners, are asked to give their views.
Informed by discussions at our next meeting we will be making a collective response but everyone is encouraged to give their views as individuals also here:
Everybody’s views are important, be aware that the consultation closes on 7 April 2023.
Darlington & Stockton Times Monthly Climate Column
Starting in March 2022, CASaV has now been successfully producing a column for the D&S on a pertinent climate topic every month, raising awareness and hopefully encouraging people to take action. Topics range from warm homes and reducing waste to individual actions to mitigate against climate change. If you have an idea that you think would make a good article please let us know!
If you missed last month’s column you can catch up here:
All of the past year’s columns are being collated and will be accessible via the CASAV website soon.
Great Big Green Week – 10-18th June – save the date!
The Great Big Green Week is a yearly event across the country to celebrate community action to tackle climate change and protect nature. More information here: https://greatbiggreenweek.com/
We are starting to compile a list of events for Great Big Green Week which will include one of our regular Repair Cafes. If you are planning anything in the area please get in touch to add your event to the list.
Residents here in Hambleton but also Scarborough and Ryedale can apply for funding for energy efficiency measures for their home.
The fund aims to help reduce energy bills, keep homes warmer and cut carbon emissions. If you meet the criteria, you can apply to YES Energy Solutions, who are delivering the scheme on our behalf. They will carry out a survey to identify what funding you could receive from the government scheme to upgrade energy inefficient homes.
If you are a homeowner or private renter you can apply if you meet the eligibility criteria. For privately rented properties, landlords are required to make a contribution to cover one third of the total costs.
See if you are eligible
To qualify for the scheme you must:
be a resident in Scarborough, Hambleton or Ryedale
have a household income of £30,000 or less or receive income related benefits
live in a property with an Energy Performance Certificate rating of E, F or G
Properties rated as D will also be accepted if fewer than 30% of D rated properties sign up to the scheme.
If you qualify for the fund, your property will undergo a survey and YES Energy Solutions will use that to see which improvements would improve your home’s warmth and efficiency the most.
The type of home you live in will determine which improvements can be made and how much funding you could get which could be up to £10,000 or £25,000 for off-gas properties.
Examples of free improvements you could receive include:
The government appears to be back pedalling on its promise to lift the ban on onshore windfarms in England. For energy security and to combat climate change more onshore wind farms are needed and have the approval of the majority of the public.
Members of the Food group held a popular free seed giveaway staff at this month’s Farmer’s Market in Stokesley on Saturday March 4th, encouraging people to grow their own vegetables and flowers, giving away free seeds and advice.
If you missed this you can still pick up (or donate!) free seeds at the Globe Community Library seed share box and also the Discovery Centre, Great Ayton has a seed box.
Yatton House Community Garden
Are you a Co-op member? If you are, remember you can still help fund the community garden that CASaV are helping develop with Yatton House, Brighten Up Great Ayton group and local Rotary groups. You can find out more and choose this local cause to support. If you are interested in joining a working party in the garden email Caryn [mailto:carynloftus@gmail.com].
Nature / Environment
Nature events
The Nature group is planning various events over the course of the year, including the popular wildflower walks and bug hunt. Subject to finding an expert we also want to run bat walks and a fungus foray. We are also planning a Biodiversity Event in the spring that will take place during the Great Big Green week. A key event will be an open garden highlighting gardening for biodiversity. This will take place on Saturday 10th June. Location details will be released later. As a celebration of the Great Big Green week we are also holding wildflower walks at Ingleby Bank Foot and Cod Beck reservoir.
Swift Action
The beautiful and high flying swift is seriously endangered and for two years now has been on the Red list in the 2021 UK Conservation Status Report – the highest conservation priority, with species on this list needing urgent action
On Monday 27th February we had an interesting evening at the launch of the Swift Action project, being led by the Discovery Centre, Great Ayton with support from BUGs (Brighten Up Great Ayton) and Climate Action Stokesley and Villages. Graham Jeffreys from the company Habibat, who design and manufacture a range of bird and bat boxes and are based in the village, donated 10 swift boxes for the village to help the existing swift colony which have been eagerly taken up but we have been offered more at £10 per box. If you would like one please place an order in the Discovery Centre by 31st March. We might be able to fund additional orders depending on the numbers requested.
If you are interested in the Swift Action project please get in touch with Caryn [mailto:carynloftus@gmail.com].
Forever chemicals found in local effluent treatment works
High levels of the pollutants per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as ‘forever chemicals’ as they don’t break down in the environment, build up in the body and may be toxic, have been found at thousands of sites across the UK and Europe, a major mapping project has revealed, including at Stokesley and Great Ayton effluent treatment works.
The Marine Conservation Society has more information on the impact of these chemicals on the environment and how you can take action to stop more of these chemicals being produced and released.
As if there weren’t enough worries, another concern for the environment is the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill which plans to sweep away all EU related law and statutory instruments. Many organisations including the RSPB and Wildlife Trusts have expressed deep concerns about the consequences on the natural environment because many of the protections we have in the UK have come about because of the UK’s membership of the EU. You can read more about this bill below.
20’s plenty is the national scheme backed by United Nations, aiming to introduce 20mph as the norm wherever people and vehicles meet.
Locally the 20s Plenty for North Yorkshire has been campaigning to encourage local councils to introduce maximum 20 mph zones in the centre of towns and villages and in particular where pedestrians are most vulnerable e.g. outside schools and where there is a high footfall. At these lower speeds not only can road deaths and injuries be substantially reduced but also climate changing exhaust gases can be lessened. Currently 141 town/parish councils in North Yorkshire support 20’s Plenty.
Even more locally, 20’s Plenty for Stokesley is our nearest group, contactable here:
20’s Plenty North Yorkshire groups aim for North Yorkshire County Council to budget for new 20mph signage all around our county. If you agree with this idea please complete and share the petition.
The latest Repair Cafe took place at the Globe Community Library, Stokesley on Saturday February 11th. Over 60 household items were repaired and / or returned to full working order by our pink T-shirted volunteers (surplus event promo items were cunningly rescued from going to waste by Jenny and repurposed as our rather fetching ‘Repairer’ uniforms). Who needs Jay Blades (TV’s Repair Shop) when we have our very own Phil ‘Blades’ and his nifty blade sharpening tools?
The monthly Repair Cafes continue with the next being held in Swainby Village Hall on Saturday 18th March 10-12 and following that Saturday 1st April at the Globe Stokesley 10-12. We have now been running these for a whole year in which time over 400 household items have been repaired which might have otherwise gone to waste in landfill or incineration, saving the owners thousands of pounds in the cost of buying replacements as well as reducing the environmental impact of using up resources and the energy in manufacturing. Also we get the opportunity to share the climate action message with all of the 100s of people who have attended, many not directly involved with CASAV.
Remember, bring your household items in need of repair e.g. electrical appliances, mechanical equipment, furniture, clothing, crockery, laptops, smartphones, etc – to the Repair Cafe and extend the life of your items, learn repair skills, prevent landfill waste and help fight climate change!
Learn repair skills, extend the life of your favourite clothes and reduce waste
Ripping Yarns in Stokesley is running a number of mending workshops led by one of our Repair Cafe repairers Jane, the next is 5th April. More information here
The Refill App (https://www.refill.org.uk/) allows you tap into a global network of places to reduce, reuse and refill containers for drinks, food and household cleaning substances as well as getting free tap water for your reusable bottle. Anne Mannix and other CASAV members have been out and about encouraging local businesses to sign up to the refill scheme and appear on the app and there are now almost 20 locations where you can refill your own containers, saving packaging and costs.
If you know any local businesses which would like to join the scheme, please get in touch.
Signing off
If you have any news or any event / activity you would like promoting on this monthly update please email Kate kategibbon@googlemail.com by the end of March.
Kate will also be helping promote activities via Facebook and Instagram so let her know if there is anything that you would like shared via our Facebook group or Instagram page if you are not a Facebook / Instagram user.
Hope to see you at the CASAV whole group monthly meeting on the 21st March (details at the start of the update!)
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
The Great Big Green Week is a yearly event across the country to celebrate community action to tackle climate change and protect nature. More information here: 
Heartening global news! The UN-Energy partnership brings together some 30 organizations working on all aspects of energy and sustainable development. The
Sadly, clean electricity plans in the UK may be stuck for years because of ‘negligence’ by governments over modernising network, say renewable energy developers.
We appreciate that not everyone has a garden or access to an allotment but windowsills can still provide a harvest of fresh food. Ideas here: 
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Head on over to Thirsk to celebrate World Earth Day on Saturday 22nd April. In the Town Hall 10.00 – 1.00 there will be opportunities to meet the local and global groups working to protect our environment. As well as displays, exhibitions and local produce for sale, there will be presentations and talks throughout the morning including:
In 2022 the average CO2 emissions from grid electrical generation per kWh were 182 grams whilst gas produces 185 grams per kWh (Government statistics) ***
Experts have urged the UK to leave the controversial energy charter treaty (ECT), a secret court system that enables fossil fuel companies to sue governments for huge sums over policies that could affect future profits. Most European countries including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands have already made the decision to leave the treaty over concerns about its environmental impact.
Residents here in Hambleton but also Scarborough and Ryedale can apply for funding for energy efficiency measures for their home.
Residents here in Hambleton but also Scarborough and Ryedale can apply for funding for energy efficiency measures for their home.
Climate Action Stokesley and Villages 