The environment - What you can do to help your community

Open meeting: 15^th September 2009, Debenham

A public meeting focusing on environmental impact in the local community and what local residents can do to reduce their carbon foot print will be held at Debenham Community Centre on Tuesday 15^th September from 7.15pm.

Everyone from Helmingham, Framsden, Pettaugh, Winston, Debenham, Aspall and Kenton parishes is invited to take part. The event will provide a useful insight into what individuals can do to help protect the local environment and reduce our community’s impact on climate change.

Organised by five local people, the meeting aims to put the global issues of environmental protection onto a more local footing. It will discuss ideas, provide information on issues of local interest and demonstrate some of the ways that individuals and groups can adopt to reduce their impact and protect the environment for our future generations.

Talk and actions

The meeting kicks off with a 45 minute presentation session featuring five key topics:

Ÿ         An overview of climate change - Detailing what actions communities can take to prepare for its effects by eminent environmentalist Professor John Midwinter.

Ÿ         Funding - Information on the grant funding available and schemes to support households such as Carbon Reduction scheme, Insulation, the ‘Home Front’ scheme, Low interest finance for installations, plus details on what other communities are doing, by John Taylor of Suffolk Carbon Reduction Partnership (CRED)

Ÿ         Community care - looking at local support for local people such as Good Neighbour scheme, lunch groups, ‘key safe’ etc.

Ÿ         Rural transport, looking at the ‘Kickstart’ scheme, lift and car share opportunities, community transport issues - with special reference to young and older people.

Ÿ         Recycle, Reduce and Re-Use - Ideas for projects such as a swap scheme/ Debenham free-cycle, composting, how to reduce packaging, etc

Ÿ         Local Food - Ideas and opportunities for more home-grown produce, allotments, community orchards, bulk purchasing, local excess produce outlet etc

A number of trade and information stands will also be at the event, featuring a variety of projects, schemes and popular areas of interest including:

Ÿ         Green energy from wood chip and log boilers

Ÿ         Domestic wood burners - how to use them efficiently

Ÿ         Eco builds - how to construct and what its like to live in

Ÿ         Allotments - opportunities, co-operative projects and management

Ÿ         Grants available for farmers for planting woodland (biomass)

Ÿ         Suffolk Small Holders Association

Ÿ         Suffolk Acre - focusing on transport and neighbourhood schemes

Ÿ         Ipswich Credit Union - financial support for community projects etc

Ÿ         Insulation

Ÿ         Wind energy supplier and recent MSDC applicant

The meeting is open to everyone and those that are unable to make the early start will be very welcome from 8.15pm (when the bar will be open) to browse the information and trade stands. The event offers a good opportunity to talk to people directly about what interests you and what you can do to help.

You may consider getting involved in a local group or to keep in touch with what is going on or perhaps you have an idea for a project that you would like to get started.

You will be able to register your interests, whether it is swapping seeds, having a lunch with neighbours or group purchasing of insulation…

This event will give our community the opportunity to think, discuss and hopefully develop some co-operative ideas on environmental protection from a local perspective. It will help to show us what we can do to reduce the impact of climate change on our community and reduce our carbon footprint.

We hope you will support the meeting look forward to seeing you on the 15^th September!

Enquiries - Louise Berry, louiseberry1@btinternet.com