Welcome to the October newsletter. It’s been a while, and we have been quite busy and have a lot to let you know about, so here’s a rather packed latest Carbon Cutters newsletter for you.
Featuring:
Welcome to Janine Peryer, an enthusiastic Carbon Cutter!
New Resources for Carbon Cutters
ACT at Newton Abbot Fayre in August
New Drop-In Events
ACT Website Carbon Footprint Tracker Resources
Spread The Word
Send me your events
ACT Website
Carbon Cutting Training
Carbon Cutters Catch Ups
Happenings For Your Diary
Newton Abbot Library
A thank you to our sponsors TECs
A final thought…
We’d like to know a little more about you, and perhaps you’d like to know us a little better. Why not tell us about yourself and what you are doing. Here’s more about Janine…
Janine joined ACT’s Carbon Cutters group to help others understand what individuals can do to cut their carbon emissions.
Janine says: “The topic is very urgent and doing the ACT training course inspired me to help spread the message. I am learning things myself on a daily basis and have spoken to friends, family, neighbours and acquaintances about reducing their carbon emissions. What I like to pass on to my parish is ‘awareness’, so every one of us is prepared to think about what our actions mean to our planet and what we can all do to try and rectify any damage caused by these actions.”
Janine has been aware of her own carbon impact for some time and limits it by cycling or taking the bus when possible, driving a second hand electric car and using coach companies for holidays. She has reduced her heating costs by insulating her home, and has installed solar panels and storage batteries.
Janine says: “The thing I feel has most cut my own carbon footprint is to try and upcycle and re-use as well as reduce my own consumption. I buy second hand, and repair appliances if possible and find out the source of goods, as much as I can, before purchase. I think about my meat and fish intake, which is now nearly at vegetarian level, and I grow fruit and some vegetables in my insect friendly garden. I also keep bees and recycle rainwater where I can.
“I would recommend to everyone to become a carbon cutter to make life more bearable for the next generation and generations to come, so they can leave a better legacy for the planet than my generation.”
In the Resource Section, we have added two pub quizzes to engage the public in thinking about carbon consumption – there is one for adults and one for kids both available as PDFs.
We have also added a Talk to a Carbon Cutter PDF flier to the Resources Page. If you want to get in contact with your own local community you can use this and just amend it with your own contact details. Find it here
We have just updated the list of actions with a five page A3 booklet, to cover the 4 areas of our energy consumption: Buildings (Electricity and heating); Transport; Food; Stuff (Goods & Services). The booklet can be found here.
We will soon be adding our Lite Carbon Cutters resource cards, if you’d like to test them out and see how they work, please contact me
On the ACT website there are already resources available for use at events, available here.
Jules is in charge of managing these items and you just have to ask him prior to an event if you would like to borrow any of them. The resources for events can also include human ones!
At some bigger events like the Newton Abbot event (see below) we also had a poster showing the globe with bubbles against houses representing Teignbridge’s CO2 emissions. This is for general, bigger events (not specifically CC), and can be found at ACT website > Resources > Great Big Green Week Boards.
ACT had a stall at this event on Saturday August 26th in Courtenay Park. Both Wildlife Wardens and Carbon Cutters were there with a range of exhibits, games and quizes. Pauline reviewed the event.
ACT took a stand at the Fayre held on Saturday 26th August, and luckily the forecast rain and thunderstorm failed to put in an appearance! The stand was a bit isolated from the main events but we had plenty of visitors despite this.
It was a combined energy / carbon cutting and wildlife warden stand. Seven of us turned up to chat to the visitors and enjoyed talking them through the various models, games, exhibits and interactive “opinionameter” (a white board and pens!).
Watch the video on our Facebook page to get a flavour of the ACT offering. The wildlife wardens were busy all day discussing animal skulls, owl pellets and other interesting objects with the younger visitors, and giving away wildflower seeds. On the carbon cutting part of the stand, we demonstrated working models and the carbon budget bucket, played the E=MC2 game, and encouraged visitors to make their opinions known on the white board.
The last visitor of the day to the white board made their opinion on climate change loud and clear: it’s a hoax they wrote! Most other people were “very” concerned about climate change and agreed we should have onshore wind turbines in Teignbridge. There was less agreement about electric cars. Some had no doubt their next car would be electric, while others were concerned about the cost.
We all enjoyed the day, felt it had gone well, and would definitely attend similar events in future.
Several CCs got together to start actively promoting a new Carbon Cutters drop in at Teignmouth.
Jules brought our 3 panel display board, with some A1 posters , the bucket, the e=mc2 game, and copies of the Safe Action booklet. For a first session the turn out wasn’t great, we decided to try a weekend date with better footfall, and decided to hold the next one on November 11.
Whether you’re an environmental enthusiast, a sustainability novice, or simply curious about the steps you can take, this event is for you! Together, we can make a difference and create a more sustainable future.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be part of the solution. RSVP now and invite your friends, colleagues, and connections who share your passion for a greener planet.
Let’s turn our concern for the environment into action. Together, we can achieve a carbon-neutral future.
See you there! 🌿🌍🌞
Have you seen the latest updates to our Carbon Footprint tracker? There are two new updates to the main Resources menu: Carbon Factors lookup and Carbon Cutting Actions lookup. These are to be used to complement the Carbon Footprint Tracker. We strongly recommend that you first use the CFT and find the references to these additional features. They can be found within the help panels associated with the Food, Stuff and Results tabs of the CFT.
We, Action Climate Teignbridge’s (ACT) Carbon Cutters are here to help communities to reduce their carbon emissions. We are keen to recruit more enthusiastic and self-motivated community-based volunteers to become Carbon Cutters (CC) too.
A CC is someone who understands the need to cut carbon emissions in our communities, and has the training and skills to be able to help others to reduce their carbon footprint themselves, and look at reducing their carbon budget.
More than 90% of people believe there is a Climate Emergency, yet less than 5% are acting effectively to mitigate this. Whilst many of those are waiting for our leaders act, we make it possible for individuals to be empowered with the know how to reduce their own emissions, and guide others and create their own path to achieve a net-zero carbon economy by midcentury.
The speed and scale of required reductions can be visualised by calculating our carbon budget using the Carbon Footprint Tracker. Just like a financial budget sets your spending limits, the carbon budget sets your individual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions limits to avoid additional global temperature rise.
Carbon Cutters enable communities to show them they no longer need to wait, the faster we act the less expensive and easier it will be to reach a net-zero economy and the more of us that think about our own carbon budget the more we can address climate change, and both prevent and remove emissions on a larger scale.
ACT provide initial training and continue to support you as you develop your skills. Follow-up training, support and request for further resources can be done via me, the CC coordinator.
As a CC, you can help and empower your local communities to reduce their carbon footprint through a variety of fun and interesting projects. You do not need to have any experience, just a passion for the planet and an interest in reaching out to your community.
If you know someone interested in attending our free training course then please pass on my details, and together we can empower Teignbridge to budget our future carbon emissions.
We are looking at ways to spread the word. remember if you write articles, promote or advertise carbon cutters events – please include our website details – https://actionclimateteignbridge.org
ACT would love to get to as many local parish events as possible but we do not always hear about them. Please could you either get in touch with Pauline or myself if there is a parish event you think ACT and the Carbon Cutters could come along to.
Please ask any Community, Council, and suitable event representatives to add the dates for any related happenings in our area. So we can get the word out about them. Any events that you think are suitable are popped onto the ACT website Events Area please. Please click on “Tell us about your event” in the first box, and follow the link.
Don’t forget to look at the Carbon Cutters website too for regular updates, do let me know if you have any suggestions of what could be added to our part of the ACT website.
Our next Carbon Cutters Training will take place over four Zoom sessions (the first one being a 30 minute introduction and the rest 90 minutes each) and we are set to start shortly, please send anyone interested in getting on board my details, email scott@actionclimateteignbridge.org.
We will also be running Carbon Cutting Lite short course sessions, where all the training is a one day Zoom session, and just two hours long – contact me for more details.
Our regular Carbon Cutters catch up meeting take place regularly on Zoom, and we also have an active Whats App group – if you’d like to join the conversation then email Rob.
Rob is also on hand to help out if you need any guidance.
Regular Energy Group Meetings
Regular ACT surgery/meeting on Energy, Built Environment and Transport. The main purpose of these meetings is to give everyone an opportunity to ask questions or discuss topics. Start time will be 19:30 (1.5 hr duration) every other meeting starting 26th October 2023. Contact Fuad for more information, or join ACT and tick the appropriate subject(s) you’re interested in. You will receive an e-mail to let you know exact timing and location/zoom link.
Teignmouth Carbon Reduction Drop-In Session
Join us on November 11 for an Action Climate Teignbridge Carbon Cutters event dedicated to reducing carbon emissions and making a positive impact on our planet at TAAG Arts & Community Centre, Teignmouth, TQ14 8DD
Sit for climate at Teignmouth Triangle
Happening every Saturday at 11am for up to 10 minutes. It’s for everyone who’s worried about the climate crisis and wants governments and businesses to take urgent action about it. We can demonstrate our feelings together at the same moment. Everyone can join in, everywhere, every week.
SkillShare23 – Creating a climate for wellbeing
Join Community Action Groups (CAG) Devon to celebrate and be inspired to net-zero action. CAG Devon are hosting their annual SkillShare on November 11 at Cullompton Community Centre. For this year’s theme, the event will explore ‘creating a climate for wellbeing’. SkillShare23 promises to be a day of inspiration, celebration, good food, practical workshops, networking and hands-on creative stuff around local climate action.
Ideford Carbon Café
Carbon emission tracking/cutting awareness and sharing for our local Ideford community at Ideford Village Hall on Saturday 25 November.
Dawlish’s Turn the Tide 2024
A bit further ahead, but my own annual festival in association with Dawlish Town Council, returns for a third year. This time over 3 days from June 7-9. Featuring community groups and schools on Friday, our traditional event on Saturday (as it’s the start of Great Big Green Week and the 8th is World Ocean Day) will include ACT and our Wildlife Wardens and a get active theme on Sunday.
We have been offered a regular place just inside the entrance to have a stand focusing on Carbon Cutting on Wednesday and/or Thursday mornings. The stand would probably consist of a trestle table with our display boards and any other suitable exhibits/leaflets together with a smaller table for 2 people to talk or play games. Contact me if you’d like more information or can help out.
Lastly we would like to thank our sponsors Teign Energy Communities TECs for their support.
A point of philosophical contention is whether individuals have a moral responsibility to reduce their own emissions given the lack of institutional action. Rob found this article that covers individual responsibilities and, or even versus, collective actions.