Dear TDEG Members – Our TDEG News for November includes our next meeting `Beavers are Back` on 24 November, as well as updates about our `Swap, don’t shop` event on 20 November, and all the latest news from our project groups.
The colder months are upon us and, as we switch on our central heating, I imagine many of us will be turning our eyes to Glasgow in the hope that world leaders will make the necessary important decisions at this month’s COP26 meeting.
The United Nations 26th `Conference of the Parties` on climate change can appear mystifying and complex. If you are interested in following the discussions, you might find some of these links helpful.
Essentially, scientists have told us that this COP26 needs to do four things:- secure global net zero by mid-century and keep below 1.5 degrees of warming; adapt to protect communities and natural habitats; mobilise finance, particularly to aid developing countries ; and work together to deliver real targets (UK COP26). The BBC web site is also providing regular updates and `reality checks`. Check their updates here .
Plastic Free Chesterfield
We continue to learn and share information, and take action where we can, to try to do our bit.
Our last whole group meeting in September was excellent. Andy Shelton from Plastic Free Chesterfield spoke about the environmental impact of single use plastics on our planet, and shared Chesterfield’s inspirational journey in gaining `plastic free` status. You can view Andy’s presentation and read more here .
If you would like to get involved in a similar project here in our community, please contact us by email – info@tdeg.org.uk . Or just adopt the idea of removing just three uses of single-use plastic from your own life. Every small step counts!
Beavers back in Derbyshire!
Our next whole group meeting will be at 7pm, Wednesday 24 November, in the Fountain Square Church hall, Tideswell. Everyone is welcome (the event is free, but please make a small donation to cover the hall hire, if you are able).
Please join us to hear Kate Lemon (Derbyshire Wildlife Trust) talk about their brilliant project to reintroduce Beavers back to Derbyshire, and why this is so important for biodiversity and for us generally. We hope Kate will bring some of DWT’s `Adopt a Beaver` packs with her – brilliant Christmas presents (including a cuddly Beaver!).
Hope to see you all there!
Project group news follows –
Remember – this is just a summary of all the brilliant work our TDEG project groups are doing. If you’d like to receive more detailed updates and notice of project group meetings, you need to tick the relevant group box when you sign up (you can join TDEG, for free – click here ). If you’d like to add a group to your existing list, just email us at info@tdeg.org.uk , and we will update your listing.
Climate Action Group
Home insulation is the topic of the moment, so our current group focus is on energy transition and retrofit research.
During a successful first meeting with our MP Sarah Dines, we outlined our concerns about the pace of government policies and the challenges in our local area. Sarah Dines wrote a ministerial letter on our behalf and shared the reply. In a nutshell, the government plans to announce funding and rollout strategies ready for COP26 and into the start of 2022.
We are also researching training and apprenticeship opportunities in Derbyshire Dales and have been visiting a variety of eco- homes. We are creating a database of local skills and professional advisors to share with the community.
Climate Pathfinders Youth Forum (CPYF)
Are you aged 11 to 20 and do you care about our environment? Do you want to make a positive difference to the future of our world? CPYF is the youth voice for climate action in the High Peak and Derbyshire Dales, and we are keen to grow and expand our group. Current actions go from building bug hotels on community orchards to speaking at national conferences!
Climate Pathfinders have been taking action in the local area. Community orchards from Tideswell to New Mills now have four bug hotels. We are also planning to create some hedgehog homes. If you have any spare bricks, they’d be very welcome. A safe design needs thirty bricks. Please contact yf@tdeg.org.uk. Many thanks
Latest exciting news – CPYF has been invited to present at the national Friends of the Earth Youth Green Jobs Summit. Group members will be delivering a session at the online conference, telling their story of how and why CPYF was formed. What an achievement! After five public presentations and running a stall at Buxton Rotary’s Eco Fair, the enthusiasm and the skills of the group members are really growing.
Find out more about our group here or check us out on Instagram: ClimatePathfinders_yf , and email us at yf@tdeg.org.uk
We need you. Join us to make positive change happen.
Ethical Consumer Group
The voice of TDEG is growing. We contributed to the Ethical Consumer Magazine “Climate Gap” conference for Ethical Consumer Week last month. Jules Fell spoke about our ethical and sustainability projects as part of a session on “The future of the high street”. Other speakers included the New Economics Foundation and The Library of Things. To prepare for the session, Jules spoke to several local traders. Do read the EC Climate Gap Report for more information on food, heating, transport and consumer goods.
`Swap, don’t shop` Event
We’ve all got clothes hanging in our wardrobes – hardly worn and sometimes with the tag still on – that we just don’t love anymore! So we are organising a preloved clothes swap to be held at the St. John’s Institute (behind the Church) on Saturday 20 November.
`Refuse – reuse – recycle – and reduce the environmental impact of fast fashion`.
Please drop off your good quality, clean clothing at the Institute the night before (Friday 19 Nov. 6-8pm), in return for tokens to spend the next morning. Women’s, men’s, and children’s clothes all welcome, and children’s toys, games, or books. You can `spend` your tokens from 10am – 12 noon on Saturday 20 Nov. (come early for `first dibs`!). Any items remaining at 11am can also be taken away for a small donation to TDEG.
Refreshments will also be available on Saturday. Please wear a face mask in the hall and bring re-usable bags for your swapping and shopping. If you have any questions, please contact Claire McKenzie (07712 634718) or email us (info@tdeg.org.uk).
Repair Café
Our Repair Café initiative is progressing well. Volunteer repairers have met to discuss how to make the initiative work effectively. We have also sought advice from the well-established Buxton and Chesterfield Repair Cafés. We are currently applying for funding to cover set-up costs, such as PAT test training and a PAT test machine, and a year’s running costs. The aim is for the Repair Café to be self-sustaining through donations and by selling refreshments. Anyone will be able drop in to have a cuppa and see what is happening.
We need a wide variety of repairing skills, including woodwork, electrical, sewing, upholstery, and more. Anyone interested in volunteering as a repairer or helping to run the café once a month should contact Jules Fell (Felly55@btinternet.com or 07711 871046).
Tidza Buying for Good Club (Tidza BfGC)
We have set up a group to share orders of foodstuffs and other products from Lembas, a Sheffield vegetarian and vegan cash & carry. For a £5 annual fee, members get free deliveries every 4-6 weeks. Where possible, we join together to buy in bulk, which saves money and packaging. We can split orders on delivery so you don’t need lots of home storage space. We have tested our approach – and it works! So now we can invite more members. Anyone interested in finding out more can email – bfgclub@tdeg.org.uk or look at our web page .
Buying Organic
We would like to help expand the range of organic produce available locally. Speaking with local traders, it is difficult for them to source both UK grown and organic products economically. We are asking people if they would commit to buying organic fruit and veg from local traders on a regular basis in order to make it work for them and for you.
Would you buy more organic produce? Please complete our survey by following this link . Your response will be anonymous.
For more information on buying organic food – see our Sustainable Food web page.
Litter Picking Group
Another session will be organised in December or January – so look out for the dates. And do let us know if you would like us to arrange litter picking in any of our other local communities (email – info@tdeg.org.uk).
Recycling Group
TDEG supported the Tideswell Food Festival on 11 September with a stall of our own, highlighting some of our relevant `food-y` projects such as the Sustainable Food Network, the Buying for Good Club, and our Seed Swap project. The Recycling Group also put in place some recycling bins next to our stall, so that people had an opportunity to recycle relevant material. The recycling group hope to improve the recycling success rate at next year’s Food Festival by siting a blue recycling bin next to every rubbish bin around the village on the day. We will be looking for volunteers to offer their blue bin to accompany a village bin near you!
As ever – keep an eye out for Rob’s recycling tips in Village Voice and on our Facebook page.
Wildlife Group
Wildlife Walks – Our final walk of the season was a Bat Walk down Tideswell Dale, with the help of the Derbyshire Bat Group. We were thrilled to see and hear four different species of bat – Common Pipistrelles, Soprano Pipistrelles, Noctules, and Daubenton’s bats. The last species is also known as the `water bat`, and we had great views of several sweeping over the River Wye near Litton Mill.
Going Wild – Sadly, although we do see incredible wildlife in our local area, biodiversity across England is in decline. So we launched the `Going Wild` initiative at the beginning of the summer. This project aims to create a network of green spaces for wildlife right across our area. A good number of members have already signed up – all aiming to do just a little bit for wildlife on their own patches. If you would like to learn more about how we can all help nature recover – have a look at the `Going Wild` web page . The latest `Going Wild` post summarised what we can all do to welcome bats into our gardens.
Adopt a Bird Feeder project – We are delighted that three of our bird feeders with sunflower seeds have now been fixed in Tideswell Community Garden, the Community Orchard, and Fountain Square. If anyone would like to request a bird feeder for any public space in Tideswell, please see the guidance and information here .
Queen’s Platinum Jubilee tree planting – Early discussions have begun between various groups in our area to see if we can develop a new tree planting project – to help mitigate against climate change, enhance biodiversity, and to celebrate our Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. If you have any thoughts about land to plant a small wood, please get in touch (email – info@tdeg.org.uk).
Wildlife Sightings – Finally, our latest wildlife sightings were summarised on our Wildlife Sightings page in October – read more here. Remember to keep your sightings of any local wildlife (within about five miles) coming in – either to our web site or on our Facebook page. Look out for the next blog celebrating our wonderful local wildlife in January.
or at our next TDEG meeting `Beavers back in Derbyshire` on 24 November.
Lynn
