Sustainable Woodstock

And Early in 2012 ................... .....a hardy band of Sus Woo volunteers braved the winter weather to offer a heat loss service to local householders.  We had the loan of a thermal imaging camera and presented them with pictures showing where their homes were leaking energy (and money!).  

Still on the energy conservation theme, we formed a consortium with other sustainability groups and established a “preferred installer” service for residents wanting to generate their own electricity from roof mounted photo-voltaic panels.  Those taking up the offer still enjoy a valuable government incentive payment for the energy they generate.

And For several years........................  .....we held “Swap Shops” at the Community Centre where residents brought items they no longer wanted and others for whom the item was just what they had been looking out for, took them away.  By so doing many kilogrammes of items that would otherwise have ended up at the refuse tip were found a useful second life

Other News

 

Local Climate Emergency Action 

Sitting in Woodstock we are hardly at the sharp end of climate change right now but millions, around the globe, are. On 20th September, from Cornwall to Scotland, including Oxford, schoolchildren and students engaged with climate strike events and they were supported by parents, grandparents, campaigners and workers. And why..... to demand urgent action on tackling greenhouse gases that are driving up global temperatures. You may already know why it's a good idea to support these strikes and are wondering why Greta Thunberg, when she's simply asking governments to "listen to the scientists", has generated some disturbing enemies...... especially in the US.   Spend just a few minutes reading Stephen Buranyi's Guardian article on Greta and think upon why these political and economical  giants, like the US, are so enraged. 

In September, a few of us visited Charlbury for a Extinction Rebellion presentation (XR in short) in Charlbury given by Prof. Tom Sinclair (philosophy, Oxford) and English teacher, Megan Murray-Pepper. A packed audience of 130 people and not one spare seat … and all keen to hear balanced information produced by independent experts on the “climate emergency and what to do about it”. It was a tough message to hear followed by an hour long Q&A session where interesting views were exchanged and views respected. We strongly recommend that you find an XR presentation so you have all the facts. It seems that while voting, lobbying and petitions have made some difference, a greater change has to happen right now. Experts believe that governments around the world need to start by telling "the truth" about the climate emergency and need to start acting NOW. I hope you can find some time in your busy schedules to find out more.

There are ongoing presentations in Oxfordshire (see poster below) and we think it would be good idea if Woodstock Town Council hosted a presentation in the very near future. A collective audience is best so you can listen and exchange views but if you really can’t make a talk then view the presentation by Tom Sinclair on YouTube at (Please Note: It's NOT suitable for young children).

Thanks
Oxfordshire Museum, King's Arms & The Woodstock Bookshop
for Offering Water Refills.
Helping us kick the plastic

Join the Refill Revolution!

Producing bottled water creates 500 times more CO2 than tap water. That’s why Refill Oxford has created a network of Refill stations where you can fill up your water bottle for free to reduce plastic pollution. Look out for a business with Refill stickers. There are now over 14 thousand Refill stations all over the UK and if Woodstock restaurants, schools, cafes or pubs would like to sign up to be a Refill station and help reduce plastic pollution just email refill.oxford@gmail.com and they'll do the rest.

Refill Oxford is part of City to Sea’s national campaign to promote the use of free tap water to reduce plastic waste. In Oxford, there is a network of nearly 150 Refill stations in places such as cafes, bars, pubs, restaurants, bus stations, hospitals, community centres and hairdressers all over the city. So now you can refill your water bottles whenever you need to, rather than buying a new plastic bottle. 

Save money, stay hydrated and prevent plastic pollution at source by using the free Refill App on the go, OR look for the Refill droplet in shop windows. This will dramatically reduce the use of the billions of single-use plastic water bottles bought in the UK every year. 

Allotment Plots Now Available in Woodstock. 

Gardening is good for your health and your wellbeing and can be good for your social life too. And of course can provide you and your family with fresh fruit and vegetables over the year. You can choose to garden organically and avoid ingesting chemicals that are likely to be present on shop bought fruit and vegetables. 

Woodstock Allotment Association

Let's see if we can reward your business with a Plastic Free Champion certificate. We'll soon be visiting or revisiting your businesses, schools, etc to see how many changes have been made .... sharing problems and good news. What changes have you made to reduce your use of single-use plastic?

Extinction Rebellion XR What does it Mean? 
Climate Change - the Facts

The public are waking up to the scale of the climate change crisis and pressure is now growing on politicians to act. Thanks to all those climate change activists who have sent their own time trying to speed up effective change that will make a difference to all our futures. If you think you don't understand climate change, how it affects us all and what we should all do now, then watch the recent David Attenburgh programme Climate Change - the Facts. Set aside, just an hour of your time to watch this programme that shows the result of inaction but what actions we can do to ensure that we and future generations have a future. 

The Time to act is NOW
https://www.ecotricity.co.uk/news/news-archive/2018/how-to-combat-climate-change

Invest in Green Energy?

Sponsor a Tree in our Community Orchard? 
Over 50% now sponsored. You can sponsor a tree as a group, with friends, colleagues. You will receive a certificate and can dedicate if you wish. 
How to Pay?
Costs £30 (single payment)
1) BACS payment.  
2) Cheque   
For details contact as below. 
Questions ? Call 01993 811975 or email  sustainablewoodstockuk@gmail.com