Dorset needs a better Local Plan; Tree planting; STEAM at Shaftesbury School; Our preparations for 2022 ... & a request  

Dorset Deserves Better: Dorset's draft Local Plan attracted a wide range of comments at the start of this year. Many individuals and organisations had concerns about the unsustainable impact of the proposed level of development, including on the environment and on local CO2 emissions. The campaign led by the Dorset climate action network (Dorset CAN) and  CPRE to secure a re-think of Dorset's Local Plan is due to be launched on 12th January 2022. The core group have gathered wide support (including from Planet Shaftesbury) and aim to work constructively with the council to secure a plan that meets the real needs of local people and contributes to implementing Dorset's strategy for the climate and ecological emergency. Their proposed letter to Dorset Council is accessible on our website. Catch up with the latest from the campaign here. The extent of future development and impact on local road networks will affect Shaftesbury and the A350 is included in a current strategic study of connections  between the M4 and south coast. Comments invited to the website Forum, or to get involved in the campaign directly please email Rachel at planetshaftesbury@gmail.com

Do you want to plant a tree?

2022 is the year that we're all invited to plant trees to create the Queen's Green Canopy marking her platinum jubilee and boosting UK tree cover - with benefits to nature and well-being, and potential to reduce carbon emissions. 

• Space for a tree on your own land? Ros Eveleigh of Marnhull Green TEAMS is offering bird cherry and hornbeam whips for £1 each. These will grow into large trees with high value for wildlife. Check whether they're suitable for your site here. You can email a request to planetshaftesbury@gmail.com and we'll arrange to collect a batch of the whips early in 2022. 
• Community planting on public land? You're not too late to join in this winter's planting efforts (year two of Shaftesbury's 5-year plan). To be added to the Shaftesbury Tree Group's volunteer list and hear about the planting schedule, email birchbark@btinternet.com  Recent mild weather has delayed planting till early January 2022.

Lamenting the loss of trees on Christy's Lane

Thank you to those involved in making this moving video. Share it widely. 

Collaborating with Shaftesbury School

Since our November meeting, some of us have been speaking with Alex More, Lead Teacher of Innovation in Teaching and Learning at Shaftesbury School. We've been inspired by the opportunities that can come from working together.

New Year's Sustainable Resolutions: Planet Shaftesbury could host a public event (late January) with a film show followed by discussion in small themed groups of the changes we'd like to make in our own lives in 2022. If a public gathering is appropriate then use of the school hall would enable social-distancing for more participants than the Town Hall and the event could be promoted through the school. If not sensible at that time, then perhaps other events later in the year. (Positive film suggestions welcome!)

STEAM: Shaftesbury School has an award-winning multi-disciplinary programme engaging students with projects in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths, an innovative technology-enabled Future Classroom, and expects to host a county-wide two-day student event (one day for primary and one for secondary) with a sustainability focus in June 2022. We have been invited to build a closer working relationship by helping to support this event and are making preparations already (see below). For more about the school's work see their latest newsletter and this 5-minute video made for us by Alex More.

Mid-winter meetings & Covid 

Our in-person meetings this month might be the last for some weeks. 

• 2nd December, nine people gathered for a reflective meeting which was valued for its contrast to the pressured conversations that have marked recent monthly gatherings. We may vary the format but have resolved to make opportunities for a reflective meeting perhaps twice-yearly. The next one could be outdoors.
• Monthly meeting (16th Dec), ended the year by laying foundations for constructive activities in 2022 - with the website having a key role to play. We revisited the ideas put forward in November, heard about the opportunities for working with Shaftesbury School, considered how we might support other community events in Shaftesbury's calendar, and started to sketch out a schedule. This is being documented and will be made available through the website along with other new features that will support us through periods when in-person meetings are unwise - links to be included in a follow-up newsletter (early January). 
• Online meeting (6th Jan), join us through Zoom - details on the website, link to this and for other events below. 

Wanted by Planet Shaftesbury - access to your enthusiasm, experience, expertise  

Your enthusiasm: We're establishing additional projects for interested people to develop a focus for a Planet Shaftesbury meeting, a public talk, film or discussion, other event or proposal. Could bring people together to connect with other organisations, do research, find experts. Are you keen to find out more about any of these topics? Or do you have an enthusiasm for something that should be added to this list? Here's what we've got so far: 

• Farming Futures: Could lead to one or more talks/events linked to farming & sustainability; farm visits, open farms network; educational projects; connect with Kingston Maurward college for land-based studies; participation at agricultural shows. Natalie Bourchier, an organiser of the Artemis Festival (now postponed till 2023), will be the contact person for this project. 
• Water: Could encompass early summer ‘pilgrimage’ connecting communities along River Stour. Talks about water quality and pollutants including use of lead shot. Water companies.
• Circular Economy:  Investigate: what aspects might be the focus of a talk or discussion? Understanding the challenges of aiming for zero waste. Aspects of sustainability. Connections to support local businesses, offer information to local households.
• Tree Festival 2022: Do you want to play a part in making the 2nd festival even better than the first?

Your experience: Wherever we are on the journey, many of us have questions about the practical things we can do to tackle our carbon footprint. We appreciate informal discussion, comparing notes with others. Home heating. Insulation. Electric bike. Growing your own. Repairing clothes, tools, furniture. Obtaining food from local producers. Using local buses. And lots more ... Do you have experience you're willing to share? 

Your expertise: The Resources section of the website is to be extended to include a list of local experts and the topics they can address in a talk, panel discussion, or workshop. This could lead to invitations to address a monthly meeting; participate in, or chair, a discussion; give an illustrated talk or run a workshop ... for the wider public or for students and in-person or online. Our growing list includes Robin Walter (forrester & author of 'Living with Trees'), ffinlo Costain (climate, nature & food security; offering a citizen's assembly on ecological resilience) and Jocelyn Elson-Riggins (ocean ecology & whales as ecosystem engineers). 

Your offers and ideas will be incorporated in the enhanced website, email Ed or Rachel at planetshaftesbury.org

Seasonal greetings to all our readers. There will be a supplementary newsletter early in January.  If you have news to share please send it to planetshaftesbury@gmail.com