Dorset's COP achievement; Sustainable Fashion Week; Explore local Community Energy possibilities; Taking a stand for nature, climate & social justice; Summer progress on practical projects; forthcoming events and more from across our network |
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On 9th September Dorchester hosted the UK's first community-led COP (Conference of the Parties). Organised through a collaboration between the Dorset Climate Action Network (Dorset CAN), Zero Carbon Dorset (ZCD) & Sustainable Dorset, the day attracted in excess of 250 people (including several who participate in our network). In total, more than 100 Dorset organisations were represented in talks and workshops that dealt with policies, energy, youth activism, the circular economy, restoring nature and practical actions at local level. While this event did not have the decision-making power of the global events, speakers, workshop facilitators and attendees explored where and how Dorset's citizens can take action, including how we can demand action from our leaders on the climate and ecological emergency. Our September meeting noted the high quality of the speakers - some of whom we could aim to bring to Shaftesbury, stimulating interaction with others from across the county, and the Declaration which remained unfinished business at the close of the day. For more see useful links below: Catch up with the COP: you can access video recordings and a live-stream of sessions in the main hall all online; a blog post on our website, and comments by two local attendees interviewed on This is Alfred. Keep up to date with news about the event (video releases, next steps for the Declaration etc.) by following the Dorset COP Facebook page and signing up for news from at least one of the organisers. |
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Sustainable Fashion Week (SFW) - 25th September to 8th October (& a little either side!) According to the UN, the global fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of emissions, more than aviation and shipping combined. Events this week provide fun opportunities to take creative action and change the fashion system. Sunday 1st October: Shaftesbury Town Hall, 10-4. This month's eco/vintage market and repair cafe includes free Visible Mending sessions throughout the day - equipment provided but take clothes to mend. Monday 2nd October: Mmmm, a special Monday meal, movie & mingling session for Sustainable Fashion Week at the Assembly Room, Grosvenor Arms, 6.30pm. A short film/talk will set the context for a clothes swap: bring, then take, up to 5 items. Includes simple veggie meal. £15. Booking required, Jenny, 07801240103. There are other inspiring events and film shows across our area, see SFW website, link below. Also see the trimmings and workshops available through Shaftesbury's Kit & Kaboodle (on Facebook). |
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Possibilities for Community Energy are opening up The government appears to be moving towards offering more support to community energy initiatives. The 'Power for People' campaign offers news of progress in parliament through its website (link below). Is it time for the Shaftesbury community to explore what we could do locally? At September's meeting, local sustainable energy champion, Jenny Morisetti, recommended the approach developed by the Centre for Sustainable Energy's future landscapes project. She described community consultations that started by finding out where renewables (say a wind turbine) would not be acceptable and looked for places to put generating capacity that could be welcomed. To get involved in a Shaftesbury Community Energy group that could prepare for a public meeting this winter, please email planetshaftesbury@gmail.com Dorset Community Energy has rooftop solar panels on schools, hospitals and community buildings, so far saving nearly half a million pounds on energy bills; reducing carbon emissions by 564 tonnes; producing enough energy to power 1458 homes; and enabling them to give £12,500 in grants to local community projects. Find out more at their next AGM, open to all, on 10th October (can join online, register below). Dorset's Open Greener Homes event started last weekend and continues (different homes) on 30th September and 1st October. It provides an opportunity to see what hosts have done around energy efficiency and sustainable living. Very many of the visitors to open homes are people considering making changes that will affect energy use in their own home. This next weekend you could visit a 70s building in Marnhull with extensive insulation, different materials for each wall allowing comparison & PV panels with Tesla battery. See viewing details through the link below. |
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Take a stand XR South West are collaborating with many other regional organisations for this protest which will take place in Bath on 28th October. Unite to survive for nature, climate & social justice. All welcome to this family-friendly event where individuals & groups from all over the South West will gather for the day as a community to send strong messages to our local MPs. Will include engaging speakers, creative performers, stalls & more. Invite friends and family to join you. Share transport with others going from Shaftesbury. The event is listed on our website with links to further information. |
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Shaftesbury School 2023/24 The new school year is underway and a number of people across our network are already engaged with initiatives at Shaftesbury School. This is a marked change that has occurred over the past two years and there'll be more opportunities as this year progresses. |
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Practical activities over the summer: Hedges, Food, Water ... & future meetings With no meeting in August, as well as sharing information on all the events and topics above, participants in September's meeting (21st) compared notes on what they'd been up to. Some travel out of the area, a couple of people up-cycling their garden sheds, and other progress on practical local projects and future meeting plans as below: Shaftesbury's Hedges: Our local Tree Group has been encouraging us to pay more attention to our urban hedges and hedgerows immediately around the town. A small group is surveying the hedges that exist in selected parts of Shaftesbury; looking at their age and condition, the hedgerow species, their potential as wildlife habitat, and their contribution to local character. We heard that the old parish boundary hedge near the Barratts development is in poor condition. Surveying continues: to join in please contact the Tree Group c/o planetshaftesbury@gmail.com. This emphasis on hedges in our rural town complements the work being done on hedgerows across Dorset (see more about the Great Big Dorset Hedge project on the Dorset CAN website, link below). Local Food Register: A guide to local sustainable food is taking shape and an incomplete 'mock up' was passed around. It needs more work: questions were raised about the inclusion of sweet treats and it was suggested that more detail on the source of some ingredients could be added. The intention is to produce a revised version and then seek feedback from volunteers working on the Sustainable Shaftesbury plan - watch this space. P.S. For details of online meeting about Food Resilience in Dorset, 6pm, Wednesday 27th Sept. use button below. Water Quality: John Nelson volunteers on a joint project between Dorset Wildlife Trust and Wessex Water monitoring the health of our rivers, following the public footpath alongside the river Stour and its confluence with the Lodden. This is on the edge of Gillingham (access opposite Waitrose). During the summer he visited Wessex Water testing Labs on the edge of Bristol, hearing about the range of tests carried out and the challenges posed by wet wipes and fat in the sewerage system. He wondered if there'd be interest in having a Wessex Water speaker at a future Planet Shaftesbury meeting - speaking of which: put these in your diary! Thursday 19th October: Shaftesbury Town Hall, 7.30pm. Planet Shaftesbury's meeting will include an illustrated talk by Jocelyn Elson-Riggins PhD: 'Pooping for the Planet'. Jocelyn works internationally to draw attention to the role whales play in marine ecology and she will highlight actions we can take that can make a difference. Open to all. Thursday 16th November: Shaftesbury Town Hall, 7.30pm. Julie Wood is well known in Shaftesbury for her knowledge of herbal medicine. Did you know that many commonly prescribed medications and over-the-counter painkillers are derived from petrochemicals? Julie's talk about Green Medicine will suggest some alternatives. |
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Invitation to enliven our network Our network is connected by these newsletters, our website, and the meetings that provide opportunities for us to exchange information and views on a monthly basis. The best and most popular meetings combine networking with a stimulating themed activity, talk or film. Any person or group in the network can arrange one of these sessions, just check (planetshaftesbury@gmail.com) to make sure there's no clash with a pre-existing arrangement. Meeting dates (3rd Thursdays) from December and through 2024 are currently 'available'. |
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