The Importance of Nature
We all want a world where our climate is stable, nature thrives, and where all people have health, happiness, and prosperity – it’s our human right, right?
Unless we change things, we are on track to breach the 1.5°C temperature increase limit set by the Paris Agreement by 2030. The breach risks irreversible environmental degradation and runaway climate change that will affect all our societies and economies.
An essential ally against the climate crisis is nature. We are losing nature at an alarming and unprecedented rate. For anyone who has been watching David Attenborough’s latest BBC programme, Wild Isles, you will know that Britain is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.
Sussex Green LivingHow to Store Food to Prevent Waste
We are all guilty of wasting food but did you know that 25% of food wasted in UK households is due to cooking, preparing or serving too much? This costs us £3.5 billion a year. So being savvy with our food can prevent waste and save us money, not to mention the benefit to the environment. About 6%-8% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced if we stop wasting food.
Here are some ideas to get you started…
Clive CobieImproving Soil Health with biochar
It was the first experience I’ve had of using a retort kiln. Normally I use a ring type.
The ice crystals were glistening on the metal door as I pulled hard. It creaked with resistance as the morning sun shone upon what was left of the wood. It had been reduced by half through a process called pyrolysis, (heating wood in the absence of oxygen). The fire turns volatile oils into gases which heat the wood.
I always love that first encounter when I open a kiln, picking up a handful of charcoal and dropping it gently; listening to the tinkle as pure carbon cascades down while sunlight and left over heat create peacock blues or rainbow patterns over the blackness.
Pollinator Highway
As a child, I never understood the saying, “It’s an ill wind indeed that blows no good,” but I recently realised that’s what’s happening now.
I went to buy a thermal T-shirt, my current one sadly threadbare, but there were none to be had. The assistant told me they had ‘overperformed’, because fuel prices are high and people are dressing up warmly at home rather than putting the heating on. Result! I know people who, when working on the computer at home, take a break for a few minutes and go for a run, simply to warm up. Loved ones are switching off the TV earlier than their usual habit and instead snuggling up in bed with a good book. Result! People are jumping on their bikes or walking rather than taking the car for short journeys, and we’re driving more carefully because the roads are full of potholes. Result!
The Impact of Flying
This year we’re asking, “Can airlines please tell us the truth – the whole truth – about the impacts of aviation? Is it not one of the biggest polluters of our planet?” Like cigarette packaging and advertising, and in a similar way to food allergy advice, shouldn’t plane tickets have health warnings for us and the planet?
The airwaves and newspapers have been full of airlines’ enticing advertisements encouraging the consumer to spend, spend, spend on low-cost package holidays in a cost-of-living and climate crisis. Read more
Sussex Green LivingPhilanthropists and business heroes needed
It is easy to focus on finances and ignore the climate just now, when the cost-of-living crisis is hitting us so hard. However, the two are fundamentally interlinked. Reassessing how we live and what we consume ultimately saves resources for our planet and puts money into our pockets too.
For 2023 we want to build on the success of our monthly pop-up Sussex Green Hub by establishing a Community Climate Hub ‘on the high street’ in Horsham. The purpose of the hub is to offer initiatives and education that allow everyone to make changes to their life that have a positive impact on the planet AND save them money!
Protecting the Battery Life
“The battery won’t charge…” We hear these words very often at the Horsham Repair Cafe. It’s true that batteries don’t last forever, but we can make a drastic difference to its life expectancy. The original hybrid car, the Toyota Prius, uses a large traction battery. Many are still running 20 years later. So, how can the Prius keep the battery working efficiently for 20 years when some phone batteries only last three? Why do some household battery devices (vacuum cleaners for example) sometimes become useless after two years?
Sussex Green LivingCharity Gift Ideas
Christmas Charity Gift Ideas
You all know the person that has everything and are probably struggling to know want to buy them for Christmas. Well, how about buying them a ‘giving back gift’? We’ve all heard about gifting a goat but many charities have now expanded this idea and you can buy everything from toys for vulnerable children to medical care and adopting animals to even twinning your rubbish bin.
Think about a cause or interest that the person has and try and link the gift.
Is the climate broken? Opinions from the people of Horsham
Is the climate broken? Should the Government be doing more about it? Can ordinary citizens do anything? How will things look for our children and grandchildren?
To find out what the people of Horsham think, we spent a recent lunchtime patrolling the busy streets around the Swan Walk Shopping Centre.
The White House
Coolham Lane
Coneyhurst
RH14 9DH
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