News
Cash for Derbyshire Community Activities
Thu, 21 February 2019
A number of environmentally-themed projects have received cash from Derbyshire County Council's Action Grants scheme and there's still more to give away.
There's £1.25m still available and more than 200 community groups have already cashed in. Among these is the Eyam Repair Café which launched in February and will become part of a worldwide network of repair cafes where qualified volunteers repair stuff rather than it being thrown out.
Eyam resident Colin Shaw, who is helping to run the café, said: “Getting a £500 Action Grant has made the repair café possible. We used the money to buy toolkits and some for publicity. We’re already getting lots of interest from the local community and beyond.”
Colin added: “Applying for the grant was really straightforward and we found out in just a couple of weeks that we had been successful”.
There is a rolling programme of applications and the council will be awarding grants until the end of May 2020.
Applications Open for Youth Environmental Programme
Thu, 21 February 2019
Applications are open for Bright Green Future, a UK-wide environmental leadership programme for young people (14-17) run by the Centre for Sustainable Energy. The scheme is looking for the next cohort of young people who are passionate about the environment and want to gain the skills and knowledge to create a different world.
Bright Green Future is CSE's environmental leadership programme for teenagers aged 14-17 who want to create a more sustainable future for our planet, learn about climate change and environmental protection, gain confidence and meet like-minded people. It’s a unique opportunity for young people to learn about sustainability and environmental decision-making as well as improve prospects for future jobs and university.
The one-year programme consists of structured training, mentoring, a local project, a work placement and a residential summer school out in the wild. Each young person on the programme is assigned a mentor from the Bright Green Future team at CSE to help them find a work placement and organise their project.
One previous participants said: 'It’s very easy to feel overwhelmed in regards to climate change but on Bright Green Future it was really lovely to meet so many like-minded people with passion for the environment and gave me a lot of hope for the future.'
www.bright-green-future.org.uk
Community Renewable Project Progress in Hope Valley
Thu, 14 February 2019Over the last year, Hope Valley Renewables has been exploring community energy opportunities in the Hope Valley. Working with Sheffield Renewables, the group has now reached agreement with Hope Valley College to explore the possibility of installing a solar array on their roof, to generate electricity to be used at the College (as well as providing a teaching resource). It is hoped that, subject to certain technical and structural requirements being met, this will be registered before the end of March and installed in the early summer.
Anyone who is interested in investing in this project, which is anticipated to generate 2-3% return for investors over 20 years as well as paying into a community benefit fund, can register their interest in advance by contacting Jeremy Wight at mandyjeremy@yahoo.co.uk.
Further information can be found on the Sheffield Renewables website.
National Trust Forced to Allow Seismic Surveying at Clumber Park
Thu, 14 February 2019The National Trust has been forced by INEOS, a fracking company, to withdraw legal opposition to seismic surveying at Clumber Park. Seismic surveying is the first step in ascertaining if hydraulic fracturing (more commonly known as fracking) is possible in an area.
The National Trust released a statement in which they said: ‘We can assure you that the Trust remains fundamentally against fracking at Clumber Park, and will fight tooth and nail to protect the Park.’ The trust is now focusing efforts on making sure that wildlife is protected during the seismic surveying.
https://bit.ly/2Rufv1L
New South Derbyshire Environmental Forum Facebook Group
Thu, 14 February 2019If you are part of a Group or organisation interested in improving the environment in and around South Derbyshire then there is a new online network for you. The forum now has a Facebook group which has been set up to help you all share information on training, resources, and answer each others questions. If you are interested in joining a practical group to make a difference to your local environment you can find one through this network group too. The Environmental Forum has been running for a few years but it's new to Facebook. Members are welcome to link to their own site and village pages and use the group to promote their work, recruit new members, ask for loans of equipment etc.