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Greenwatch Action Grants Available in Derbyshire

 Are you thinking of starting a project to benefit your local environment? 

Greenwatch Action Grants of up to £500 are available for groups within Derbyshire.

Examples of what might be funded include:

  • a wildlife habitat, community garden or organic vegetable plot
  • a local recycling or energy conservation scheme
  • research on a local environmental issue
  • collection of new environmental data and information
  • raising the awareness of sustainability within your area
  • a walking guide of your area
  • a walk to school club
  • working with the local community on Eco School, Sustainable School or Forest School schemes.

Many other environmental projects may be eligible for grants.

To find out more contact: 01629 539809 or 01629 539805 or email planningpolicy@derbyshire.gov.uk

 

New service to help councils with local energy solutions launches

Launch of new APSE Energy service brings councils together to drive forward local energy solutionsThe Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) is launching a new service that brings councils together to find local solutions to energy security, sustainability and affordability issues.

http://apse.org.uk/apse/index.cfm/news/2014/launch-of-new-apse-energy-service-brings-councils-together-to-drive-forward-local-energy-solutions/

Car-Free Walks

Transition ChesterfieldTransition Chesterfield have produced a series of 6 leaflets of car-free walks in the Peak District for people who don’t have cars or who want to leave them at home.

These have been funded by the Peak District National Park Authority’s Sustainable Development Fund, and are supported by Peak Connections - they are available to download below. Below the summaries printed here is some extra information and more descriptive material that it wasn’t possible to fit on the leaflets themselves, plus links to better versions of Graham Warren’s wonderful drawings (and some of his additional ones). Please note that some bus times have radically changed since these were first published, so check them before setting out. You can do this by route number at: http://www.derbysbus.info/times/

Grant Programme: Lloyds Bank Foundation

Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales launches New Grant Programmes which are now open for applications.
 

How to apply: www.lloydsbankfoundation.org.uk

Local Eco Homes Event Triples Numbers in Second Year

A local event designed to save people money on their energy bills and make their homes warmer, has tripled the number of people getting involved in just its second year. More than 300 people visited energy efficient homes taking part in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Eco Open Homes Week during May - up from less than 100 at a pilot event in 2013. The event saw 15 households and people from two other buildings, all of whom have installed energy efficient and renewable features, open their doors to inspire others to improve their own homes.

Visitors were able to talk to householders, and in some cases architects and installers, about their experience of improving their homes and living in them. A range of houses were on display:

  • In one 1990’s home the householder had cut their bills in half by spending £3000 on a new boiler, cavity wall and loft insulation and some draught-proofing.
  • Measures for which there are currently government grants, such as solid wall insulation, were on display.
  • Two homes were mid-refurbishment meaning that visitors could get a direct sense of the work involved in making a home more energy efficient.
  • One householder had recorded a 2°C difference in temperature simply by installing thermally lined blinds.
  • People also had the chance to visit a purpose built row of five eco homes, seven research homes at the University of Nottingham and a community-owned hydro project which provides power a local supermarket.

One visitor commented: 'It was really useful to see a house where the owners had the confidence to make these improvements.’

Caroline Harmon of Marches Energy Agency, organisers of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Eco Homes Open Week, said: ‘It was fantastic to see so many people coming through the doors of these homes. Visiting a real home and talking to the people who live there and did work on it is one of the best ways to learn how to make your own home warmer, cheaper to heat, and better for the environment.’

Details of future events will be posted on our website: www.everybodys-talking.org/ecohomes