Greener Eynsford Blog
Green news and views relevant to our community
Gold for Environmental Work!
4th November 2025
In 2025 the Green Team worked with Eynsford in Bloom to produce a submission for the South and South East in Bloom Environmental Challenge. This year we were awarded a GOLD award!
The report describes the wide number of environmental projects and initiatives taking place in Eynsford including: wild areas in private gardens, creation of habitats for wildlife, planting and cultivating of native plants, developing new biodiverse areas such as Chalk Hill, litter picks and green energy usage.
You can read the full report here Eynsford Environmental Challenge 2025
Eynsford Wins Environmental Challenge!
15th October 2024
Eynsford's Green Team entered the Environmental Challenge with Eynsford in Bloom as part of thier South and South East in Bloom entry for 2024. It detailed lots of the projects that both groups have undertook in the past year, some of them jointly. Eynsford received a GOLD award and was the category winner for the region! You can read the submission here.
Individual Carbon Footprint - June 2023
6th July 2023
Eynsford Green Team: Personal Carbon Footprint Monthly 2022 and 2023
My carbon footprint in June (0.29T/CO2e) was lower than May (0.40 T/CO2e) because May included a return trip in a petrol car to Scotland. June is the lowest month so far, my gas usage for heating was minimal. It is also lower than June 2022 (0.37) mainly because the electric car means grid electricity replaces petrol use for transport .
A question was raised this month about offsetting. Given that flights are such a large contributor to a personal carbon footprint, does offsetting the flight solve the problem?
Carbon offsetting aims to balance the negative CO2e impact of an activity (eg. a flight) with an equal but opposite, positive (eg. CO2 sequestration) activity such as tree planting. I am, though, skeptical about them…
Offset - pros
Conceptually a nice idea – offset bad activity with good activity
Offsetting - cons
Carbon offsetting does not work on the core issue of reducing CO2 emissions - we are already significantly in excess of the total environmental capacity of our planet – we have to actually reduce our impact not just balance it out
Offsetting can mean we don’t change our personal behaviour - we need to reduce our impact, offsetting lulls us into a false belief that our activity is balanced out and we can continue as now
Offsetting projects have different effectiveness rates and evidence is appearing that many of them are not delivering the CO2 reduction that is claimed, for instance tree planting must both be real, incremental and long term (ie the trees maintained for 50 years)
Questions : We would love to receive and discuss any questions info@eynsfordparishcouncil.org.uk
Individual Carbon Footprint - May 2023
6th July 2023
Eynsford Green Team: Personal Carbon Footprint Monthly 2022 and 2023
My carbon footprint in May (0.39 T/CO2e) was lower than April (0.55 T/CO2e) because April included a flight to Ireland (0.2T/co2e). It is similar to May 2022 though the mix is different. I now have an electric car so electricity is larger this year but petrol should be lower. In practice in May I had a holiday in NW Scotland and this increased the car mileage so the footprint ended up similar to 2022. The impact from alternative travel options to Scotland (1300 miles return) I compare below.
The main alternatives to get to NW Scotland were take the electric car, take a small petrol car (99g/km), take train to Inverness and hire a car, fly to Inverness and hire a car. The carbon impact of the four options is above, with flying being the greatest impact at 0.35 T/CO2e, the electric car lowest at 0.04 T/CO2e, a tenth of the impact of flying. A small petrol car with 2 people is 0.12 T and train 0.08 T. Interesting that sharing a small petrol car brings it close to the train.
We chose to take the small petrol car, given concerns about finding charging points in NW Scotland. In practice, rather ironically, the nearest charging point to the place in Torridon was only 3 miles away and the nearest garage for fuel was 20 miles away. The Scottish government have been developing charging points very strongly.
Questions : We would love to receive and discuss any questions info@eynsfordparishcouncil.org.uk
Individual Carbon Footprint - April 2023
6th July 2023
Eynsford Green Team: Personal Carbon Footprint Monthly 2022 and 2023
My carbon footprint in April (0.55 T/CO2e) was higher than March (0.42 T/CO2e) because I took a return flight to Ireland (0.2T/co2e). It is lower than April 2022 because last year I took a return flight to Athens (0.72T/CO2e).
April Month: Personal Carbon Footprint 2023 total 0.55T/Co2e
The month is dominated by the flight I took. Why is flying such a driver of carbon emission? The simple explanation is distance. The emissions per passenger from flying short haul are around 115g/km, which is around the emission per km of one person in a relatively efficient car. The problem is we fly long distances, so my flight to Kerry and back is 1300km, the distance you might drive in the whole month. It contributed 0.2T/Co2e of my total footprint in the month of 0.55T/co2e.
To keep my carbon footprint down I need to minimize the distances I fly (or not at all). For comparison if I took a return flight to Sydney , the emissions would be over 5T/co2E – more than my current total annual footprint. So I am choosing to fly less and only short haul, making the most of the diversity Europe has to offer rather than fly to other continents.
Questions
We would love to receive any questions and could use this forum to discuss the most common ones. info@eynsfordparishcouncil.org.uk
Individual Carbon Footprint - March 2023
6th July 2023
Eynsford Green Team: Personal Carbon Footprint March 2023
Annual overview: Personal Carbon Footprint by month 2022 and 2023
My carbon footprint in March 2023 was actually slightly higher than the previous month although lower than in 2022. The change from 2022 comes firstly from having more people in the house (we are hosting a Ukrainian family) so the energy use per person has become less – this is a personal (1 person) carbon footprint. Secondly from switching from a diesel to an electric car, so car footprint comes down but electricity has gone up.
March Month: Personal Carbon Footprint 2022 and 2023
My March footprint (0.42 T/CO2e) was slightly higher than February (0.39 T/CO2e). Two main factors – house gas use went up 10% (3451 kwh Mar vs 3079 kwh in Feb). In my mind I think March was a bit grey and damp so that may be the explanation. The official statistics come out a month in arrears so I only have Feb to go on, we’ll have to wait next month to see if that’s correct. House electricity use mainly from charging the car went up to 519 kwh March vs 380 kwh Feb given higher mileage in the car.
In the month 161 kwh were produced by the PV panels on my roof, around half of which was utilized in the house and half exported to the grid. 519kwh were taken from the grid. 315kwh were used to charge the car and 284 kwh to light and power the house.
Questions
We would love to receive any questions and could use this forum to discuss the most common ones. info@eynsfordparishcouncil.org.uk
Solar Panels - A Resident's View
23rd March 2023
Thank you to a resident of Eynsford who has provided details of their experience of having solar panels fitted.
Our experience of having a solar system fitted to our house in Pollyhaugh began back in June 2022. We received a communication from Kent County Council about a countywide scheme to promote the fitting of solar panels. The scheme was called Kent Solar Together and the idea was to have people register their interest and then invite companies to tender for the work. It was expected that this would result in reductions in the cost of the solar panels compared to what people would have to pay if they arranged for the installations themselves.
We had been thinking about having solar panels fitted for some time and were attracted by the scheme, not just because of the cost savings but also because of the assurance that participating in a council-backed scheme would give us that we would be contracting with a reputable supplier.
The company that fitted our panels was Home Smart Energy, who are based in Burgess Hill, West Sussex. We received an email from the company a few weeks after registering our interest asking us to confirm that we would like to proceed and to provide them with some information about the house, including photos and direction of the roof areas and a photo of the fuse board and whether there was any spare capacity within it. We subsequently received details of the proposed layout of panels to be fitted, along with an estimate of the cost.
Having accepted the estimate we paid a deposit for a surveyor to call and carry out an on-site survey of the property and finalise the installation. Based on this survey we had to delete one of the panels as it would be too close to one of our dormer windows. So the full system would consist of 7 500W panels, an inverter, battery storage, and a system that would, in the event of a power cut supply power to 2 sockets fitted above the inverter from which we could run extension leads to low power appliances in the event of a grid power outage, eg TV, table lamps, hob.
We didn’t hear from the company for a long time after the surveyor’s visit in mid-July but eventually, they contacted us to let us know that our panels etc would be fitted on Monday 12th December and that scaffolders would visit the week before. The scaffolding was erected as planned but unfortunately, the weather intervened with snow on 11th December and the installation had to be put back until the New Year.
The new installation date of 9th January finally came around and the whole system was installed in around 5 hours. The battery was 50% full when it was installed and it was a fairly sunny day so we could immediately see the cost of our electricity usage reducing from our smart meter.
As with everything these days, there’s an app linked so the system (SolisCloud) through which we can see how much power the panels are producing, whether we are charging or discharging the battery, and whether we are exporting any power back to the grid. The app also shows our overall electricity usage and how much of that has come from our own generation. It also shows how much CO2 the system has saved and how many tree plantings that equates to. As of 12.00 on 25th Feb we have saved 159.52kg of CO2 emissions which sounds like a lot but it only equates to 0.09 trees!!
The data shown by the app is available both for the current day and for each of the days since the system has been installed so we are able to build up a picture of how our generation varies with the weather (in particular the level of cloud cover) and what our cost savings have been.
As of now the solar-produced energy has been just under 35% of our overall usage for the period since the panels were installed, and we estimate that we’ve saved £86.18 (£1.83 per day on average) which considering the time of year we are really pleased with. On the sunniest days we have generated up to 73.6% of our consumption! Unfortunately on some sunny days we have found ourselves exporting over 40% of our generation to the grid without being paid for it since the process of getting ourselves set up to receive payment from our supplier (EDF) under the Smart Export Guarantee scheme takes over 4 weeks. Even when we are set up the rate we’ll receive will be very low (only 5.6p per kWh) so we’ll be doing our best to time the usage of our electrical appliances so that we use the electricity that we generate rather than letting it go to the grid. Since we are on Economy 7 we generally try and run our higher-powered appliances when the much lower night rates apply but on the sunnier days we’ll run our dishwasher during the day using our own power!
Another thing that we try to do is to reduce spikes in our electricity consumption during the day (which tend to lead to us drawing from the grid) by using lower powered appliances. Eg a lower powered kettle will take a bit longer to boil but we can power it entirely from our own generation.
As you can see from the photo below the controls, battery and inverter for the system take up very little room and can easily be fitted, as here, in a small cupboard.
We’ve included a screenshot below of what the app looks like on a smartphone. From the data in the top right corner you can see that we weren’t using anything from the grid at the point that this screenshot was taken.
Biogas Powerplant
25th August 2022
The Darenth Valley’s Biogas Powerplant
by Erica Russell on behalf of the Green Team
Visiting a large scale anaerobic digestor is not a usual agenda item for the Parish green team but we were all curious to find out more about the ‘mini powerplant’ that has been built near Horton Kirby. Firstly, what is it?! This particular powerplant is driven by anaerobic digestion. This process relies on bacteria and microbes to break down plant material to create biogas, which in turn can be treated to allow the gas to be used for heating and cooking or to produce electricity. The process also creates biofertilizer than can go back onto the land. Across the UK anaerobic digestors recycle 2.5m tonnes of food waste each year.
The site is large, much bigger than any of us had expected. Oncoland Energy have spent over £10m on the plant and it’s run by a full-time manager and two staff. Initially designed to help spread the risk of fluctuating crop prices the digestor is also helping manage difficult agricultural waste, some of which produces large amounts of atmosphere warming gas – methane. Many of us in Eynsford will be familiar with at least one of the feedstocks used by the digestor – slurry from Bower Lane Farm! But, the site also takes in a lot of waste parts of crops, unwanted/oversized produce, including and rather surprisingly waste pomegranate skins. Carl explained that the site is working hard to develop relationships with local food processors to take on similar materials. The farm also grows some crops themselves to balance the nutrients within the digestor.
Digestor is a good description when thinking about how the process works – the feedstock is mashed and chopped up in a large machine (the mouth), fed into ‘the stomach’ through pipes, with biogas drawn off from the large digestors and then the odourless biofertilizer ‘waste’ is moved out into storage bays, before being used by local farms – very little is wasted.
Treating the biogas is complex and heavily regulated but the site is now producing enough back to the gas network to heat 2500 homes. The plant also has a small generator which, fuelled by biogas is putting electricity into the grid – about enough to light around 600 homes a year.
It was a fascinating visit, and we must give huge thanks to Carl Woolley, the site manager, who gave up his evening to show us around and explain the process.
We came, we repaired, we raised money!
16th June 2022
On Saturday 21st May, Eynsford's Green Team ran their first-ever Repair Cafe at Eynsford Village Hall!
Volunteers had been recruited from the local community to help with repairs including IT, bikes and textiles.
Unfortunately, our hoover repair man was unable to attend at the last minute, so other volunteers 'had a go' instead!
We sold some lovely tea and cake to people waiting for their turn. Visitors were encouraged to make a donation to the new village hall fund http://eynsfordvh.com/wp/how-t... and £150 was raised!
We hope to run the repair cafe again in the autumn and would love to recruit a few more volunteers to give up a few hours to help people to repair their stuff.
Thank you to Chris Lewington for the fab photos.
Repair Cafe for Eynsford
5th May 2022
The Green Team are organising a pop-up repair cafe in Eynsford to help the community reduce waste.
This is an opportunity for members of the community to get their items fixed rather than throwing them away and replacing them with new goods. Repairing and mending old and damaged items is becoming more popular. TV's The Repair Shop has raised interest, although we cannot offer repairs quite to that standard.
The Green Team and other volunteers will be offering simple repairs to clothes, toys and bikes. Residents will be able to see and maybe help with the repair, so that next time they will be able to do it themselves. We will not be offering electrical repairs at this point. If we can't help you, we might be able to point you in the direction of someone who can. Everyone is welcome.
Visible repairs have also gained popularity. The Japanese art of Kintsugi sees pottery being glued back together, but then the cracks are painted with gold. Rather than rejoin ceramic pieces with a camouflaged adhesive, the kintsugi technique employs a special tree sap lacquer dusted with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. Once completed, beautiful seams of gold glint in the conspicuous cracks of ceramic wares, giving a one-of-a-kind appearance to each “repaired” piece. Visible mending of clothing is also becoming more popular, with decorative stitches such as sashiko or boro stitching, or embroidering designs around holes to make them into a new feature.
As people start to value the resources that have gone into making their clothes and other belongings, hopefully they will aim to use them for as long as possible, or pass them onto someone else to use.
Where is our heat (and money) going?
15th March 2022
Where is our heat (and money) going?
Quite a few people borrowed the digital thermal imaging camera over the winter months to try and spot where they were leaking heat, and with rising energy costs and worry about climate change it's good to find out. We had some great feedback and we thought you might like to see some of the pictures and ideas that have been put into action.
And for anyone who would like to try this out for themselves, we hope to have the camera available again in the future.
The glowing front door!
We’ve always known the hall was cold and a bit draughty but were really shocked to see just how much heat is being lost through the door – it was not just red hot, but white hot. It’s a solid, paneled wood door, and we hadn’t realized how thin the wood is at the edges of each panel……the door is just leaking heat. In fact, the Christmas door wreath is probably more insulating than most of the wood! We thought about getting a new door, but the door is not a standard size, so it would need to be custom made. So, instead, we’re putting up a hinged curtain pole and a big door curtain, both of which can be removed in the summer. Next winter we’re hoping that our door picture is definitely looking less rosy and the hall rather warmer.
We also had a walk around the outside of the house and realized that despite the cavity wall and room insulation and double glazing we had a few hot spots. The roof insulation was working well but at the top of the walls there was a gap, possibly where insulation has settled and something we’re going to check.
Uninsulated and draughty floors
We used the Thermal Imaging Camera on a chilly evening in November. We used it inside and outside the house. Our house is old with part of it dating back to 1681. With the upper house constructed only of timber and covered with tiles we are well aware that we face challenges to make it eco efficient. We refurbished the house in 2011 with roof, wall and floor insulation, double glazed windows and at the time, put in an efficient gas boiler with underfloor heating throughout. We were very interested to see what the thermal imaging camera would pick up as weak areas for heat loss.
The camera showed us that around the windows there were gaps which would explain the drafts and difficulty to keep some rooms warm especially on a windy day. We were surprised to see that in many rooms there were also gaps between the wooden floors and the skirting boards which the camera, when used inside showed as cold patches, see photo below.
We have now sealed the around the windows and around the skirting boards with Stormguard draught excluder foam which has made a considerable difference to the room temperature.
The Green Team
Home Energy - Act Now to Save the Future!
11th November 2021
ACTING NOW TO SAVE THE FUTURE: Green Steps towards a Greener future
This is a longer version of the first leaflet produced by the Eynsford Green Team and distributed to all homes in Eynsford, to provide information to help us take steps to tackle climate change
Helpful ideas: reducing energy use in our homes
We have provided information to help you save money, help protect the planet and waste less through better energy efficiency in your home. We hope it is also thought provoking; some of the information we've discovered has certainly have made us think!
We had a look at what the energy we buy does for us. The picture shows an average home, so it won't be quite the same as any of our houses but it does give us a reasonable idea of the split.
Whist many of us have roof and cavity insulation and are careful with our heating and lights, what is hugely clear from government and energy experts is that the country's homes must become even more efficient. In fact, a recent report suggested that whilst an average detached home uses about 216 Kwh/year for every square meter of floor space, in future this will need to be reduced to just 50 Kwh/m2. That is a big change.
Want to check how close your house is to the 50Kwh future goal?
You need two bits of information to work out your 'energy use intensity' figure. Firstly look at your energy bills for an actual or estimate of your annual kWh usage. Then you need to work out the area of your 'liveable' space. To do this you need to measure the floor area inside the house, excluding stairs, cupboards and doorways.
The calculation is then annual kWh/m2 of floor. This will give you an estimate of your energy use (kWh) per m2.
So, with winter fast approaching and the cost of gas heating rising fast, we thought it would be useful to start off with some home heating quick energy efficiency wins. And we've been able to borrow a thermal imaging camera for the next couple of months to help us all spot where heat is escaping from our own home.
Quick Wins for energy reduction
1. Insulate your loft or roof: up to 25% of heat loss is through the roof - remember the right level of ventilation is really important (see the guide from the Energy Saving Trust). (Worth checking: lots of houses now have insulation depths below recommended levels AND no insulation across the joists).
2. Insulate your walls - cavity or solid wall. For a qualified supplier go to CIGA.
Home Insulation: Home energy use is driven predominantly by heating and lighting and consequently predominantly by gas and electricity consumption. The climate change impact of electricity is reducing through decarbonisation of the electricity grid, which leaves home heating from fossil fuel use as a tough remaining issue. We can decarbonise supply (see below) and we can reduce demand. The driver of demand is how warm you want your house and how well it retains the heat. It makes sense both to our wallets and to climate change to reduce our demand and therefore insulate our homes and find out where heat losses happen.
One often overlooked area of heat loss are numerous, small draughts around the house. Often around the windows themselves or around the window and door frames. This time of year I go around the house and check for draughts around the windows and doors with the back of my hand. If I can feel them I either using decorators cork to fill the gap (around window sills and doors) or sticky window draught excluder strips in the windows. My experience is by reducing even small draughts a room goes from feeling cool to cosy.
3. Draught proof your windows - you might find it useful to check out the Energy Saving Trust guide to draft proofing. Borrow the infra-red camera to find your house's hot spots.
4. Have your boiler serviced regularly which may make it more efficient; consider upgrading your boiler, and when replacing look at alternatives to gas boilers such as...
- Ground source heat pumps
- Air source
5. Install solar panels : The sun provides an abundant source of clean, renewable energy. This can be converted into electricity using solar photovoltaic panels, usually referred to as 'solar PV'. Electricity generated by a domestic solar PV system can be used to power your home, leading to savings on your electricity bills and reduced demand on the national grid.
How does it work?
Solar PV systems turn sunlight into electricity through the 'solar cells' they contain. Electricity leaves the panel as direct current (DC) and passes through an inverter that converts it to 240V alternating current (AC), so that it can be used in your home. This electricity can then power any appliances that are switched on - washing machine, TV and so on - while the surplus (if there is any) is exported to the electricity grid, or stored in a battery if you have one. There is no longer a fee paid to you for the electricity that goes to the grid but the cost of PV panels and the cost of installing them is coming down. If you do not have a battery the greatest benefit is gained by using your electrical equipment while the sun is shining, so set your washing machine, dishwasher etc. to operate during the day. Alternatively, if you want to use your own energy more, you can have a battery fitted that stores electricity for use when the sun is not shining. The cost of these is also coming down and the capacity is increasing. Look for a certified supplier.
6. Other little things that can make big changes
- when you buy new electrical equipment make sure it is at least A rated and use LED or other low energy lighting
- Turn off lights when not being used, turn down heating by 1 or 2 degrees, put on a jumper if cold, use a stand-alone radiator in one room rather than central heating, bleed your radiators once a year.
Thinking about the whole building!
We've been looking at what the experts are saying about the future of home energy use. The first thing that comes over strongly is that we need to look at the building as a whole - not just do ad-hoc stuff. They recommend a retrofit plan, so working out what needs to be done, maybe over several years, and making sure that one action doesn't cause problems later on.
Renovating a whole house - or wanting to future-proof
It's really important that you have people with the necessary expertise - it may be an architect, an experienced builder or a retrofit co-ordinator. They need to be able to work on technical stuff such as whole house insulation and airtightness, ventilation and thermal bridging. If you want to understand what a retrofit plan should include or just have more information on what your contractor will need to cover see the LETI Climate Emergency Retrofit Guide. It's a rather techy but useful.
Home Improvements
Even smaller changes to your home can be opportunities for better energy efficiency. Here are a few examples:
- New Kitchen - better ventilation, insulation behind units, insulate kitchen floor
- Floor repair/subsidence - floor insulation
- And for jobs such as loft conversions and extensions many builders will already be required to include some of these features……but it is worth checking. And don't forget, if you have an idea of a change you want make in a few years, getting the extension or loft set up for this at the time of building is a lot easier than adding later.
BUT it is also clear that badly fitted or poorly thought through insulation can cause damp problems - make sure you use qualified suppliers.
Alternatives to Gas Boilers
Current Government policy is for gas boilers to be phased out during the next twenty years and replaced with a low-carbon heating system. There has been a lot in the press about the alternatives which we have been trying to understand and The Energy Saving Trust website is a good starting place with lots of detailed but clear information. In summary it would appear either an Air Source Heat Pump or a Ground Source Heat Pump will be the most viable alternative.
Air Source Heat Pump
An air-to-water heat pump transfers heat from the outside air to water, which heats your radiators or underfloor heating and can heat a water tank. They are installed on an outside wall and need good air circulation. They do need a small amount of electricity to run and are only efficient if the home is well insulated.
Ground Source Heat Pumps
A ground source water heat pump transfers heat from the ground outside your home to heat your radiators or underfloor heating. It can also a heat water cylinder. A mixture of water and antifreeze flows around a loop of pipe, buried in your garden. This system is worth considering for new build properties.
Until 31 March 2022 there is the government pay back scheme called the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive to promote households to use renewable heat, which includes Air and Ground Source Heat Pumps. This scheme is due to end on 31 March 2022 and will be replaced by the Clean Heat Grant in April 2022.
Grants to help make changes
Sevenoaks District Council - there can be up to 100% funding for people in their own or rented homes who are in receipt of a government benefit, a low income and/or in poor health. The scheme is offering to provide new boilers, if the existing one is broken, or home insulation. From what we have read there are a lot of factors that seem to decide if or what can be funded so we suggest you contact the company managing this for Sevenoaks, and all the other councils in Kent. They are Aran, www.aragroup.co.uk/kent, tel 0800 587795 or 01284 812520.
Until 31 March 2022 there is the government pay back scheme called the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive to promote households to use renewable heat, which includes Air and Ground Source Heat Pumps. This scheme is due to end on 31 March 2022 and will be replaced by the Clean Heat Grant in April 2022.
Borrow our Thermal Imaging Camera - how much energy is my house losing?
In November and December you can borrow a camera from the Parish Council to find out more about your home. A thermal camera is capable of scanning and capturing an overview of the whole building, offering infrared images that clearly identify where you are losing heat.
How does it work?
All objects radiate infrared energy. The amount of energy radiated is based on the actual surface temperature and how good the surface of the object is at emitting heating. The thermal imager senses the infrared energy from the surface of the object and uses this data to calculate an estimated temperature value which is then represented over a colour scale. Many common objects and materials such as painted metal, wood, water, skin and cloth are very good at radiating energy and it is easy to get relatively accurate measurements. Shiny surfaces or unpainted metals do not work as well.
To borrow the camera for one or two days, please contact the parish office on info@eynsfordparishcouncil.org.uk or 01322 865320 to book a slot. We will require a £20 cash deposit for loan of the camera. Full instructions will be provided.
Let us know how it goes!
We're all going to be trying out the camera, checking our insulation and draughtproofing in our own homes over the next few weeks and we hope that this leaflet helps you to cut energy use too.
And finally………..we would love to hear any tips that you have for energy saving and indeed let us know anything you have been able to do this autumn to cut your energy use.
Contact us with your ideas or feedback at info@eynsfordparishcouncil.org.uk
Electric Charging Points in Eynsford
12th October 2021
Eynsford Green Team - Electric Cars and Electric Public Charging Points
Electric Cars would appear to be the future…..
The Government has made a commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Road transport is responsible for about one fifth of emissions and the Government are therefore encouraging the transition to electric vehicles. From 2030 it will not be possible to buy a brand new petrol car.
The village survey we carried out about the environmental challenges last year highlighted 45% of respondents said they do or plan to have an electric car within the next 5 years. Of those 45%, 20% said they are unable to charge their car at their home.
The ownership of electric cars will increase over the coming years and charging points will be needed in the village for those residents with no off-street parking.
What have Eynsford Green Team been doing in response to the need for a village charging point?
In light of the above we investigated the possibility of a community electric charging point.
Kent County Council is offering financial support to parish councils to install charging points in their villages on community land for those residents that cannot access off-road parking and charging. We looked into various locations, including the village car park which is owned by Sevenoaks District Council. SDC refused our request for a community charging point stating that "use would be minimal and could result in the space remaining empty for substantial periods of time".
It would be interesting to know what residents think, are you local to the car park, have or want an electric car and would use the charging point? Or do you agree that the spaces should be saved for residents and visitors with petrol cars only? It may be that we can campaign on this if enough residents come forward stating they would use the charging point. Let us know your thoughts.
We also looked into the Parish Office car park currently leased to the Scout Association however due to the Scouts concerns over safeguarding issues this is not an option.
The new village hall site does have plans for electric charging points but this will be a few years away.
Other possible locations
There might be other village locations that may be suitable for a charging point. Whilst these are not local authority land and would not qualify for the current grant, there may be alternative options and schemes for such charging points. We have been in contact with Darenth Valley Community Rail Partnership who work closely with Southeastern and Network Rail, and they are looking into installing one or more charging points at Eynsford station.
We are also looking to local businesses and whether they would be willing to have a charging point. Do you have a business in the village with room for a charging point? If this is something you may consider please do get in touch with us.
Other Government Schemes
The Government is also providing funding to local authorities for installing on-street charging points in residential areas. We haven't yet explored this with Sevenoaks DC as we were hoping to apply for the grant detailed above but this is something we will start looking into.
Community Electric Charging
One idea is for residents to share charging points on their driveway. There are services that enable people with home charging points to share their charger with the public, for example, www.co-charger.com.
Emerging technology
Technology is rapidly changing for charging points. Charging points can be now found in lamp posts around London, customers purchase a smart cable that connects to the lamp posts. Perhaps the village lamp posts could be utilised in this way.
There are also kerbside charging points being developed by a company called Connected Kerb and Urban Electric are working on charging points sunken into the ground when not in use. With space at a premium in many towns and villages and the need to keep pavements free of clutter, these could be brilliant solutions.
Map of electric charging points
The zap map is very useful to find your local charging point. It would appear from the map that Brands Hatch Hotel and Otford Village hall car park are our nearest public charging points.
The link below is for a map showing the density of public electric charging devices by each local authority. Sevenoaks DC is within the second to lowest category within the country.
www.maps.dft.gov.uk/ev-charging-map/index.html
Summary
The Eynsford Green Team have been working hard trying to find a location for community charging points however space is at a premium and there is no easy solution. We will continue to look for solutions with the aim to help those residents who don't have an off-street charging option.
Do let us know your views on the above, at info@eynsfordparishcouncil.org.uk.
Photo by Michael Fousert on Unsplash
Brownies Help Eynsford Reduce Waste
5th October 2021
Pictured: Brown Owl, Brownie and Eynsford Parish Council's Chair of Community and Green Team member.
Eynsford's Green Team worked with our local brownie group to obtain a new recycling bin.
We were pleased to gain the support of 2nd Farningham & Eynsford Brownies in our pleas to Sevenoaks District Council for a recycling public waste bin. The Brownies spent some time during lockdown working on the Take Action theme of the new girlguiding programme to raise awareness about an issue important to them. One of the Brownies, who was concerned about waste and recycling, wrote a letter and created a petition asking for recycling bins in the village which she sent to Eynsford Parish Council. The parish council's Green Team was able to use this letter to back up their request for a new bin for Eynsford.
We are all delighted that the new bin has now been installed on Riverside. It is a 'smart' bin and can communicate with the depot to indicate when it is full! This means that fewer wasted journeys are made when the bin is not full, saving fuel and cutting carbon emissions. We hope that in the future we may be able to obtain more of these bins for the village.
The Brownie rightly obtained her Make Change and Speak Out badges and is well on her way to achieving her Brownie GOLD award!
Let us know what you think of our new bin. Would you like to see more opportunities to recycle your rubbish in Eynsford?
What bin does this go in? - Understanding plastics
20th July 2021
Are you confused by recycling? Do you think - can I recycle this? do I have to wash it first? what is the point?
A new project has been launched in Kent to help us to understand all about recycling- particularly plastic products. This article is mostly information provided by Pledge2recycle:
KENT RECYCLES - DO YOU?
Are you confused about what plastics you can recycle?
Pledge2Recycle Plastics are working with all Kent Councils to help reduce that confusion.
The charity, which works to educate and advise citizens has set up a dedicated website for Kent [www.pledge2recycle.co.uk/kent] which includes competitions for communities and general recycling guidance.
Did you know you can recycle ALL bottles whether from the bathroom and kitchen as well as plastic packaging in the form of a pot, tub or tray?
All bottles should be empty when placed for recycling with the tops back on. Pots, tubs and trays should have the absorbent layer and film lid removed as these need to go into general waste.
Please DO NOT PUT toothpaste tubes, pill packs, nappies, textiles, coffee pods, batteries and food into recycling. Textiles should go to specific banks either at community/retail/or Household Waste Centres. You can take carrier bags, bread bags and empty frozen veg packets, to your local supermarket front of store collection please check at www.recyclenow.com/local-recycling. Sainsbury's superstores now take ALL flexible packaging in front of store collections - guidance and a list of participating stores can be found at www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/sustainability/plan-for-better/our-stories/2021/flexible-plastics.
It is important that ALL PLASTIC PLACED FOR RECYCLING is CLEAN, DRY AND LOOSE and NOT in any carrier or black bags.
PLEDGE2RECYCLE PLASTICS - CUTTING THE CONFUSION - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
•Why do I need to put the tops back on the bottles before recycling?
- The tops go with the bottles to the
reprocessor where they are cut up into flakes and the bottle and tops (which
are different plastics) are separated before they are turned into pellets. The pellets made from the bottle themselves
are then sent to either make new bottles.
The pellets made from the tops are sent to go into garden furniture or
items for construction such as piping or traffic cones
•How clean does my recycling need to be? - At the Materials Recovery Facility
(MRF) all the mixed dry recycling is sorted by type (paper, cardboard, steel
cans, aluminium cans, and plastics).
This process involves a lot of complex machinery which gets covered in
the residue and dirt that householders place in their recycling bins. This residue can cause machinery to
breakdown. Many UK MRF's also have a
section where material is hand sorted, so not a pleasant job if the material is
covered in food remains. Remember also
that the cleaner the recycling is the greater the quality and higher value the
material will be to the recycler. It
also keeps your bin clean if you empty, rinse and dry before recycling.
•Can I recycle my bleach bottles? - Yes, make sure they are empty and
put the top back on.
•What do I do with the film lid on food, fruit, and vegetable punnets? - Remove the film lid and the
absorbent layer and put these into general waste as these are not recyclable at
the moment. Make sure the tray or
punnet is empty, clean, and dry and recycle.
•Where can I recycle my carrier bags, and bread bags? - Many UK Supermarkets are now taking carrier
bags and bread bags etc. in their front of store collections. Please look for the OPRL label on your soft
plastics and wrappings and check out our links on www.pledge2recycle.co.uk/kent for further information.
Should I stop using plastic packaging? - Plastic packaging provides many benefits to products and compared to alternative materials it uses less energy to produce, reduces transport costs and CO2 emissions because it is lightweight, and significantly reduces the amount of fresh food waste by protecting it in a hygienic environment and extending its shelf life.
Did you know?
- bananas in a flexible bag extend their shelflife by3days
- Plastic bags reduce waste of potatoes by two thirds
- Cucumbers extend their life when wrapped in film by 14 days
- Advanced plastic packaging extends the life of steak upto10 days
Why do some brands still use plastic for food products - surely, we can use other materials such as glass?
Because it is lightweight, plastic packaging can save energy in the transport of packed goods. Less fuel is used, there are lower emissions and there are cost savings for distributors, retailers and consumers. For example, a yoghurt pot made from glass weighs about 85 grams, while one made from plastic weighs 5.5grams. In a lorry filled with a product packed in glass jars, 36% of the load would be accounted for the packaging. If packed in plastic pots, the packaging would amount to just 3%. To transport the same amount of yoghurt, three trucks are needed for glass jars but only two for plastic pots.
•What can plastic packaging be recycled into?
Plastic packaging can be recycled into a wide variety of products including clothing, t-shirts; toys, chairs and tables; headphones; kitchen utensils; paint pots; car parts; cuddly toys; filling for duvets and sleeping bags; pens and pencils; building materials such as fencing, flooring, piping, etc; garden furniture; buckets and - of course - more plastic packaging! Drinks bottles can be made back into drinks bottles, milk bottles can also be made back into more milk bottles.
•Why don't all Councils collect the same types of plastic?
Local authorities use different facilities and waste management providers to collect recycling materials from households and recycling points. Some of these can only accept specific plastic types and therefore residents are given different messages about what they can and cannot recycle in different areas. Local authorities also have contracts with waste management providers and changing or terminating these can be a long and costly process. However, the plastic industry would like to see all councils collecting the same types of plastic and will continue to promote this as best practice and the UK government is discussing the possibilities of consistent collections across the UK.
If you live in Kent and one of the 13 Kent Councils you are, able to recycle the same plastics packaging wherever you live in Kent.
•Why does the Council keep asking us to recycle when I think I recycle everything I can?
Although most of us do recycle what we can when we can unfortunately the data tells us that nationally we only recycle 59% of all the bottles we could recycle and 34% of the pots, tubs and trays. This may be because we are not sure if they are recyclable, or because they are dirty and we don't want to rinse/empty them, or because we take them out of the home for eating and drinking on the go and dispose of then in general waste wherever we happen to be, office, school, travelling etc. If we, can it is always best to take our empties home to recycle and make sure that we are not forgetting to recycle stuff from the kitchen or the bathroom, or forgetting about the ketchup and mayonnaise bottles. It all adds up.
The team at Pledge2Recycle Plastics are happy to take your queries you will find them @pledge2recycle or e-mail Amanda.bakewell@recoup.org.
- The tops go with the bottles to the
reprocessor where they are cut up into flakes and the bottle and tops (which
are different plastics) are separated before they are turned into pellets. The pellets made from the bottle themselves
are then sent to either make new bottles.
The pellets made from the tops are sent to go into garden furniture or
items for construction such as piping or traffic cones
Eynsford Tree of the Year
1st April 2021
Eynsford Tree of the Year - A Celebration of our Village Trees
Nominate Your Favourite Tree!
You may be aware of the Woodland Trust's annual Tree of the Year contest (https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/tree-of-the-year/) which aims to showcase the UK's favourite trees to help promote their value and need for protection.
We thought it would be fun to do a similar contest for our village trees, after all we are the place where Arbor Day first started in the UK in 1897!
So, do you have favourite tree in the village? Perhaps a tree which you think is a perfect example of that species. Alternatively, is there a tree in the village that makes you smile or brings back happy memories? Or maybe a tree which you think embodies Eynsford village?
If so, then why not nominate it for Eynsford Tree of the Year. To nominate your tree please email info@eynsfordparishcouncil.org.uk or drop in a note to the parish office, and tell us;
-which tree you wish to nominate (the tree must be within Eynsford parish)
-a few lines about why you are nominating this tree. -the location of the tree, and the species (if you know it)
-and ideally please include a photoNominations need to reach us by June 2021. The winner will be chosen by our Tree Wardens and a representative from our Green Team. The winning tree will be unveiled, rather more Arbor than Oscar-style, the following month. There are no prizes if your chosen tree is picked - it's just for fun. But, the winning tree and it's story, will be featured on our website, social media and in our next newsletter.
The Arbor Day Movement was established in America in 1872 where one day each year is set aside as a festival to plant trees. A similar event was established in England in 1897 in the Kent village of Eynsford.
by Jane Laird for Eynsford's Green Team
Make Your Own Wildlife-Friendly Hanging Basket
9th March 2021
We are pleased to announce a joint initiative between Eynsford Green Team, Eynsford Gardeners' Club and Eynsford in Bloom.
Brighten up your garden, make it more attractive to wildlife, and help to make Eynsford more beautiful for the Eynsford in Bloom competition!
Are you currently choosing bedding plants for your garden hanging baskets and containers? Why not have a go at creating a wildlife-friendly hanging basket.
We have put together some ideas to help you make your hanging baskets more attractive to bees and other pollinators. This includes;
- ideas on lining your planter so that it is more wildlife-friendly and incorporates recycled materials,
- some suggestions for more wildlife-friendly, colourful and scented bedding plants, and,
- ideas to help with manual watering.
Creating this hanging basket makes good use of readily available plant material from gardens, it provides suitable habitats and food for wildlife, the basket looks attractive with the green foliage and it is great fun (it really is!).
Many of these ideas would also be relevant for your pots and other planters.
The Village would look even more beautiful if we could make a display in our front gardens of wildlife-friendly planters. (Although the insects would also like a wildlife-friendly hanging basket in your back garden!). Not only would this be great for wildlife, and create an attractive feature in your garden, but it would also help with our 2021 entry to Eynsford in Bloom.
If you need help sourcing any of the equipment, materials or plants please let us know as we might be able to help!
Please see the attached document for more information. Hanging Basket Tutorial
We would love to see your planted containers and baskets. Post your photos on the Eynsford Parish Council facebook page or email info@eynsfordparishcouncil.org.uk
What You Said - Green Team Survey Results
28th January 2021
by Jane Laird on behalf of Eynsford Green Team
Thank you
Many thanks to all those residents who completed our survey, "How Can Eynsford Be Greener". We carried out the survey to canvass local opinion, to find out what residents would like us to do and help us decide which environmental schemes we should implement.
We received 98 responses (online and paper), which equates to about 12% of households in the parish. This is an encouraging response and 72% of those respondents stated that they felt it was "very important" that Eynsford Parish Council/EGT tries to tackle environmental issues within the parish.
Recycling
From analysing what we currently recycle as a village we are doing well on glass and clothes. We are looking at ways we can facilitate more recycling within the village. We will contact and lobby Sevenoaks District Council on improving recycling options throughout the whole district.
Ideas and suggestions
We had lots of positive responses to our suggestions. 85% of respondents wanted to see more bee and wildlife planting on parish council land. We are already implementing wildlife planting and are aiming to launch a wildflower pot/hanging basket initiative for everyone to get involved with this spring, details to follow next month.
70% of respondents would like more recycling points in the village for different items and as mentioned above we will work on this.
We were thrilled to hear residents' comments/ideas, and these included the following:
- Recycle bins next to existing rubbish bins for visiting public to recycle litter
- Communal compost bins
- Co-operative for bulk purchase of electricity
- Hydro power from the river
We will review all the suggestions put forward.
Electric cars and charging points
We had an interesting response to the electric car question with 45% of respondents stating that they already own an electric car or within the next 5 years they plan to buy one. Of those that do or plan to have an electric car, 20% would not be able to charge on their own property, therefore many villagers will need access to a public charge point. As there is a developing need for public charge points EGT are reviewing possible locations and investigating the available grants. After 2030 all new cars will have to be electric and EGT will help the village prepare for this.
Renewable Energy
Whilst not everyone was keen on the idea of a community solar panel field or a wind turbine the Government has committed to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. As part of this commitment, the Government have set up the Rural Community Energy Fund, which is a £10 million programme to support rural communities in England to develop renewable energy projects. There are many inspiring projects taking place throughout the country using this fund. These projects not only provide clean energy but also give social and economic benefits to the local community. This is an area we will continue to investigate.
10-Year Plan
he responses to the survey have given EGT the information and impetus to prepare a 10-year plan of what we aim to achieve. We will publish this plan later in the year. Thank you to all those respondents who offered to help EGT or help with various projects, we will be in touch soon. We will work with village groups where relevant as we appreciate many groups already have eco policies or wish to do more for the environment. Do not forget we regularly post articles on www.eynsfordparishcouncil.org.uk, on the Greener Eynsford page and you can contact us via email, info@eynsfordparishcouncil.org.uk.
How Green are You?
12th January 2021
by Kaz Langridge
Have you ever wondered what steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint on the planet and help with the climate crisis? There is a useful app called Giki Zero which helps with this https://zero.giki.earth/about.
Giki Zero provides you with ideas on how you can take realistic steps to reduce your carbon footprint and it helps to track what you have done and are planning to do. It's good fun and designed for all ages.
How to do your green Christmas shopping this year
10th December 2020
by Anne Marie Fereday
Everyone knows that it can be tricky to choose what to buy friends and family for Christmas. For some, it can seem even more difficult to shop sustainably. And it will have to be done mostly online this year. But there are a wealth of sites, mostly small independent businesses, to answer almost all your gifting needs this year. Of course, there are many considerations when it comes to choosing gifts: from how the product is made, avoiding sweatshops and the use of materials that harm the environment, to how long your gift will last and what to do with the packaging. Let's take a look at the typical Christmas shopping list and see what is available...
Kids - children's toys can be an eco-nightmare, often plastic and with little indication of the supply chain. But there are alternatives, for instance here is an organic babies rattle (1) from Arket, (http://Arket.com ) a store perhaps familiar to those who know Bluewater. Their site also has a very good range of clothes for adults and children, often using recycled fibres, eg these boys swim shorts (2), as well as homewares and accessories.
Homewares - Arket (Arket.com) have also produced some useful household items that would make good presents, for instance, a recycled polyester laptop case for £25. Or If you prefer locally-produced crafts, how about these hand-made wooden bowls (3) from madeinotford.org. Usually, these are selling at the Saint Bart's Christmas fair in Otford but they are now available online.
Fashion and clothing - there are a number of ethical fashion sites who put sustainability at the top of their agenda eg howies.co.uk, Ninetypercent.com etc. But it's worth noting that also some of the high street's more established outlets are now getting in on the act, particularly with recycled fibres eg H&M, whose Conscious ranges (4) are a favourite of mine (see www2.hm.com). It is also worth mentioning vintage clothing, another growing trend in fashion. Bluewater retailers Urban Outfitters have a long-standing range of repurposed clothing called Urban Renewal, which can also be found online, www.urbanoutfitters.com.
Food and drink - local producers sell on madeinotford.org, including delights such as brandy truffles and Christmas puds (5). Our nearest refill shop, Eco Pantry (theecopantry.co.uk) at Seal Chart Farm, enable you to fill up on a wide range of foods and of course, there is a butcher/grocer there too. Or try Stanhill Fram (stanhillfarm.co.uk) just outside Swanley, from whom (during the current restrictions) you can collect pre-ordered food and drink. Otherwise, you may have heard of Planet Organic, who have recently merged with cosmetics brand As Nature Intended, and do a range of fresh groceries. They even sell takeaway meals! https://www.planetorganic.com/
Gardening - organicgardening.com offer a range of gifts including this illuminated bug viewer (6) as well as a range of seeds, plants, tools etc. They also sell experiences such as a vineyard tour and tasting with unlimited tea for two, for £45.
Stocking fillers - for Dad, why not this white stuff (https://www.whitestuff.com/) eco leather wallet? (7) PHB (phbethicalbeauty.co.uk) do a range of cosmetics, some in recycled plastic tubes, pointing out that their production is less carbon-intensive than glass, which needs to be produced at very high temperatures! And how about this gadget (8) which will fix a broken zip and maybe save another garment from the landfill? That's a bright idea from H&M (zlideon zip tab, www2.hm.com). If you want jewellery, check out the range of recycled silver and gold on wearth.com (9). Iansnow.com specialise in items made in India, which are fairly traded but also make use of recycled items such as silk saris. Auraque (https://www.auraque.com/ ) sell hats, gloves and scarves knitted from banana fibre (10)! Knowtheorigin.com sell gift sets and a wide range of good that are sustainably produced, often by independent businesses and with ethical standards (such as plastic-free) in mind.
Cosmetics and personal care - among the best environmental innovations recently has been the idea of refilling. This is to cut down on packaging, particularly plastic. BeautyKitchen.co.uk (11) offer a service whereby customers can send back the metal containers of shower gel etc and order new ones online. Our own St Martin's church is also offering a recycling service for those who save their plastic pumps etc, the items are sent to Terracycle, with payments made to charity.
Decorations - Peace With The Wild (peacewiththewild.co.uk ) have Christmas crackers that contain plastic free gifts, and eco-fashion retailers Thought (https://www.wearethought.com) have a blog which tells you how to make your own Christmas wreath and print your own wrapping paper (12)!
Choosing appropriate gifts versus waste is perhaps the most important consideration to remember when looking for Christmas gifts. Some might say that the ultimate green gift might be one that it's the about giving more than just stuff, instead some experience that could be enjoyed. Or why not simply give someone you love a bunch of flowers? Arenaflowers.com who were recently voted the UK's most ethical florist, will also a plant tree for each bouquet ordered. As do browser Ecosia.org, so if you're going to surf for any of these gifts, maybe start by downloading their app?
Happy (green shopping) Christmas!
tsAre Cars Electric?
1st December 2020
ARE CARS ELECTRIC?
by Chris Lewington
If you drive a car, you are no doubt well aware of the recent government announcement to end the sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. So what will that actually mean for a village like ours? In ten years time will we all be whizzing around in super silent, tree hugging, electro gliding machines? Will a trip down to Rafferty's or Norman's run the gauntlet of trying not to trip over a multitude of electric cables strung across the pavement to charge cars? Will charging your lovely new motor be as simple as plugging in the kettle for a cup of tea? The future is undoubtedly green but a lot of the choices around cars, charging and infrastructure pose some tricky questions.
Firstly, as all you petrol heads who've read this far without flinching at the mention of the words electric and car in the same sentence will know, it's only "new" cars that will stop being petrol. The average age of a car on the road is around 7- 8 years old. That means a lot of us will still be driving around sitting on top of a fuel tank rather than an outsize battery come 2030. Purchase of a battery electric vehicle (BEV) can set you back something in the region of an extra £10k on a new and even £7-8 k on a 2-3 year old second-hand model compared to a petrol vehicle. So the economy of buying electric needs to be thought through carefully. And that's before we even start to talk about "Range anxiety", the fear that holds many of us back from dipping our toes in the electric waters.
hen you're on that family camping holiday trip down to Cornwall at some point you will pull into a petrol station to fill up the tank. If there's no queue, it's all done nozzle to tank and swipe the plastic in a matter of minutes. So what happens when your electric car nears the bottom of that overnight charge that was going to take you all the way to Lands End? A half-hour stop at a Rapid Charging point at the service station while you grab a coffee and bun will add 80 - 90 miles. According to Zap-Map, which provides a guide to the UK's charging infrastructure, there are currently around 4,800 locations providing 7,500 individual chargers. Soon charging points will outnumber petrol stations across the country!
However not all charging points are the same and this brings us back to Eynsford. Rapid Charge 50Kw points use DC current and are mostly found along major route roads and not all BEV's are adapted to use them. Fast charging points 7kW will take around eight hours to fully replenish an electric car's batteries from zero charge. The majority of public charging stations offer this rate. So most charging of your electric car will be done at home with a charging box installed to fully charge the car overnight. Great if you've got a garage or drive. As we well know, a cursory glance down the high street says otherwise. So if we are all to be driving shiny new electric cars off the garage forecourt come 2030, where are the people with only on-street parking going to charge them?
Kent County Council has been promoting a scheme to help fund charging points but these must be 2m away from the highway so wouldn't be of use for many residents. Possible areas that could be good for charging points are outside the Parish office car park, the village car park, station car park and eventually the new village hall car park. Should we be totally concentrating on charging points for residents' vehicles or should the mix also include rapid charging points for those passing through on longer journeys? What comes first, the installation of lots of charging points or a sizeable growth in the uptake of electric cars? Every parking space that is converted to an electric car charging station is one less place to park.
The government has laid down the gauntlet. The car industry is turning its focus on electric car production. So installing charging points in the village is something that is going to happen. Where, for who, and who's paying is the debate that has hardly started yet. Here in Eynsford and for the whole of the U.K.
Useful links:
https://pod-point.com/guides/driver/how-long-to-charge-an-electric-car
https://www.nextgreencar.com/electric-cars/
https://www.kent.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/travelling-around-kent/electric-vehicles
Photo by Marc Heckner on Unsplash
New Logo for the Green Team!
7th July 2020
The Eynsford Green Team
When we formed an eco/green sub-committee last year we decided we needed a name and a logo which would help explain who we are and what we are trying to achieve. We are a small group made up of parish councillors and residents who wish to promote environmentally friendly ideas and practices within the village. We wish to see how as a village we can improve our environmental impact and suggest ways to encourage residents and groups within the village to do the same.
We decided on our name, the Eynsford Green Team but for our logo we needed help and we called upon the creative minds of the pupils of the Antony Roper School. At a similar time to us the Anthony Roper School had also formed their own green team and had signed up to the Eco Partnership Schools Award Scheme, a national school environmental initiative.
The school were delighted when we asked for ideas for posters and a logo for the team. We had some fabulous ideas. Here is Nate Morgan's design which was chosen as the overall winner and we have used this for our logo, see above. We love the way the logo captures both the village and the message, well done and thank you Nate!
Alex Carter and Ellie Hatton also put forward ideas for ensuring we use plastic wisely and keep our rivers clean.
We were so impressed we want to use these too so watch out for the posters with our posts. All three children were awarded prizes of recycled note pads, wildflower seeds and some fair-trade chocolate. Thank you so much to all the children who took time to enter and think about the issues. We look forward to working with the Anthony Roper School and their green team in the future on joint initiative.
So now we have our name and logo we need to get to work. We are reviewing whether the village should have a water refill station for residents and locals to reduce plastic water bottle consumption, whether an electric charging point(s) in the village is viable and if there is spare land/verges which could be planted with trees and hedging. Please do contact us on info@eynsfordparishcouncil.org.uk if you have any thoughts on any of these issues or any other environmentally friendly ideas.
By Jane Laird
Greener Gardening
5th March 2020
Greener Gardening
by Karen Langridge
I am ever the optimist. With all the rain that has dumped on us over the last few months, I am sure that the flowers are more abundant and colourful this year than previous years. The daffodils are raising their nodding heads everywhere around the Village.
Eynsford is such a beautiful village and it's great to be able to contribute to the wonderful look and feel of the village. The first of March brought a day free from rain; there were clear skies and a bit of warmth in the sunshine. With the better weather and longer days my mind turns to our garden. Here are a few ideas on how you can make your own garden 'greener'.
Grow your own
Our seed potatoes are already chitting on the windowsill ready to be planted out in our allotment in mid-March and the first seeds have germinated (sweet peas, onion, leeks, and chillies). We try to be as 'green' as possible with our gardening. Growing our own vegetables, in raised beds in the back garden and at the allotment is hard work, but you cannot beat the satisfaction of harvesting your own crops. We usually try growing a new vegetable each year and last year we tried Mexican Oregano, Tomatillos and Okra.
Composting
Compost bins provide a simple pleasure in my life. We currently have five! Compost bins are a simple and natural way of getting rid of waste material from the kitchen and garden. With a correct mix of greenery (grass, plant foliage) and 'browns' (leaves, newspaper), a little turning to aerate the mixture and a few industrious worms, a fine compost mix is formed after about a year. It is magic! This can be returned to the garden and, hey ho, happy plants. Some worry that compost bins attract rats. I have never seen rats around the compost heap, although I did find a nest of mice keeping warm in there one year. Compost bins can be built sustainably using crates and chicken-wire.
Encourage creatures
There are ways to encourage creatures into your garden by providing food, water and shelter. Birds love the food provided by bird feeders and I love to see them 'play' in the bird bath. A natural pond is the best thing for attracting all sorts of creatures. The pond can be really small (we have a Belfast sink sunk into the ground filled with water). Creatures are attracted to some types of flowering plants more than others. Single flowers are better than double flowers as the insects find it easier to reach the nectar. Winter flowering plants such as honeysuckle (Lonicera x purpusii "Winter Beauty") and pyracanthus (Pyracanthus coccinea "Red Column") are good for birds and insects as they provide nectar and berries throughout winter.
Wild Garden
Leaving parts of the garden a little neglected will be beneficial to creatures. Don't rush to tidy the garden borders and shrubs after winter as shelter can be provided for insects. I often leave piles of leaves so animals can hide, rest or hibernate, and some fallen apples on the ground for creatures to eat. Last year I left our small front lawn un-mowed for the summer to benefit creatures but also to see if any orchids might appear (as they are appearing in a number of nearby front gardens in St Martins Drive and Pollyhaugh). Unfortunately no orchids appeared in our garden last year, but maybe this year.....
The Royal Horticultural Society provides more information about the benefits of 'greening your garden' on their webpage: https://www.rhs.org.uk/get-involved/greening-grea...
20th February 2020
What can we do about plastic?
by Michael Barker
Plastic gets everywhere, doesn't it? It hangs around in the trees and bushes, it lurks in the undergrowth, plainly visible at this time of year, it floats in the river, getting caught up on fences, branches etc. and it piles up on beaches around the world, bags, cartons, bottles, plastic rope, toothbrushes and more.
(Plastic bottles, for example, take 450 years to biodegrade and in the UK we collectively dispose of 350 million bottles per year.)
That's only the visible debris. Microparticles of plastic are in all the oceans from the surface to the depths and are even in polar ice. A recent sample of fish from the English channel showed that 30% had plastic microparticles in their digestive tracts. Birds and other marine species have ingested larger items of plastic to the detriment of their health. None of this is good for the abundance and diversity of life on this planet. So, what can we do?
Plastic can be recycled and if you visit the Sevenoaks D.C. website you can find details of what can be recycled locally. Many plastic bottles can be recycled, including drink bottles (not if they have a plastic sleeve e.g. lucozade) and bottles that have contained household cleaning products, including the pump action nozzle. Bottles that have contained hazardous chemicals, including engine oil cannot be recycled.
Not all plastic bottles are equally recyclable, clear bottles have more recycling value than pigmented ones, so it's better to buy drinks and cleaning products in clear plastic bottles.
Better still is to avoid using plastic in the first place; recycling uses energy and creates greenhouse gases. Reusable drinks bottles are easily sourced and will keep your drink cool. (As far as I know there is no evidence that bottled water is more healthy than tap water). Shopping "bags for life" obviate the need for carrier bags, as long as you don't leave them in the drawer when you go shopping! If you enjoy takeaway coffee, buy a reusable takeaway cup (responsibly sourced fairtrade cups are available from an Oxfam shop near you!)
So, reusing is better than recycling, recycling is better than sending to landfill or carelessly discarding, but check the Sevenoaks D C website to be sure of what you can recycle locally.
Photo by Brian Yurasits on Unsplash
Have Yourself A Very Greener Christmas!
3rd December 2019
Have Yourself A Very Greener Christmas!!
by Theresa Durrant
Its that time of year where planning for the Christmas festivities gets underway, but have you stopped to think about how much waste is produced? For example, we dispose of about 227,000 miles of wrapping paper every year; around 14% of fake Christmas trees go into landfill every year and 300 tonnes of card packaging end up in the bin. Whilst we can incinerate some waste to produce electricity, with a bit of planning we don't need to add to landfill in the way that we do. Making small decisions before Christmas about our purchases can have a massive impact, for the better, on the waste we bin after Christmas.
Here are our top tips to be a little bit greener over Christmas:
1. Choose paper over foil wrapping paper. The laminate that goes into making our Christmas wrapping paper shiny, isn't recyclable and ends up in landfill. If you're not sure, try the scrunch test. If the paper unfolds after scrunching it up, then it is likely to be covered in laminate. Plain paper wrapping paper without glitter, shiny pictures and writing are more friendly for our recycling bins. In addition, choose paper based ribbon over, fabrics or shiny foil for the same reasons.
2. Make good use of your Christmas cards, by upcycling over recycling them. If you remove the pictures carefully using pinking shears, you can turn them into next years present labels. Otherwise if you do need to recycle cards, then remove foil pictures, glittzy extras and recycle just the paper section. You can then either add the glittzy bits to a hobbycraft box for children to use on their school projects, or dispose of them with household waste. Alternatively, you could opt for eco-friendly paper only cards.
3. Don't fake it at Christmas. To avoid filling landfill with fake trees, you could buy a real tree from a sustainable source, such as Forestry England. Local authorities generally run a collection service in the new year, or offer a local service to recycle your real trees into compost: https://www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/info/20000/rubbish_and_recycling/360/christmas_waste_and_recycling_collections. Or better still if you buy trees with their roots, you can always plant it in your garden after Christmas. If you do have to fake it, try to keep using the tree for as long as possible and don't be tempted to upgrade it each year.
4. When it comes to food. Only buy and cook what you really need. So many of us go overboard entertaining friends and family, but only buying what you really need for Christmas, will not only save you pennies, but means you don't have to worry about what to do with the endless cooked left overs. With a bit of careful planning, you don't really need to feed the bin for Christmas. For example did you know that some hard cheeses can be frozen. You can also turn turkey carcasses into scrumptious stock and left over vegetables can be used to make winter warming soups. For ideas on how you can turn leftover into delightful dishes to tempt the tastebuds, take a look at the BBC Recipes guide here: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/christmas-leftovers.
5. Composting raw food. You can also easily compost raw vegetable peelings, paper, tea bags and egg boxes etc. at home. In fact there are probably more items than we realise, that we can compost, as this article demonstrates https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/what-can-i-compost, which will be great for the garden come summertime.
6. We've all bought those novetly gifts at Christmas, but the truth is, they often end up in landfill. Sevenoaks District council have a number of sites where you can recycle items, such as: glass bottles and jars (with metal caps and lids), books, magazines, cardboard boxes, clothing, textiles, shoes, CDs and DVDs etc. The nearest recycling spots to our village are the A225 layby by the train station, Sainsbury's in Otford or Swanley. To locate other recycling sites visit: https://www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/info/20000/rubbish_and_recycling/165/recycling_sites_for_glass_textiles_and_cardboard. And if you share recycling drop-offs with neighbours and friends, it will cut down on the number of journey's needed.
7. Christmas wreaths are very similar to Christmas trees, in that it is better to go real. Natural materials can either be put out with your garden rubbish to be collected by SDC, or you can put it into your own compost bin. Remember to keep back ribbons and baubles to reuse the following year.
8. Bauble and tinsel unfortunately are usually made of plastics and are therefore not recyclable. However, a number of companies are selling eco-friendly baubles made of wood, that can be decorated yourself, or made from recycled yogurt pots and therefore have very little carbon footprint. You can use dried fruit, such as orange slices and cinnamon sticks, or edible biscuit decorations to create homemade eco-friendly tree decorations, that smell great too.
9. Going plastic free at Christmas is tough challenge, but there are small changes we can make to help reduce wastage. For example; buy a reusable advent calendar over shop brought ones; buy loose fruit and vegetables and of course homemade mince pies are just a few tweaks you can make to reduce plastic coming into the home. You could also opt for mixer drinks that come in glass bottles, rather than plastic. You can even buy plastic free Christmas crackers online, eco-friendly stocking fillers and wooden toys are also making a come back. Another option for friends and family are to make up your own gift boxes, rather than shop brought ones, that come with plastic inserts and cardboard sleeves.
Please feel to share your ideas around going greener at Christmas!
Photo by Nathan Lemon on Unsplash
