From Friday 12 March 2021 To Sunday 21 March 2021
Join people across Devon and take steps together to improve your quality of life while doing your bit for climate change
Lifestyle Week Actions
Here are the seven actions to choose from - just take one to enter the prize draw
- Food: Make a plant-based meal
- Travel: Replace a short car journey with walking or cycling
- Energy Saving: Switch to an energy supplier who uses renewables*
- Keeping Warm: Book an online energy-saving or insulation survey*
- Food Shopping: Buy food from a local organic shop
- Goods Shopping: Identify a long lasting appliance you plan to purchase*
- Holidays: Plan a UK holiday and research costs
* If the action you chose requires research on the internet or making an appointment, a photo of the sign up or appointment email, or the research you have done, is sufficient.
Take a photo of your carbon-saving action, post it on social media and paste the link on the Lifestyle Competition page. You can also email it to us:
https://carbonsavvy.uk/lifestyle-spring-clean/
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarbonSavvyUK (116)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarbonSavvyUK (18)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carbonsavvyuk/ (117)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY2RyopMU1PNtAuo2z_xYuQ
- Hits: 711
As the date of the 2021 census approaches, lets look at how Okehampton appeared in previous censuses. The FreeCEN website gives free access to 1841, 1851, 1861 and 1891 censuses of Okehampton (Okehampton is in the Lifton Census District in 1841). White's Devonshire Directory from 1850 can fill in some gaps. How would your life look to future historians, if they could only read a few lines every 10 years?
Three traces of past lives,
- Charity Frost, Innkeeper King's Arms.
- Rebecca Jordan, Straw Bonnet Maker.
- Richard Lillicrap, Carpenter.
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As the date of the 2021 census approaches, lets look at how Tavistock appeared in previous censuses. The FreeCEN website gives free access to 1841, 1861 and 1891 censuses of Tavistock. Commerical Directories from 1850 and 1870 can fill in some gaps. How would your life look to future historians, if they could only read a few lines every 10 years?
Four traces of past lives,
- Misses Myra and Ellen Kelly, Schoolmistresses.
- Jonathan Blanchard, Bootmaker.
- Henry Rendle Perkin, Farmer.
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Census 2021 The census is a survey about all the households in England and Wales. The next census takes place on Sunday 21 March 2021. Everyone must complete the census and provide accurate information. It helps decide how services are funded in your area.
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Be inspired by each other, Together we are change
Join other Devonians on Zoom meetings looking for ways to build back greener, to explore our history, or to stay connected during this lockdown.
Highlights this February include:
- Wildlife Gems of the South Hams
- Zero Carbon Community Led Housing
- Birdwatching on Lundy
- The OkeRail and the Connect Bude campaign
More events https://www.hartstongue.co.uk/index.php/events
To submit your events email us at
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Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP)
Around a third of the food we produce worldwide is lost or wasted and it’s having a significant impact on climate change. In fact, it contributes a staggering 8–10% of total man-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
That's food that goes unsold or otherwise unused in supermarkets and restaurants, and all the stuff we buy and which goes uneaten. It is all fuelling the climate crisis, exacerbating the greatest and most urgent challenge facing humanity.
It's why, in March 2021 WRAP are dedicating an entire week to raising awareness of the environmental consequences of wasting food, and promoting activities that will help make wasting food a thing of the past.
The UK’s first ever Food Waste Action Week will run from Monday 1 to Sunday 7 March 2021, and will bring together citizens and organisations from retail, manufacturing, local government, hospitality and across industry to demonstrate the impact of wasted food on people, on business, and on the planet.
Together we’ll confront the challenge, share knowledge and inspire changes in the way people think about the food we waste. We’ll explore the practical ways in which we can drive down the amount of food we waste and look at why in every sense – whether you’re a citizen, a business, or other organisation – wasting food makes no sense.
WRAP is proud to be partnering with some of the UK's leading businesses and organisations to deliver Food Waste Action Week.
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The energy efficiency of Mid Devon buildings has improved over the last ten years from an average rating of 58 at a rating of 64. During the same time, buildings in England have improved from 62 to almost 67. Local Energy Advice Partnerships can give you free impartial advice about the best methods to upgrade your home insulation. They will also be able to tell you if you are eligible for any grants for home improvements. The LEAP partner for Mid Devon is Exeter Community Energy who run Healthy Homes Clinics. During lockdown these clinics are available online.
https://www.ecoe.org.uk/healthy-homes-clinic-information/
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An Energy Performance of Buildings Certificate (EPC) is intended to provide prospective buyers and tenants of a building with correct information about the energy performance of the building and practical advice on improving such performance.
An EPC provides an energy efficiency rating (related to running costs) for a building based on the performance potential of the building itself (the fabric) and its services (such as heating, insulation ventilation and fuels used). Not all buildings are used in the same way, so the energy rating uses 'standard occupancy' assumptions which may be different from the way the building is used.
An EPC includes recommendations on how the energy performance of the building can be improved (to reduce running costs) together with an indication of the payback period. There is no statutory requirement to carry out any of the recommended energy efficiency measures stated.
Find an energy certificate Use this service to find energy certificates and recommendation reports for properties in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
https://find-energy-certificate.digital.communities.gov.uk/
Properties can be rented if they have an energy rating from A to E.
If the property is rated F or G, it cannot be let, unless an exemption has been registered. You can read guidance for landlords on the regulations and exemptions.
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Landworkers Alliance - 6th Jan 2021 - What are the farmers demonstrations in India all about?
The wave of strike action by Indian farmers is the largest civil society action by the agricultural community for three decades. The images reaching our screens of mass rallies on hundreds of thousands of people in Delhi are inspiring, but the political background is complex, even confusing. For us as farmers in the UK to express support and solidarity we need to understand it a bit first. So what are the India farmers mobilising about?
The demonstrations have been sparked by the passing of a package of three bills affecting the agricultural sector. Farmers are resisting these new laws and also demanding a fair Minimum Support Price (MSP); which is a floor price across all crops. We’ll look at the details of these below, but the take-home message is that taken together the new legislation will loosen rules around sale, pricing and storage of farm produce. A farm sector long protected by government regulation is to be exposed to market forces on a new scale, taking India down the development route that the UK has already taken toward consolidation and industrialisation.
https://landworkersalliance.org.uk/farmers-demonstrations-india/
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Enjoy an hour with nature and discover the wildlife on your doorstep
Sign up for all you need to take part, help with identifying what you see, and expert advice on feeding the birds
Pick a time You can choose any hour between 29 and 31 January. So whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, you can still take part.
Tell us what you see Count the birds you see in your garden or from your balcony*. Ignore any birds that are still in flight. To avoid double-counting, just record the highest number of each bird species you see at any one time – not a running total.
*This year our advice is to take part in the safety of your own home. This could include a birdwatch from your window if you overlook a green space or courtyard.
Submit your results
- Online: You can submit your results online at rspb.org.uk/birdwatch from 29 January until 19 February.
- By post: If you’d rather send your results by post, you can download a submission form at the RSPB link below. Please post your results to us before 15 February.
Every count is important so, if you don’t see anything, please still submit your result. Finding out which birds don’t visit your area is as important as understanding those which do!
https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/
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