Month of August, 2008

Well ok, just to Sweden.

I am very fortunate to have a friend in Sweden who has a wonderful summerhouse on a car free island, with a composting toilet, wood heated sauna and a diving board into the sea which has an average temperature of 24oC in the summer.

Tranholmen (Island of the Cranes) has not been graced by me for the past four years as I have been unwilling to fly. However, this year I was determined to go by hook or by crook, but not by plane.

I'd like to tell you it was easy to sort out. It was not. (more later)

I've just in the past week had two zero food miles meals. I've harvested my potatoes, spinach, onions, beans and lettuce and had a delicious frittata with salad, all from the garden, (save for the eggs that I cycled to the local farmer to get and the wild marjoram I found in the heath behind my house). This evening I've just popped in the freezer my elderberry and blackberry sorbet sweetened with local honey. Mmmm looking forward to that being ready.

Hard to do mid winter, but now is the time for zero carbon food!

Our Light Fantastic Project has got off to a great start, appearing at many events around the Marches so far this summer and providing CO2 savings of over 2,700 tonnes and cash savings of more than £1.2 million pounds. On the 18th of September we are holding an official launch event for the project to celebrate it's successes so far and pave the way for more in the future. 

MEA is ten years old; certainly an event that calls for a celebration ..where will we be in another ten years??

Carbon Forum are very pleased to be involved with the first World Social Marketing Conference, being held in Brighton. We'll be carbon
footprinting the whole conference and providing real time feedback on the
results. We'll also be guiding delegates through an active discussion on climate change.

In the Energy Saving Trust's most recent briefing note for community engagement (Communicating with your communities), our Eco Vehicles Top Trumps pack is highlighted as an effective and innovative communciation tool. Get in touch if you would like some, or order yours here.

Here is the briefing note:

This week has been a busy week for the Light Fantastic trailer. We have been at the Shrewsbury Flower show, the Chorley Show and the Bridgnorth Housing Fayre. Little surprise then that our Light Fantastic Project has so far led to savings of over 2,786 tonnes CO2 and £1.2 million. Well done to the whole team and our wider supporters and volunteers.

It's Green Drinks time again; if you don't know about Green Drinks already it is an informal monthly opportunity for anyone working in or interested in environmental issues to get together, meet each other, share ideas, find new opportunities for work and so on. Green Drinks sessions are happening in many places around the world; the Shrewsbury one is currently held at Cromwell's on Dogpole on the first Wednesday on every month