Welcome to ACT’s August newsletter keeping you informed of the latest activities our Groups have been working on. Do get in touch if you are tempted to join in with any of our projects!
Featuring:
Find that Zombie
Great Big Green Week
Carbon Cutters Update
ACT Film And Curry Night
The BIG News
New ACT Website
Retrofitting Your Home
Wildlife Warden Update
Mow Like A Cow
Food Farming Fisheries and Forestry
ACT Schools Climate Concert
Send us your events
Forthcoming events
Produced by Scott Williams
Find that zombie!
Is your home harbouring a zombie electrical item consuming lots of power and running up your bill? You can find out by joining the My Electricity project and playing Watt detective.
The project is a joint initiative with Teignbridge District Council to help everyone reduce their impact on climate change and save money at the same time. It’s free to everyone in Teignbridge.
We’re asking all ACT supporters to publicise this within their personal circles and social media networks. You can find more details in the link here, there is a poster/leaflet you can use.
Why not try it out with a few friends, family members or colleagues at work? You’ll be in a much better position to talk to others about it.
Fuad Al-Tawil
Energy group coordinator
Great Big Green Week
Climate Emergency Bovey and Heathfield (CEBH) and Bovey Tracey Town Council celebrate GBGW every year, and this year was the best ever. Members of ACT contributed in various ways through the week.
The Great Big Green Week is the UK’s biggest ever celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature. Every year, people come together to unleash a wave of support for action to protect the planet. Tens of thousands of people in every corner of the country celebrate the heartfelt, brave, everyday actions being taken to stand up for nature and fight climate change.
Every day during the week, informally led Climate Cafe Conversations were held at the Youth Cafe. This was an opportunity to drop in for a drink and chat about various climate related conversations
Prof. Peter Stott, world climate scientist, came to give a talk on the Thursday evening based around his book, ‘Hot Air – The Inside Story of the Battle Against Climate Change’. Amongst other things, he explored creative ways in which to get the message ‘out there’ through the Arts and storytelling.
The Fair in Mill Marsh Park on the Saturday was bigger this year with musical entertainment, including the Exeter Climate Choir, food and environmental stalls. ACT had both Wildlife Wardens and Energy stalls which attracted interest and good conversations as usual.
Thanks to everyone involved.
Mandy Cole
ACT Public Engagement Group
Carbon Cutters Update
Here are the essentials for effective action on mitigating climate change. The resources in brackets can be found on ACT’s Carbon Cutters page, if not, please contact the cc coordinator.
1. Only a significant reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is effective, everything else is about making us and others feel good. (CC Lite session)
2. Reducing GHG emissions must start with measuring what they are and where they happen. You can’t manage what you can’t measure! (Carbon Footprint Tracker or (CFT)
3. The majority of the energy we use globally comes from BURNING fossil fuels. So managing our energy and where it comes from is a good place to start, but beware of ‘greenwash’. (CC & CC Lite training)
4. Start by cutting out wasteful actions, things that use energy but are not useful; turning things off when not needed or only heating water you need are easy examples. (My Electricity)
5. Then look at ways of doing things differently, compare the GHG emissions of different options. (CFT, CC Actions Search, Carbon Factor Search)
6. Sometimes it’s necessary to replace an energy consuming thing with a more efficient version, but make sure you calculate the GHG payback time first. (CC Actions Search, Carbon Factor Search)
7. If you’ve done all those things, and you have the up-front capital, consider buying/investing in low-carbon energy generation. Check out the £ and GHG pay-back time. (TECs technology guides)
Robert Gillett
ACT CC support group lead
ACT Film And Curry Night
ACT will be showing the film ‘Climate Scam’
The latest in a series of documentaries highlighting the impacts of climate change from Cornwall Climate Care.
Despite all the evidence of rising global temperatures and climate-related disasters – and almost 100% consensus among the world’s climate scientists about what is causing this – there are still a surprising number of people who do not believe we are facing a climate emergency.
Climate conspiracies, whipped up by social media algorithms that push the most extreme viewpoints to the fore, have resulted in death threats being made against people like city councillors trying to introduce traffic reduction schemes and weather forecasters trying to keep people safe from hurricanes.
Join young presenter Jaz as she sets out to discover why these conspiracy theories are so popular, whether any of them actually hold a grain of truth – or whether they are threatening our ability to deal with the greatest challenge humans have ever faced.
When: Saturday Sept 13th; 6.30 till 9pm
Social and food from 6.30pm; film at 7.30pm; discussion 8.15pm-9pm
Where: Alice Cross Centre, Teignmouth, TQ14 9BT
Food: Choice of two curries, one being vegan, for £15 per person, including rice, naan, poppadoms, and chutneys, available to purchase from 6.30 to 7..30pm
Bar Service: The bar will be open throughout the evening, serving a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages at competitive prices.
Limited space so book early. Please use the link below to book in advance. Donations only,
Mandy Cole
ACT Public Engagement Group PE Co Chair
The BIG news
We’re really happy to tell you that our bid for funding from the National Lottery Community Fund was successful, with a grant of £19,959 to help our community thrive.
Audrey and Vicky, who run ACT’s Wildlife Wardens scheme, wrote to the National Lottery to thank them:
However wonderful a project is, it can be very difficult getting funding after the first 3 years – your support for what we are doing and how we are doing it not only relieves financial pressures, but is an enormous boost to us too. Knowing that your organisation believes we are doing things well and achieving the things we believe in is very important.
Teignbridge is a district where there is lots going on – a place where a higher than usual number of people are aware of the need to look after our environment and our wildlife. Better than that, our volunteers are really enjoying what they are doing and have created a great network of friends; we can’t quantify everything that we are achieving, but we do know that it is very, very good.
So, now we can get on with what we are doing and tell everyone that Awards for All is behind us all the way!
Thank you so much!
Audrey Compton and Vicky Fairs
ACT Wildlife Wardens
New website
Watch out for a new ACT website in September. We have been working on it for some months and are nearly ready to go live. The new site will be more colourful and easier to use so please visit it in the autumn.
Julian Stringer
ACT Website
Retrofitting your home
There are around 28 million dwellings in the UK today. Of those 28 million, over 22 million were built before the year 2000. These older homes are typically less easy and more expensive to keep warm and dry than homes built in compliance with recent building regulations, and they can produce many times more greenhouse gas emissions to run than an efficient home.
We will live in these older dwellings for years to come. To make them comfortable and efficient to modern standards will require a retrofit.
What is a retrofit?
A retrofit involves improvements to the thermal performance and energy efficiency of your home.
It could involve improved insulation; elimination of draughts; higher performance windows, hot water and heating systems and controlled ventilation, all to keep the home dry, warm and comfortable while consuming less energy and emitting less greenhouse gasses.
A retrofit may switch your heating and hot water to modern electric systems from oil or gas to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions.
The average home in the UK today consumes approximately 135 kWhs of energy per square meter of floor space to stay warm each year. A deep retrofit should get most houses to an annual heating demand of around 50 kWhs of energy per sqm of floor space per year.
How do I get started?
Get good advice!
Not all homes are average, and retrofitting is not always simple.
Literature is available to help you start thinking about the task, risks, and rewards.
Energy Saving Devon has information and a guide to retrofit. It is a valuable resource with great regional information at https://www.energysavingdevon.org.uk/document/
There is an online tool to help users make a first level assessment of what might work in their home and you can register to get an independent assessment and advice.
The Carbon Cutters team can provide you with ideas and help you develop your knowledge. We can also guide you to others able to provide technical knowledge and support.
Let us know if we can help.
Paul Bloch
ACT Carbon Cutting Team
Wildlife Warden update
Many Wildlife Wardens and ACT members were at the ‘Pesticide Free Devon’ event held at the Courtenay Centre in Newton Abbot in June. It was very good – thanks to Andrew Rothery and his Green Futures team for great organisation, good speakers and interesting workshops. A Pesticide Free Devon is still a dream, rather than a possibility for the near future but we need to dream and take action – it was a good start!
Pine Marten reintroduction: the reintroduced Pine Martens are certainly getting around – on the day after release, back in Autumn 2024, one had quickly crossed the A38 and was at Trago Mills (was it a special discount day?). On the 10th June, one was 0.5km below Deer Park Farm (Trusham) near the Teign and Bramble Brook. Trail cameras were quickly put out, but we’re not sure where it went next! We also have some butterfly visitors from Normandy – more about them soon…
We had a ‘Difficult Composites’ morning at Deer Park Farm for WWs – if it sounds nerdy, you’re right! What it means is flowers that look a bit like dandelions – but aren’t. They are still a bit of a mystery!
WWs also joined Linda at the Courtenay Centre to find out more about her Tree Nursey and seed swaps.
WWs also walked around the recently rewilded Kelland Farm and enjoyed a picnic by their fabulous pond! Thank you so much to Glen and Helen, our WWs who own Kelland Farm and showed just how fast wildlife can come back with love and care!
The WWs have been very busy doing base surveys on Teignbridge District Ccouncil sites, in preparation for them being ‘Mown like a Cow’ (random mowing). We have surveyed 4-5 sites and are doing some extra ones to support the changes in mowing at Newton Abbot and Dawlish cemeteries.
John Walters, our renowned local naturalist who you may have seen on Spring Watch, did a morning ‘Life in the Meadow’ walk for Devon Wildlife Trust at Deer Park Farm. He kindly did an afternoon walk for the Wildlife Wardens – the weather was good, the flowers were in full bloom and there were stacks of insects/minibeasts.
There will be a big Wildlife Warden gathering on Sunday 21st September at a fabulous site between Bovey and Moretonhampstead. Wildlife Wardens should have been contacted about it with the details.
Audrey Compton
ACT Wildlife Wardens
Mow like a cow
Are you looking for something better than No Mow May for your lawn or meadow?
The best flowery meadows are often grazed by cattle, who wander around eating patches of grass in a random way. You can’t put cattle on your lawn – but you can mow like a cow. Whether you scythe, strim or mow, it’s doable! (Unless your meadow is too steep – don’t take any risks!)
It’s May, and the grass is growing. First mow your paths so that your lawn looks cared for. Now go a bit mad and spend the next few minutes mowing squiggles – be a bit random! But don’t mow more than about 20% of your lawn each month.
It’s June and the grass has grown! Mow the paths again and then have a bit of fun – do some different squiggles! If there are any special flowers, just avoid them.
Do the same in July and August and September.
Maybe there’s been a drought and the grass hasn’t grown much. Or maybe there’s been a monsoon and in some places it’s up to you knees. That’s fine!
If you are lucky, there may be some flowers and butterflies around during the summer, but if there aren’t any this year, there might be next year – and even more the year after. Blackbirds and thrushes love the short grass when searching for worms, insects love the longer grass.
To increase the wild flowers, rake some bare patches in the winter and scatter yellow rattle and other seeds there. Tread them in gently!
Food Farming Fisheries and Forestry
4Fs is running an event on the importance of ‘Local Food’ on Saturday 4th October at the Courtenay Centre, in Newton Abbot. The event includes sessions on food and health, the importance of local food in schools, and how to support local food production.
Book the sessions you want to attend on Eventbrite
Find out more about the importance of eating local food and supporting its production from the Devon Food Partnership, and particularly its Every Bite Counts campaign.
Betina Winkler
Food Farming Fisheries and Forestry
Schools Climate Concert
The Children’s Climate Concert, which took place on 3rd July at Teign School, was well attended and much enjoyed, with great performances from the children. More than 120 children from four schools came together following workshops where they shared their climate concerns through the expressive power of music and sound. The students were from Year 5 at Rydon Primary, Kingsteignton School, Year 8 at Coombeshead and Teign School. The workshops were in conjunction with Sonopera CIC, and the event was supported by Rotary Newton Abbot, Action on Climate in Teignbridge and the Helen Foundation. We hope to include a full report in the next issue.
Send us your events
ACT would love to get to as many local parish events as possible but we do not always hear about them. Please could you either get in touch with Pauline or Scott if there is a parish event you think ACT and the Carbon Cutters could come along to.
Sit for climate at Teignmouth Triangle
This happens every Saturday at 11am for up to 10 minutes. It’s for everyone who’s worried about the climate crisis and wants governments and businesses to take urgent action about it. We can demonstrate our feelings together at the same moment. Everyone can join in, everywhere, every week.
Forthcoming Events
ACT will be at
Christow Show on Saturday, 16 August at Teign Valley Community Hall, Christow.
Kingskerswell Grand Summer Event on Saturday, 23 August at Kingskerswell Pavillion Playing Fields.
August 2025
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