Category: News

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

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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

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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

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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,

Action on Climate in Teignbridge Film and Curry Night

Mandy Cole
ACT Public Engagement Group PE Co Chair 

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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

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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

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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

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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 21^st 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

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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!

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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

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Schools Climate Concert

The Children’s Climate Concert, which took place on 3^rd 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.

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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.

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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

Welcome to the June newsletter. It’s been a while, and we have been quite busy and have a lot to let you know about, so here are some snippets taken mostly from this month’s Group Reports to give you a flavour of what we ‘ve been doing – do get in touch if you are tempted to join in with any of our projects!

Featuring:
From the Energy Group
Public Engagement Group update
Carbon Cutters Update
The Wildlife Warden Report
The Chair’s Report
W.A.D.E Project
ACT with the ARTS Climate Festival 2024
Food Farming Fisheries and Forestry
Small Things
ACT Website
Climate Levy on Energy
Send us your events
Forthcoming events

From the Energy Group

Flat roofs are notorious for leaking, but they can also be a problem to insulate. If you live under a flat roof with inadequate insulation, you are likely to lose heat in winter and overheat in summer. So what’s the solution?
Unfortunately retrofitting insulation in a flat roof isn’t as easy as adding traditional loft insulation between and above ceiling joists in the loft space of pitched roofs (also referred to as a cold roof insulation because the loft space remains cold). Flat roofs typically do not have easily accessible space between ceiling and roofing material (often the finish is roofing felt). So to gain access, either the ceiling or the roof covering have to be removed to add insulation.
If there is a leak and the felt or outer roofing material has to be repaired/replaced, this is an opportunity to add insulation. Ideally above the rafters or a combination of this and between rafters. Insulation above rafters is sometimes referred to as ‘cold roof’ insulation, but the term is misleading when applied to flat roofs. Here is a useful explanation.
There are also better roofing materials than felt, but these tend to be more expensive and require skilled installation, something the UK building trade is not famed for!
Drawing curtains to keep the sunshine out in summer and in winter to keep the warm air in helps a lot. Opening windows if there is a marked temperature difference between inside an outside temperatures, this can cool/warm the room as needed.

Fuad Al-Tawil
Energy group coordinator

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Public Engagement Group update

Last summer began with ACT’s week long festival with the arts (reported elsewhere in this newsletter). After this, members of ACT were busy last summer providing information stalls at local events. Sometimes these are focussed on energy use and carbon reduction, sometimes our wildlife and environmental concerns, and sometimes both!

We went to Kingskerswell and Christow Shows, Turn the Tide Festival in Dawlish, Newton Abbot, Buckfastleigh and Ilsington Fairs, Newton Abbot Library, and a Rotary event at Daignton.
I personally attended Christow Show, and really enjoyed trying to talk to everyone, young and old, despite our stall being positioned right opposite one of the (very effective) loudspeakers. We certainly didn’t miss any of the announcements and commentary on the main events! My highlights were getting a hug from a young person after our chat, and talking to an older couple about portable domestic solar panels. I must say the cream tea was a bit of a highlight too! It was great to spend time with each other and share the sessions between all 7 of us, plus 4 Wildlife Wardens who gave valuable help.

Over the winter we have connected with other groups events, such as the launch of FORT (Friends Of the River Teign). We agreed to focus on connecting with outlying towns within Teignbridge. We met with climate/environmental groups in Ashburton, and subsequently attended their Thrive event in March this year. Many other community events will have an ACT presence through this summer. Public Engagement group are keen to put on an event for and with members, and to that end we have viewed the film Climate Scam, with a view to a group showing. We have also taken time to contribute to updating our website, and are liaising with others about a possible input to the Devon Schools Climate Ambassadors initiative.

We are really keen to find out from people about their views on the climate and ecological emergency. We try to answer questions where we can, but always we are keen to engage, and to use this to better inform what we can do within ACT. Climate Change can be an emotional subject, but both positive and negative emotions play a part in making changes. What we know is that talking helps at all sorts of levels, and can be a really important trigger to action. The discussions are fascinating; it’s so vital to keep informing ourselves about what turns people on… and off!

We really appreciate local input to each year’s summer events; so if you are a member of ACT and you like attending your local Fair or Show, please get in touch and we can talk about coming along.

Mandy Cole
ACT Public Engagement Group

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Carbon Cutters Update

ACT Carbon Cutters is a group of keen and concerned people across Teignbridge who have decided to have training in the “how, why and what” of carbon emissions and the effect on the planet’s climate. They can help clarify the evidence-based facts and raise awareness of how our life activities contribute to the problem, locally and globally.
Some individual Carbon Cutters are involved in join projects with Teignbridge District Council, such as:

•My Electricity – how to find out the where energy and costs are going in your home, and how to reduce them

•CC Lite training – short workshops to help understand how and where to start reducing CO2 emissions

You can join ACT and tick the CC box to receive more information. You may decide that is sufficient for now, or you can become more involved by joining the CC group, and have the full CC training over several instruction sessions.

We’re having a meeting next Wednesday (04 June) to give an informal CC course refresher (on request) and discuss practical ways of get our CC message out.
Look out for more Carbon Cutter events, workshops and training – we’re here to help and to increase knowledge and understanding so that everyone in the community has the opportunity to do something positive, however small.
Have look at our Carbon Cutters web pages for more information.

Robert Gillett
ACT CC support group lead

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The Wildlife Warden Report

Ashton WW Shira gave a really creative and interactive presentation for the Bridford and Teign Valley Gardening Club which she entitled “Murder in the Garden“. Shira prepared cards featuring garden wildlife—from mycelium and invertebrates to birds and small mammals—each with details of their diet and vulnerabilities on the back. Some creatures were welcomed by gardeners (e.g., robins and hedgehogs), while others were not (e.g., slugs and greenflies). The group was invited to arrange these creatures in a ‘garden,’ creating a food web of thriving biodiversity.

However, the scenario shifted when new homeowners took over the garden. Unhappy with anything eating their plants or disturbing their lawn, they turned to a big-chain DIY store and the local garden centre to buy pesticides-many of which harm non-target species and aquatic life. And who knew that while neonicotinoids are banned in agriculture, gardeners can still readily purchase them?

The impact on the groups imagined flourishing garden was clear. The group unanimously agreed on the need to stop using chemicals and to dispose of those stored in sheds. Shira then introduced the upcoming launch of Pesticide Free Devon in June, which Wildlife Wardens are invited to support, with hopes for a district-wide pesticide collection in the future. What a fabulous way to help people discover the impact they can have for themselves!

Vicky Fairs
ACT Wildlife Warden Co-ordinator

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The Chair’s Report

Around 30 ACT members are interested in helping local schools find out about Climate Change by joining the National, Government supported Climate Ambassador Scheme .

Kate has also been finalising details for the Children’s Climate concert on the 3^rd of July when Teign School will host 2 performances (at 5pm & 6.30pm) for a Children’s Climate Concert. This finale is the culmination of over 120 children from four schools coming together following workshops where they have been able to share their climate concerns through the expressive power of music and sound. Expect an uplifting and motivating conclusion.Volunteers are still needed to help gather the feedback from the children during the two concerts.

Fancy helping out? email Kate.

Kate Benham
CHAIR ACTion on Climate in Teignbridge 

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Waterways Around the Dawlish Environment (W.A.D.E) Project

An ambitious new project has been launched by Wildlife Warden and Town Councillor Scott in Dawlish. The Waterways Around the Dawlish Environment (WADE) group aims to get together a band of local volunteers to help care for “The Brook”, which runs through the centre of the town. The group will focus on clearing debris, removing litter, conducting regular water testing, and will be exploring future planting, to support wildlife, along the riverbanks.

So far, there has been a fantastic response to this project, with around 40+ new volunteers signed up and receiving training to become wildlife wardens. We look forward to hearing about what they are getting up to in the months ahead. Please contact either Scott or Vicky if you would like to find out more about getting involved.

Scott Williams
ACT Carbon Cutter Coordinator

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ACT with the ARTS Climate Festival June 2024

In June 2024, ACT hosted an 8 day festival, focusing on the arts. Around 1200 people attended, so many of you may have visited one or more of the 23 events, staged in towns around Teignbridge, but centred on Newton Abbot.
So what have the arts got to do with climate change, which is after all, ACT’s core business? We know that although around 83% of the population in the UK are aware of climate change and its human causes, a large percentage of us do not take much effective action to mitigate or adapt to the growing climate and ecological emergency that is taking place all around us.
There are multiple and complex reasons for this. Amongst these, we know that how people feel about the crises is key. It’s very easy to feel hopeless, helpless, angry, frustrated or fearful about the effects of what is happening. This in turn may lead us to switching off, and convincing ourselves that there’s nothing we can do, or that people with more power, money and responsibility should be taking action instead of us.
This isn’t true however. We know that social movements such as the suffragettes or Black Power have changed the course of history. Tiny ripples can build to make great waves. Importantly, taking what action we can about climate change can help us feel better, and build connections with other like minded people in our community, which in itself can build resilience.
Hence, the idea for the climate festival was born. The twin aims were to inspire people to engage with the climate and ecological crisis through the arts and to help people connect to their imaginative and emotional responses to encourage change. The events included creative arts, exhibitions, performances, music, dance, poetry, film and theatre, many of which were participatory.
A great deal of feedback and data was collected. More than 80% of responses returned suggested people felt more connected to others, would come again and felt the arts was a good way of engaging in this challenging area. Around 50% of responses suggested a change in feelings, thoughts and intention to act (though we did not ask the direction of change). Also, participants may already have been very engaged and committed to the cause before the festival.
By constructively disrupting the status quo for people, we hope that shared experience of climate and nature arts events will lead to increased pro-environmental action. Please visit the website to see more detail and some interpretations of what this innovative occasion could mean for other organisations, and for all of us concerned with climate and ecological activism. We would also welcome your ideas and suggestions for future arts events, using the ‘Contact Us’ link.

Mandy Cole
ACT Public Engagement Group

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Food Farming Fisheries and Forestry

4Fs are organising a meeting on the importance of ‘Local Food’ on the 4th of October. More details to follow soon.

Betina Winkler
Food Farming Fisheries and Forestry

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Small Things

I, like most people I meet, hesitate to make big changes to my lifestyle.
I am budget conscious and have no desire to harm to us or future generations of people, plants and animals by increasing the CO2 concentration in our atmosphere.
I have a conflict of interests.
In this article I list some simple things everyone can adopt to reduce their CO2 emissions and often save money.
First I recommend you complete the Teignbridge Climate Action carbon footprint tracker found at https://test.act.stringerhj.co.uk/newsite/page.php/page/carbon-calculator.
This will introduce you to the numbers and get you thinking about your current energy use and carbon emissions.
After that:

Around the house

1. Make sure the heating controls are set to keep you comfortable without wasting energy.
2. Turn the hot water temperature down if hotter than you need.
   Eliminate unnecessary draughts and fully shut windows and doors when trying to keep the house warm.
3. Turn devices and lights off when not in use.
4. Boil only the amount of water you need in kettles and saucepans.
5. When heating water or food in a saucepan, put the lid on the pan.

In the garden

1. Make wood piles and compost from woody and green material rather than burning. Burning releases the stored carbon.
2. Mow a little less. You’ll save petrol or electricity, and wildlife will be grateful.
3. Rake autumn leaves into borders and beds rather than burning. The worms will recycle them for you.

In the car

1. Turn the engine off when idling for more than 30 seconds.
2. Drive a little slower if you have the time. Fuel consumption increases as speed increases.
3. The RAC, AA and others have fuel saving tips on the web.

I’m hoping you will agree with me, none of these ideas are too inconvenient and each one makes a small difference that adds up.
Once you have completed your carbon footprint tracker you’ll find energy and emissions reduction ideas on a following page.
Let us know how you get on.

Paul Bloch
ACT Steering

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ACT Website

After lots of work by lots of different people, a new ACT website will soon be launched – more colourful and easier to use!

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Climate Levy on Energy

Will cutting support for renewables cut Environmental and Social charges on energy bills?

OFGEM’s analysis from October 2021 showed that a proportion of energy bills is accounted for by environmental and social charges, 2.5% for gas and 25% for electricity in 2020. 

Based on 2020 electricity and gas prices

Some have argued that at a time when energy costs are rising that these can be cut to save increasing people’s bills. At the time of this graphic the average dual fuel bill was £1184, so environmental and social charges accounted for £181.54 or ~15%
Increasing electricity wholesale prices
The cause of increasing bills is an unprecedented increase in the wholesale price of fossil fuels, which increases the wholesale price of electricity as this is principally determined by the most expensive component (natural gas). There is no reason for most other costs to increase in the same proportion.
Over the last year forward electricity wholesale prices have increased sharply

Increasing electricity wholesale prices
The cause of increasing bills is an unprecedented increase in the wholesale price of fossil fuels, which increases the wholesale price of electricity as this is principally determined by the most expensive component (natural gas). There is no reason for most other costs to increase in the same proportion.
Over the last year forward electricity wholesale prices have increased sharply

As have day ahead wholesale prices

Reading off from the day ahead baseload contracts the average price for 2020 was £36.04 / MWh, whereas for 2021 it was £127.47 / MWh, a 3.45 fold increase.
An electricity bill of £1000 for 2020 breaks down as follows:

Item	2020 Cost	2021 Cost
Wholesale costs	292.8	1010.4
Network costs	233.7	233.7
Environmental / social	254.8	254.8
Other direct	20.9	20.9
Operating costs	163.4	163.4
Supplier pre-tax margin	-13.2	-13.2
VAT @ 5%	47.6	83.5
Total	1000	1753.5

This assumes that other costs apart from VAT stay the same. In this case the proportion of environmental and social costs drops to 14.53%, we go on to explain how this proportion will drop still further.

Breakdown of environmental and social charges.

The components of environmental and social charges are given here. We have extracted annual costs and other information for each scheme from these pages and annual reports. These are shown in the following table.

The majority of the cost of these schemes relates to past commitments, particularly to encourage take-up of renewables, the cost of these is fixed and so will decline as a proportion of bills. The only ways that these past commitments can be reduced beyond contracts expiring naturally would be for government to:

•Move these payments to general taxation
•Renege on these contracts. 

The only bill funded schemes that will incur new future obligations are:

•Contracts for Difference, where in the last quarter of 2021 a payment of £133million was made from generators to suppliers, as the price of electricity was above the strike price. This will continue to be the case if electricity prices remain high.
•A small fixed commitment to the green gas levy (maximum £130million per year).
•Warm homes discount.

Some are being replaced by alternatively funded schemes:

•RHI and NHRHI are being replaced by boiler replacement scheme, which is treasury funded.
•ECO3 is being replaced by the Local Authority Delivery scheme, paid for by government grant.

This means that each year the amount due from bill payers for past renewable subsidies will decrease, and if energy consumption increases its proportion will decrease.

What part will environmental and social charges have in the future?

Assuming that wholesale electricity prices rise no further, this means that the breakdown for 2022 and 2023 looks more like:

Item	2020 Cost	2022 Cost	2023 Cost
Wholesale costs	292.8	1010.4	1010.4
Network costs	233.7	233.7	233.7
Environmental / social	254.8	171.9	134.57
Other direct	20.9	20.9	20.9
Operating costs	163.4	163.4	163.4
Supplier pre-tax margin	-13.2	-13.2	-13.2
VAT @ 5%	47.6	79.35	77.49
Total	1000	1666.4	1627.3

So the proportion attributable to environmental and social schemes for 2022 is 10.32% and for 2023 8.27%. This proportion will fall further when:

•Electricity wholesale prices increase
•Electricity consumption increases
•RO contracts lapse

Specifically adding more renewables will reduce the cost of energy, not increase it.

Julian Stringer
Action on Climate in Teignbridge

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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
Happening 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
Bovey Tracey Great Big Green Week on Saturday, 14 June at Mill Marsh Park, in Bovey Tracey
Party In The Park at Courtenay Park, Newton Abbot on Saturday, 12 July
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.

June 2025

Welcome to the first ACT Newsletter of 2024. We have a busy year ahead, with much of our attention focused on the ACT with the Arts Climate Festival planned for June this year. With the likelihood of a general election some time this year, we will also be taking a close look at the climate and ecology policies of the political parties expected to stand in our area.

Featuring:

ACT with the Arts Climate Festival dates and details

Working with schools on the Climate Festival

Newton Abbot Library presence

Carbon Cutters Lite programme

Council duty on biodiversity clarified last year

Where are we with climate change?

Dawlish’s Turn the Tide 2024

What we’ve been reading

ACT with the Arts Climate Festival dates and details

Action on Climate in Teignbridge (ACT) is to hold its first Act with the Arts Climate Festival in 2024.

ACT is inviting writers, poets, musicians, dancers, artists, actors, schools, and local community groups to join in creating events that engage, excite, illuminate, and explain what our changing climate means for people in the district and what we can all do to make a difference.

The Climate Festival runs from Saturday 22^nd June to Saturday 29^th June 2024. 

The climate and ecological emergency is the biggest challenge facing humanity and the natural world we all rely on.

We need to make it our priority to reduce the carbon emissions that create global warming and minimise our impact on the natural world that is causing the sixth mass extinction. 

Engaging with the arts can help us express our feelings. Many of us are fearful for the future if we fail to make the changes needed. We can share our concerns with family, friends, work colleagues and neighbours, and listen to theirs in turn.

Kate Benham, chair of ACT, said: “The idea of our Act with the Arts Climate Festival is to bring awareness via the arts, as we need to make tackling climate change our top priority. The festival will give the people of Teignbridge the chance to find out more and encourage them to help make a difference.”

There will be a wide range of events, exhibitions, workshops, performances, and films throughout Teignbridge, suitable for all ages. Highlights include the opening ceremony on Saturday 22^nd June, the Forest of Children’s Wishes, Nature on the Green event, and workshops and performances throughout the week.

For more information, or to get involved, please contact Paul.

If you can help at the event with stewarding or in any other way, please contact Kate.

Working with schools on the Climate Festival

We are inviting all schools across Teignbridge to take part in our Climate Festival. We suggest students become involved through dance, singing or creative projects to share how they feel about their future and their vision of what it should be.

We are also inviting schools to create a tree from used plastic bottles and for students to decorate it with plastic leaves recording their wishes for the future. The trees will come together to create a Forest of Wishes, which we hope to make a centrepiece in the Festival’s opening ceremony, to be held in Newton Abbot.

For more information, or to offer help with contacting schools, please contact Val Compton.

Newton Abbot Library presence

We trialed a regular presence at Newton Abbot Library in November, manning a stand twice weekly between 12.00 and 14.00. We had interesting conversations with a range of people, some of whom visited especially to talk to us.

People quite often told us: “I’m doing everything I can,” but after chatting for a while, they went away with a new idea they were really pleased with, and that we thought they would act on. This often involved saving money as well as helping the environment, so a win-win! Technical advice about making homes more energy efficient was a common theme. And there was one lovely lady who was keen to talk about the health issues associated with synthetic fibres in clothing.

We hope the people we talked to gained new perspectives, even if they didn’t change their minds that dealing with climate change is all up to the government, or to China/America or big finance. We felt it was a successful trial and aim to establish a regular presence in the library, or another venue.

Carbon Cutters Lite programme

The Carbon Cutters scheme is set to launch a new Lite programme, with the first six participants asked if they would like to join in February. The short training course is a simpler version of the current course and takes place in one session rather than three. Once the course has been tested, we hope to offer it as a resource on the Carbon Cutters page.

There are other initiatives being proposed as part of a refresh of the Carbon Cutters programme, due to be announced in the spring. 

In total 26 people have now had Carbon Cutters training – with eight joining the ranks in the last few months.

Council duty on biodiversity clarified last year

Did you know that public authorities, including town and parish councils, have a duty under the Environment Act 2021 to do what they can to conserve and enhance biodiversity? Many councils will be aware of this, but not perhaps of the clarification of what this duty entails contained in government guidance issued last May.

This guidance set a deadline of January 1 2024 for councils to decide what action they can take, and said they must agree policies and objectives as soon as possible afterwards, and act to deliver them. Town and parish councils, unlike other authorities, are not obliged to publish a report on their actions.

Kate Benham, chair of ACT, says: “I think this duty is really important and we would be pleased to work with any councils developing these policies and actions.”

The SLCC, the membership body for council clerks, officers and others, issued a draft response to the biodiversity duty and a draft model biodiversity policy in October.

The SLCC said: “Whatever action is agreed, as a minimum local councils could ensure they address biodiversity concerns when commenting on planning applications.” 

South Gloucestershire has produced a useful Nature Action Plan Field Guide to help those with little or no ecological background. The guide will help councils assess a site for wildlife, identify opportunities and understand how to make sure site management benefits nature.

Read more here.

Where are we with climate change?

It’s gone a bit quiet after the much-heralded breakthrough of COP28. Is it the usual moving on to the next news story and our immediate post-Christmas concerns or was COP28 just another tick in the climate box?

Our government has announced that the UK needs to slow down on climate change and has rowed back on previous commitments. They, and at least one of our two MPs in Teignbridge, Mel Stride, assure us we are ahead on our Carbon Budgets. 

We are told that things will be fixed by 2050 and we can carry on with life as usual. They say there is climate warming caused by our greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions, but there are technological solutions to reduce these emissions and safely capture/store the remaining gases. In any case, it’s not the UK that’s causing the damage, it’s the rest of the world that’s creating 99% of all ghg emissions.

I think it’s time to tell the truth: the government is lying! You may say that’s nothing new, but when it is being dishonest about an existential threat to life on earth, it’s important to speak bluntly. We need the message to be much more direct, science-based and honest about the necessary actions.  We can no longer wait for government to do this, we need to take direct action.

This is not a call for protest and civil disobedience; there are other organisations that already do this. I believe we need to act much more locally and personally, and we need to do it this year.

Rather than making disingenuous claims about the UK’s emissions, the government may want to point to a strategy on how it will ensure that the UK remains within its legal Carbon Budgets. Better still, they should launch a public information campaign to explain the need to halve our per-capita consumption emissions from the unsustainable 10t CO2e/year.

You have more control over your greenhouse gas emissions than you think, both as an individual or part of an organisation. Use 2024 to talk to anyone and everyone you know about what effective actions to take. Before you do this, it helps to be familiar with the basics and understand how to communicate this information. ACT can help with training, methods and ongoing support. Contact our Carbon Cutter coordinator to organise a 30 minute online introduction to see what is available to you or your organisation.

You can also contact fuad@actionclimateteignbridge.org

Dawlish’s Turn the Tide 2024
This festival, run by Scott Williams and Dave Hutton ( both ACT Wildlife Wardens) in association with Dawlish Town Council, returns for a third year, this time over three days from June 7th-9th. Featuring community groups and schools on Friday, the traditional event on Saturday (as it’s the start of Great Big Green Week and the 8th is World Ocean Day) will include ACT and the Wildlife Wardens and a “Get Active” theme on Sunday.

There are two fundraisers for the event in February on Saturday 3rd and 10th, 7.30pm, at Shaftesbury Theatre in Dawlish. Tickets are £10, available online or by calling the box office on 01626 863061.

Please tell us about events in your area

We want to take advantage of any opportunity to engage with the public so please let us know about events taking place in your parish or town where we could set up a stall. You can add an event to the events page if it relates to the climate and ecological emergency, or contact Pauline to let us know about events of a more general nature.

What we’ve been reading

Several stories caught our attention recently. The first, From CoP 28 to CoP 29: The Road to Hell by Jonathan Porritt, a well-known sustainability campaigner and writer, is damning in its condemnation of the CoP28 agreement (“another toxic suicide note” is Porritt’s description), and of governments, businesses and NGOs claiming the agreement as “real progress”. It’s time they told the truth, he says, and lists a “harsh and sometimes unbearable set of truths”.

These include that the aim of keeping global warming within 1.5C is “definitively dead”; the CoP process almost as dead; and that the IPCC’s Assessment Reports do not tell the truth.

His disillusionment is why he is “taking a different path – in advocating on behalf of those who believe that civil disobedience is now the only way forward: Just Stop Oil, XR and so on.” And if you can’t join them, he suggests “contributing as generously as your circumstances allow”.

It’s a depressing, but essential, read.

The second story, Human ‘behavioural crisis’ at root of climate breakdown, say scientists in the Guardian recently, covered a new paper on the behavioural crisis at the root of planetary overshoot. The paper proposes that climate breakdown is a symptom of ecological overshoot, which in turn is caused by the deliberate exploitation of human behaviour. Essentially, the marketing and entertainment industries drive our over-consumption, so the solution is to use the power of these tools to tell a different story.

The paper is relatively short and well worth a read.

The last is linked to the second as it covers the contribution we in the UK make to deforestation elsewhere through our consumption of products such as soya, cocoa, palm oil, beef and leather. Apparently, the UK’s deforestation footprint per tonne of product consumed is higher than that of other countries including China.

Of course, there are many more stories to read about the effect of our lifestyles on nature and climate. They all underline the need to make change happen.

Under the Environment Act 2021 public authorities, including town and parish councils, have a duty to do what they can to conserve and enhance biodiversity.

Government guidance issued last year set a deadline of January 1 2024 for councils to decide what action they can take, and said they must agree policies and objectives as soon as possible afterwards, and act to deliver them. Town and parish councils, unlike other authorities, are not obliged to publish a report on their actions.

Kate Benham, chair of ACT, says: “I think this duty is really important and we would be pleased to work with any councils developing these policies and actions.”

Many councils in Devon may be unaware of their duty as clarified under last year’s government guidance, but some have taken steps to comply. For example, Brixham Town Council, which addressed the issue in the November meeting of its Community & Environment Committee, resolved to:

• Create a biodiversity policy.
• Refresh the council’s climate and environment action plan to include.
  more detailed and ambitious plans to conserve and enhance
  biodiversity in Brixham.
• Link in with local groups in Brixham already working on nature
  conservation.
• Carry out a biodiversity audit of council landholdings.
• Increase community awareness of biodiversity.

The SLCC, the membership body for council clerks. officers and others, issued a draft response to the biodiversity duty and a draft model biodiversity policy in October. It suggested town and parish councils could as a minimum: 

• Have biodiversity as an agenda item for a meeting before the end of 2023.
• Note what action they are already taking to conserve and enhance biodiversity.
• Agree what further steps they should take to conserve and enhance biodiversity.

Such steps may include: 

• Reviewing what biodiversity or nature recovery plans are already in place from other local  authorities, e.g. potential for jointly-supported wildlife corridors. 
• Making contact with local voluntary groups working on nature conservation.
• Carrying out a biodiversity audit of council landholdings and/or the whole council area,  potentially involving residents in a “BioBlitz” 
• Gathering expert advice on possible actions in support of biodiversity, such as from Caring  for God’s Acre and the Eco Church initiative in respect of churchyards 
• Drafting an action plan that covers action that the council will take itself as well as support for the actions of other local bodies. 

The SLCC adds: “Whatever action is agreed, as a minimum local councils could ensure they address biodiversity concerns when commenting on planning applications.” 

South Gloucestershire has produced a useful Nature Action Plan Field Guide to assist those with little or no ecological background. It aims to help councils assess a site for wildlife, identify opportunities and understand how to make sure site management benefits nature.

Welcome to the ACT newsletter for November, with lots of information about what we’ve been doing and what’s coming up. There is an update on the new ACT with Art group, news of Teignbridge District Council’s climate scorecard, ideas from ACT’s list of actions you can take to reduce your heating bills and carbon emissions, and more.

Featuring:

• Meeting the public in Teignmouth, Newton Abbot and Teignmouth
• Please tell us about events in your area
• ACT at Newton Abbot Fayre
• Energy For All
• ACT with Art
• Political neutrality
• Teignbridge scores well on climate action
• Lower your heating bills and carbon emissions
• Carbon Cutters newsletter
• Wildlife Wardens newsletter

Meeting the public in Teignmouth, Newton Abbot and Totnes

The ACT Carbon Cutters group decided to try out establishing a regular presence in Teignmouth with a couple of carbon reduction drop-in sessions at TAAG. The first, on Thursday October 12th, went well but was poorly attended so the second will happen on Saturday November 11th, in the expectation that footfall will be higher at the weekend. Our thanks to TAAG for making the space available.

In Newton Abbot, we have been offered a regular slot at the library. We will be there every Wednesday and Thursday from 12.00-14.00, from Wednesday November 1st. The aim is to chat about climate change and reducing carbon emissions to anyone coming into the library who has the time and inclination.

ACT will also have a stand at the Totnes Energy Wise event on November 11th. We attended last year and felt it was a good event to support.

People came to get advice about reducing energy consumption and costs, draught proofing, grants, retrofitting, trading locally generated renewable energy, and carbon footprint assessment. The event included stalls, workshops, speakers, videos, and a cafe.

ACT at Newton Abbot Fayre

ACT took a stand at this event on the August Bank Holiday weekend in the hope of interacting with a wider audience than those who attend more environmentally focused events. It was a combined energy / carbon cutting and wildlife warden stand. Seven of us turned up to chat to the visitors and enjoyed talking them through the various models, games, exhibits and interactive “opinionameter” (a white board and pens!).

You can read more about it here and watch the video on our Facebook page to get a flavour of the ACT offering. 

Energy For All

ACT has signed up to a campaign run by Fuel Poverty Action called Energy For All, which calls for every household to be given the essential energy they need to stay safe and well, for free. You can call on your MP to support the campaign or sign the 350.org petition as an individual.

ACT with Art

In our last newsletter we mentioned the plan to form a new group to help communicate the climate emergency in a different way. We had a good response to our call for expressions of interest and the group ACT with Art is now up and running.

Early indications from the various groups we have contacted across the district show a real appetite to move the idea forward. Our idea is to hold a creative arts festival next year, with small events happening in our towns and villages and a larger event taking place in Newton Abbot. Please contact Kate for further information.

Political neutrality

The ACT Carbon Cutters group had a discussion recently about ACT’s political orientation. ACT clearly wants the government, as well as local councils and individuals, to take action on the climate and ecological emergency, and some political parties are more in tune with that than others. So the question raised was why we shouldn’t ally with the parties that have relevant policies.

After wider discussion within ACT we decided on the following statement to make clear why ACT has always been politically neutral, and why it is important to remain so.

“The aim of ACT is to help people to take action to mitigate climate change and repair ecological damage by providing independent encouragement and support to local councils, community groups, businesses and individuals in Teignbridge.
In order to retain this independence, we are strictly neutral on party political matters so we can liaise and engage with council members regardless of which party they represent.

However, where there is clear evidence that government and/or local council policies conflict with our independent encouragement and support to keep Teignbridge on a path to no more than 1.5C of warming, we will highlight this in a non-party political way. We will only comment on the likely impact of the policies concerned, and suggest alternatives that would better achieve our stated mission.”

Teignbridge scores well on climate action

Teignbridge District Council has performed well in the first UK-wide Council Climate Action Scorecards produced by Climate Emergency UK. It scored 47% overall, placing it 6th among other district councils. Among neighbouring councils, only Exeter City Council is ahead of Teignbridge, with its score of 56% putting it in second place, behind top scorer Lancaster City Council (61%). Teignbridge is ahead of East Devon (42%), South Hams (37%) and Mid Devon (28%), while Torbay, a unitary authority, scored 22%. Read more here.

Lower your heating bills and carbon emissions

Here are a few ideas from ACT’s list of actions you can take to reduce your carbon emissions.

The higher the difference in temperature between inside and outside, the more energy you will need to heat your home. You can lose heat in winter from walls, roofs, floors, windows, doors and from unwanted ventilation. Some actions will cost you little or nothing, so consider doing those first.

• Try keeping yourself warm while reducing the background heating temperature, perhaps by turning your main thermostat down by 1°C. Warmer clothes, a hot water bottle or even a ‘safe’ electric blanket are good options. You can also investigate infra-red heating panels or even use small electric heaters for short periods when/where you need these.
• If possible, heat only the area you need and set the thermostat to the lowest temperature to remain comfortable.
• Use thermostatic radiator valves to control heating and make sure your main thermostat is in the right place and used appropriately.
• Put up thick curtains to retain heat and make sure they fit snugly into the reveal of the window and don’t overhang a radiator.
• Find out where you are losing most heat and tackle those areas first. You may need help with this from an independent source. It may be your walls, roof or floor that need additional insulation.
• Get advice on whole house retrofit, ideally from an independent trust mark assessor with appropriate qualifications (e.g. PAS 2035). This will cost more than an EPC but should give you effective advice on what to do and when in terms of your insulation and ventilation options.
• Contact Energy Saving Devon for households or Decarbonise Devon for organisations to get access to independent assessment or inform yourself through the Devon Retrofit Guide or the TECs Energy Assessment Pack.

Carbon Cutters newsletter

Read the latest newsletter to find out what Carbon Cutters have been doing. Here’s a flavour:
New Resources for Carbon Cutters
ACT Website Carbon Footprint Tracker Resources
Spread The Word
ACT Website
Carbon Cutting Training

Wildlife Wardens newsletter

The wardens are as busy as ever, as you can see from the last newsletter, which featured:

• Ridgetop Park Visit
• Kennick Reservoir County Wildlife Site Survey
• Running a “Moth Breakfast”
• Get involved in the River Teign Restoration Project
• Promoting the Devon Wildlife Gardening Award in your Parish

The ACT Carbon Cutters group had a discussion recently about ACT’s political orientation. ACT clearly wants the government, as well as local councils and individuals, to take action on the climate and ecological emergency, and some political parties are more in tune with that than others. So the question raised was why we shouldn’t ally with the parties that have relevant policies.

After wider discussion within ACT, we decided on the following statement to make clear why ACT has always been politically neutral, and why it is important to remain so.

“The aim of ACT is to help people to take action to mitigate climate change and repair ecological damage by providing independent encouragement and support to local councils, community groups, businesses and individuals in Teignbridge.
In order to retain this independence, we are strictly neutral on party political matters so we can liaise and engage with council members regardless of which party they represent.

However, where there is clear evidence that government and/or local council policies conflict with our independent encouragement and support to keep Teignbridge on a path to no more than 1.5C of warming, we will highlight this in a non-party political way. We will only comment on the likely impact of the policies concerned, and suggest alternatives that would better achieve our stated mission.”

Teignbridge District Council has performed well in the first UK-wide Council Climate Action Scorecards produced by Climate Emergency UK. It scored 47% overall, placing it 6th among other district councils. Among neighbouring councils, only Exeter City Council is ahead of Teignbridge, with its score of 56% putting it in second place, behind top scorer Lancaster City Council (61%).

Teignbridge is ahead of East Devon (42%), South Hams (37%) and Mid Devon (28%), while Torbay, a unitary authority, scored 22%.

Councils are scored for the action they have taken in seven areas, with the two most influential in the scoring for district councils being Buildings & Heating and Planning & Land Use. Teignbridge scored well above average for both of those. It performed worst in the Transport section, with a below average score of 8%, although the average was only 9%, so transport is clearly a problem area for many councils.

Devon County Council also scored well, coming third in the county council section with 50%. The top scorer in that section is Oxfordshire (53%). Devon did particularly well in the Buildings & Heating and Collaboration & Engagement sections.

The Scorecards are helpful in seeing what climate action your council has taken, how it compares with others, and what more it could do. Climate Emergency UK offers ideas for how councils could improve and various ways residents and community groups can use the Scorecard information. These include sharing your council’s score on social media and sending a letter about it to the local paper.

Climate Emergency UK assessed all UK councils on the actions they’ve taken towards net zero. The Scorecard assessment consists of 91 questions or less, depending on council type, across seve different sections, created in consultation with over 90 different organisations and individuals. Each council was marked against these criteria and given a right to reply before the scores underwent a final audit. This work was completed between January and August 2023.