Mirror mirror on the wall who is the greenest of them all?

As we all gear up for our Christmas shopping frenzy some timely survey results may help us to spend wisely and benefit the environment at the same time. 

The UK's top nine supermarket chains were ranked on sustainability measures such as their offerings of UK in-season fruit and vegetables, organics, higher welfare meat and eggs and sustainably sourced fish. The survey looked not just at availability in the store but also how clearly these products were displayed and promoted to consumers in-store. The supermarkets were also rated on how much they encourage recycling. 

Some UK supermarkets are greening up their act and doing more to help customers shop green but others are lagging well behind according to new mystery shopping exercise by Consumer Focus.

It found that the gap between the best and worst performing supermarkets has got wider since the first survey in 2006. Sainsbury’s and M&S made the biggest leap by achieving the first ever overall 'A' (excellent) score. They were followed by Waitrose, which retained a 'B' grade. Other supermarkets such as Morrisons showed improvement over the course of the surveys; Tesco showed no progress since 2007 and Asda moved down the ratings. 
 

St Denys’ Church, Sleaford: Lincolnshire’s first solar powered church.

Inspiration for the project came from a Church Times article on entries in the Green Church Awards. Among them was St. James, Piccadilly where they had mounted solar photovoltaic panels on the church roof.

This encouraged the parishioners of St Denys’ in early 2008 to develop their own response to challenge of the Church of England’s ‘Shrinking the Footprint’ campaign to reduce its carbon footprint to 40% of its 2006 level

Churches have several important features that make them ideal as photovoltaic generators.
They have roofs that are usually the highest structure in their locality which often means an absence of any shading.
Their natural East West orientation ensures that they have a large south facing roof aspect which is ideal for the mounting of solar panels.
They are often centrally located within the settlements they serve and can be easily accessed to demonstrate the performance of the photovoltaic installations

If the project was to succeed there was a need to develop a system of attaching the panels that would not require the drilling of fixing points into the medieval masonry or the lead roofing system common to many church roves. This was an absolute requirement of English Heritage and the Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches.

Several local installation firms worked together on the project to come up with a new clamping system for robust attachment that did not require any penetration of the listed fabric of the building.

The resulting installation was an 80 m2 array of mono crystalline silicon panels capable of producing up to 10 KW. Their performance is recorded on a display unit

Total installation cost was around £57,000 and was supported with a 50%grant through the government’s Low Carbon Buildings Programme (Phase2).

For further information or to arrange a visit to contact the Parish Office, Open Monday to Friday 9.15 – 12.00, email: office.stdenys1@btinternet.com telephone: 01529 302177
 

Community...

Climate change will affect us all to a greater or lesser extent in the future. We can work to reduce that effect by learning to be more efficient in our use of resources and also to consider how to adapt to the changes that are already becoming part of our lives.

Much of what we do now will have greater effects on the generations that come after. We are, each of us, the stewards of the present for the future.

Adapting and changing how we live and work, both as individuals and communities, can also bring opportunities and benefits. For example learning how to reduce our energy use saves money and the planet! Getting out and gowing some of our own food can improve our health, makes us more aware of the natural enviroment and its essential role in supplying our basic needs. Cooperative activities may become more important in the future and schemes such as car sharing for rural transport, community-cooperative energy supply companies and off grid housing and business units, the expansion of green spaces for recreation and allotment based food production could all become commonplace in the future.  

The Low Carbon Communities Network has been set up to stimulate the sharing of ideas and information. As this section of the epic-lincolnshire website develops you will find information on how to reduce your own carbon footprint, links to other web based sources of information, case studies and much more.

Get on yer LOW CARBON bike!

If the thought of your local hill stops you from doing something to reduce your transport carbon footprint by getting on your bike then perhaps you need a bit of an electric shock. Lincolnshire County Council’s Sustainability and Climate Change Team Leader Doug Robinson has solved the problem with an electrically boosted bike. Doug explained “It’s like a normal bike but there’s a lithium battery and lightweight electric motor that can be switched onto to give some extra help for the hills”. The battery can be charged up overnight and can provide 20 + kilometres of powered pedalling. The overall range will depend on the steepness of the incline. If the electricity comes from a green energy supplier then you’ve cracked it with your carbon emissions!

There are many makes of bike and suppliers but a starting point could be www.atbob.org  or the Association of Cycle Traders site www.thecyclingexperts.co.uk  (Note www.epic-lincolnshire.org disclaimer on website content).
 

How about shrinking your carbon footprint on a Tax Free Bike?

If the thought of saving some cash off you petrol bill, car parking, the planet and your own escalating blood pressure sounds interesting then this could be a the scheme for you
“Tax-free bikes for work
Cyclescheme is the UK's number one provider of tax-free bikes for the Government's Cycle to Work initiative. It's a brilliant programme where everyone wins - employees make big savings on new bikes, employers get a healthier workforce and save money too! Cyclescheme has a great track record in helping employers of all sizes to set up and run successful Cycle to Work schemes. Our innovative online system is simple to use, and we have decades of industry experience and a vast supplier network of over 1,200 independent bike shops.”For more information visit:

http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/
 

Critical Mass Bike rides in Lincoln

As the picture shows there was a good turnout for the first Critical Mass Bike Ride which aimed to promote the use of bikes as sustainable urban transport mode. A second event is being held on September 25th and more are planned.
For more details contact Andrew Harrison on 01522 545163

And if all that cycling looks too challenging then...

Welcome to Lincoln BIG Car-share

The Lincoln BIG Car-share scheme has been created to allow registered users to find someone who shares their journey to and from work in Lincoln City Centre.

By using the Lincoln BIG Car-share scheme, you can both save money and help the environment.

https://www.liftshare.com/business/home.asp  

liftshare was set up in 1998 by a student, Ali Clabburn, with the initial aim of making more efficient use of the 38 million empty car seats on UK roads every day by encouraging and enabling more people to share their car journeys.
liftshare is a social enterprise that helps individuals to travel more sustainably by sharing their journey. The online network matches people with similar journeys so they can travel better together - saving money, cutting their carbon footprint, having fun and making the world a better place. From humble beginnings on a university notice board, liftshare is now the largest car-sharing scheme in the UK, and very probably the world.