Reflections and actions during COP26 and going on
15th July 2022
The Big Butterfly Count begins today and is open til 7th August. We are invited to spend 15 minutes in our chosen location counting how many butterflies we can spot – they have a useful downloadable identification sheet.
13th July 2022
Urban areas are generally hotter than their nearby rural areas. Buildings and vehicles all add heat to their local micro climate, whilst vegetation reduces temperatures. Not driving cars during hot weather is one small way of keeping the air cooler. You too will probably feel cooler walking on the shady of side of the street rather than being sat in a hot metal box.
12th July 2022
Double glazing also keeps excess heat out! When the outside temperature is hotter than inside, closing the windows and drawing the curtains can help insulate rooms from high temperatures outside. On the other hand if you can open several windows causing a flow of air through the room, the movement of air may feel more comfortable.
11th July 2022
We all need to drink more during hot weather – birds too. Keeping a bird bath topped up with clean water provides somewhere for birds both to drink and to bathe – a good way to keep cool.
10th July 2022
You see it in some cafés – for a cool drink, fill a jug with water and add strips of cucumber/ slices of lemon or orange/ sprigs of mint/ slices of root ginger/ even melon rinds. Keep the jug in the fridge – it will stand a few refills before the additions loose their flavour. (No sugar, and no bottles to recycle).
7th July 2022
Picnics get us out and about. They are a great way of appreciating and enjoying the natural world around us. They offer great opportunities to be creative – be inspired by picnics in literature and art; have a picnic breakfast or midnight feast; or pick foods from other parts of the world.
https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2020/05/the-best-picnics-in-literature
6th July 2022
The bins at St Margaret’s fair contrasted with the bins on Sheen Common, our local green space. These were overflowing with discarded picnic waste – plastic wrappers, plastic bottles, cardboard boxes, plastic bags. Some items could have been taken home and recycled. Better still is to make picnics that involve no waste – sandwiches wrapped in beeswax clothes or packed in lunch boxes. Water or squash in refill bottles. Fruit loose in a cotton bag. Slices of cake and biscuits packed in a tin.
5th July 2022
Having to think before we discard or throw something away is a good thing. Maybe what we are discarding could be repaired, or reused or at the very least be recycled. Maybe it was surplus to needs and now we know not to get it future. Maybe it is the packaging that is superfluous and next time we can find a different supply that comes with zero waste.
4th July 2022
Small plastic packets for crisps and individually wrapped biscuits, sweets and ice creams and many other snacks proliferate and can often be seen as wind blown litter. Why not use the impetus of Plastic Free July to make a break and stop buying these products. Look for chocolate bars wrapped in paper and freshly served ice creams in cones. Prepare snacks in advance putting dried fruits and biscuits into reusable containers. Take a banana – they come with inbuilt packaging!
3rd July 2022
The Woodland Trust is petitioning governments across the UK to protect ancient trees. Do sign! Increasing biodiversity is as much about maintaining what we have as it is about rewilding. Ancient trees support a huge number of different animals, birds, insects, and micro-organisms. They are also historic landmarks that are just as important as historic buildings.
