A huge thank you to the 247 households who joined the Greening Campaign and pledged to take small actions to reduce their energy consumption and their energy bills! That is a huge result for a small Parish. Thank you also to all the business on the High St who displayed the lovely plates designed and made by visitors to the Bartley Heath pottery, inspired by the 8 energy saving actions chosen by Odiham and North Warnborough residents.
The launch event on 8th October was great fun and again thank you to the 80+ people who took part and to Mayhill Junior School for the use of their hall. The distribution of the Greening Odiham and North Warnborough cards and the counting of cards and ribbons displayed would not have been possible without the team of volunteers and particular thanks are due to the Hook and Odiham Rotary members who turned out to count in a very cold and wet week.
Terena Plowright, the person leading the Greening Campaign across Hampshire sent the following message, the figures are based on following our pledges for one year:
I have got the results of your card count and it is rather impressive!
Together you (will all have saved) 177.5 tonnes of CO2. The best way to explain this to everyone is to see each ton as about the same as a hot air balloon so that is 177 hot air balloons worth which is huge!
You (will) have also together saved £70,703.75 and imagine if that went to the scouts or the school instead of out through the roof or from lights left on – very impressive sum of money.
So the campaign has reached the end of phase one – we hope many people in the Parish are now more aware of the small things they can do to help slow down climate change. We will take a pause now and be back in the new year with the next steps which will involve looking at better insulation and making space for more biodiversity in our gardens. The greatest waste of energy is through heat lost from homes – examining your house with an infra-red camera can highlight small but effective and inexpensive ‘hacks’ even in older properties. Small patches of pollinator friendly plants in a row of gardens creates ‘bee streets’ which ensure beneficial insects are not stranded. Again if we collaborate we can have a greater impact collectively. So look out for more news here and on the OPC website and Facebook in the New Year. Meanwhile wishing everyone a happy and sustainable Christmas.
Cllr Angela McFarlane