CLEAN

Pat and Steven

Pat Howarth and Steven Brierley

St Mary’s Church in Crosthwaite is working towards being an Eco Church and as part of this has identified a need to engage more with the local community.

We are two of three Churchwardens and are spearheading a drive to change hearts and minds of all residents to move further than we already do to become ‘greener’.

In July 2023 we invited local organisations in the village to look at ways in which we could work together on projects which might benefit both residents and the environment.

CLEAN is a product of this meeting which we plan to launch at a public meeting in September. Our objectives are outlined below. We want local people to get behind CLEAN and reap the benefits!

Objectives

  • Develop projects which will benefit all who live, work, study and visit the area in conserving the environment and its resources and reducing our individual and community carbon footprint
  • Provide a forum for community organisations and individuals in Crosthwaite and Lyth to share information about current and proposed activity which has an ecological / ‘green’ focus
  • By working together, with particular emphasis on involving the community, maximise resources, both human and financial, which will contribute to the overall aim
  • Promote and publicise actions and activities to change hearts and minds towards the overall aim.

An Evening with Mike Berners-Lee and Amy Bray

Wednesday 8th November, 7pm, Brewery Arts Centre

Climate Politics and why honesty matters

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION


Halting the Decline in Biodiversity

Ideas and suggestions brought to two recent Biodiversity Brainstorm events, organised by CLEAN, have resulted in a draft plan which seeks to bring together a range of activities which we might like to see and make happen in our area. There are a lot of ideas here and a small number of brave souls did step up to volunteer to help. These things do not happen without people power!

Through CLEAN it is hoped that small groups of people might get together to plan and deliver some of these activities, and each group would have a coordinator who might work with Pat Howarth and Steven Brierley to promote and disseminate information, events and activities to raise awareness and get other residents ( including families and children) involved.

Pat is  asking you to find some time to read through this action plan- it is quite long! - and consider which of the ideas contained in this document you might like to help with - even in a small way. We need practical people, people with information and technological skills, people with useful contacts and people who think that halting the decline in biodiversity is something they would like to support by giving some time.

Please consider how you could contribute and then get back to Pat, preferably by email ( howarth8hr@btinternet.com), or text (07765010252) or in person. It is only when we get volunteers and people willing to take on some responsibility for taking action, that some of these ideas will happen. 

When she gets this deluge of offers, a final Biodiversity Plan will be produced which we can all work to and get things moving..  

Thank you

Click here to download the
CLEAN Biodiversity Action Plan.pdf


Biodiversity Brainstorms at the Village Hall

Following on from the recent - and very positive-meeting at Crosthwaite School of Crosthwaite and Lyth Eco Action Network (CLEAN) we need to move forward on the Restoring Biodiversity agenda!

There is much that we can do locally in our gardens, in our community green spaces and in our surrounding environment to encourage wildlife, and manage our individual plots of land to support biodiversity. There are also opportunities for sharing produce, plants, tools, equipment which contribute to the ‘reduce waste and reuse’ agenda.

CLEAN is holding two Biodiversity Brainstorms at the Village Hall on Tuesday 17th October at 1.30pm and Monday 23rd October at 7.00 pm. Both meetings will follow the same format with the intention to share ideas of what we might do, how we might do it, how we communicate going forward and who might volunteer to get involved. Hopefully there will be something to spark your interest and enthusiasm!

All are invited to either of these brainstorm events!


 

Click here to read the CLEAN - Press release following the event detailed below.


Join us at our launch event on Tuesday 26th September
4.30 pm Crosthwaite CE Primary School

Presentations, Advice, New Ideas and a Chance to talk to
Stall Holders about Eco Issues and Opportunities

  • Presentation by Mike Berners-Lee, author of the timely best-sellers ‘There is No Planet B’ and ‘How Bad Are Bananas? The Carbon Footprint of Everything’
  • Cold to Cosy Homes in Cumbria, providing free advice on energy efficiency and help with home insulation
  • New Recycling Opportunities at St. Mary’s Church
  • Hear all about the School’s Eco Initiatives
  • Lift-Share Scheme for Residents to offer or ask for a lift to reduce their car usage and Carbon Footprint
  • Miniml Eco Friendly Products from Levens Village Shop
  • Biodiversity Advice for cleaner rivers & wildlife support
  • Meet Locals who have Gone Green by powering their homes and vehicles in an environmentally friendly way

Wine and Nibbles


Our keynote speaker, Mike Berners-Lee

Mike

Mike Berners-Lee is our keynote speaker on sustainability and on how we can address this overarching 21st century challenge. He is the founder of Small World Consulting, an associate company of Lancaster University, which is a world leader in the field of supply chain carbon metrics and management. Mike is a professor at Lancaster University, where his research includes sustainable food systems and carbon metrics.

 

FREE Energy Saving Advice from Cold to Cosy Homes Cumbria:

cafsAs energy prices hit an all-time high, there are people all across Cumbria worrying about how they are going to afford to keep their homes warm this winter.

Cold to Cosy Homes Cumbria is here to offer FREE energy saving advice and equipment to help you make your home warmer and more comfortable. The Cold to Cosy Homes team has already helped hundreds of households to save money on their heating bills as well as do their bit for the planet by using less energy.

Hear what they have to offer at our launch event and then talk directly to the team who will be there for one to one discussions at their table.

School Eco Initiatives:

Crosthwaite School is ahead of the game when it comes to raising awareness of the effects of climate change and what each individual can do about it. The children are committed and involved . The School is always keen to link in with the community in a variety of ways. Here are just a few of the activities which are well underway:

  • Recycling
  • Tree planting, animal husbandry, growing food and flowers in their two polytunnels.

New Recycling Opportunities at St Marys Church:

In partnership with Crosthwaite CE Primary School the church will be offering on a daily basis the chance to recycle items that have proved to be difficult - toothpaste tubes, crisp packets, bread wrappers, pens and batteries - just the visit the church during the day and you will find the collection boxes inside from mid September onward.

Lift share scheme for residents:

Reduce your carbon footprint and offer or ask for a lift via our What’sApp based scheme. Once you have the app for What’sApp on your phone you can be invited to join the scheme and it’s as simple as sending a text message to use it.

More information is available on the night of the launch, just pop along to the table in the hall, it’s simple and easy to join and we provide help to get you going.

Miniml Products from Levens Village shop:

Levens Shop

The Levens shop will be with us on launch night to show the range of Miniml products they offer for household and personal use. Good for the environment with no nasty chemicals and minimal impact from packaging that can be refilled at the shop both reducing waste and saving cost.

 

Biodiversity:

With a significant decline in insects, bees , flowers and grasses, a small team of volunteers are planning to conduct an audit of the church grounds and churchyard to assess what can be done to increase the flora and fauna of the area.

This is just a start and we want to develop projects and activities which we could all adopt in our gardens , our land and rivers and throughout our community. If you have an interest in conserving, protecting and increasing our wildlife and the biodiversity of our local community, please call at the Biodiversity stand and find out what you could do or how you could help.

Meet locals who have gone green:

ashp

We have teamed up with local people who have embraced the environmental friendly opportunities that solar panels, electric cars, heat pumps and battery storage can offer.

Several of these people will be with us on the night and others who can’t be there have produced fact sheets that tell you all about the eco journey and just why they did it and how it has worked out for them. Older and newer homes have different challenges and our mix of local homes cover the span so you can find one like yours.

We will follow this up with open days where the same owners offer you an opportunity where you can book to visit their homes and see and hear what they have done, warts and all.

If you are thinking about green options it’s a great opportunity to hear unbiased advice from those who have already installed them.


Last site update - 1st December 2023