As the “Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” (Psalm 24), we have a duty to look after the world. By God’s grace we have had about 10,000 years of quite stable climate which has enabled human flourishing. The industrial revolution using coal, oil and gas has put huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere - currently about 420 parts per million (ppm) – the highest it has been for about 14 million years, and this could rise to 1,100 ppm by 2100 which would be extremely serious.
In order for the UK to become carbon-neutral, it needs to lower its energy consumption by 60% (“Powering Down”) and greatly increase the amount of energy generated sustainably (“Powering Up”). The excess carbon dioxide which is generated unavoidably can be absorbed by increasing woodland.
Wedmore, a village in Somerset, is a very good example of what can be achieved. It has a website www.greenwedmore.co.uk.
Evershot Parish Council is taking this seriously and is inviting you to take part in a group (ECO – Evershot Creation-care Organisation) which can begin practical actions to help Evershot and the surrounding district to play our part in lowering our carbon output, generating clean energy and absorbing excess carbon dioxide. We will also be looking at looking after the environment generally including growing more of our own food.
If you are interested, please contact Ian Benson
Here are suggestions for a way forward for Evershot:
Powering Down
Housing and other buildings
- Very good draught proofing
- Very good insulation
- Heating and water heating through sustainable sources such as wood chip, ground source and air pumps
Transport
- More home working for those who can do so, so less travel overall
- Electric vehicle sharing pool
- Hydrogen-powered large vehicles
- Lessening air travel
Powering Up
- Arrays of photovoltaic panels (20% efficiency) as in Wedmore
- Photovoltaic panels on roofs
- Solar thermal water heating panels on roofs (70% efficiency)
- Some large wind turbines on nearby hills
- Generating electricity from the Frome River
- Possible methane and hydrogen generation from the sewage works
- Electricity from biomass (digester) – increased woodland
Growing more of our own food
- Allotments and village horticulture
- Community orchard
Water Stewardship
- Flood prevention by planting of trees in banks and putting fallen trees at right angle to the slopes (stopping huge run-offs from the fields)
Biodiversity and Carbon Absorption Plan
- Increasing woodland to 24% minimum
- Increasing flower meadows and borders of fields
- Biodiversity loss plan
- Plastic plan (lessening use of plastic)
- Community woodlands, and wild flower meadows
- Frome River Action Group
A sub-group is being formed called “Evershot Creation-care Organisation” – “ECO”.