Cumbria CVS Green – No7 September 2024
September 13, 2024
Welcome back to Cumbria CVS Green!
In our seventh blog post Jim Bevis, Service Development Officer, talks us through some of the challenges of buying the oldest house in the street, and how being a DIY nerd has helped him tackle dodgy windows, damp, heating and plastering with an positive environmental impact.
Read on for links to useful resources, information and news, updates on our own climate commitment, blog posts from colleagues about what they’re doing (in a work capacity and privately) to minimise environmental impact and more.
If you have any suggestions about what you’d like to see in our regular updates, let us know! Contact us by emailing info@cumbriacvs.org.uk
You can find our what we’re doing to minimise our environmental impact and find details of organisations supporting positive environmental action in Cumbria on our Climate Commitment page here
Catch up on our other blog posts here
This Old House… and trying to be Greener
When we moved to our current house, it came with the caveat of being the oldest one I had lived in. One of those Cumbrian solid limestone walls and sash windows kind of houses which present multiple eco challenges in heating and maintaining it. Being a bit of a DIY nerd this involved much online research in how you could make an old house more eco and green without damaging its character.
Challenge 1: The Windows
I knew when I first viewed the house that the windows were an issue – think rot here and there, sashes that didn’t close properly. Basically, they were not repairable so I started to research sash windows and found out about a type of wood called Accoya. It sounds like its come from a rainforest but no, it’s a type of sustainable softwood that has a treatment that makes it super durable and comes with a guarantee of 50 years above ground and 25 in it!
Google Accoya to find out more and its green credentials. So following getting ten quotes – with a huge variation between them – I went with a firm in Blackpool that specialised in Accoya windows with double glazing. Trust me when I say they did a fantastic job, so much so that pictures of my windows feature on the slideshow of their website homepage….. fame at last for the house 😅
People describe houses with solid walls as ‘breathing’. The walls are technically porous so they build up moisture during the winter then dry out fully during the summer (if its sunny). In winter the extra moisture in the walls makes the house harder to heat, however in recent years onto the market has come something called PAV Positive Air Ventilation.
Basically, a filter and fan blows dry air (quietly) through from your loft space creating a tiny and unnoticeable rise in air pressure inside the house. This forces moisture that is in the air of your house (washing, showers, kitchen and breathing) and vents it outside. Result: less heating required, dryer walls, no more condensation on the windows plus fresh air.
There is an article here which gives the background in more detail
Challenge 3 Heating
This is a challenge I haven’t fully resolved yet, but some promising options are emerging. The previous owners installed a new gas boiler just before selling the house. It’s highly efficient, and I’m hesitant to switch to a heat pump just yet for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, the heat pump market is still relatively new, and finding reliable, well-trained installers can be difficult. However, there is a trustworthy resource you should explore before considering this route which offers invaluable insights.
Log burner option? Well, not really! There is evidence of the damage the microparticles cause you and the neighbourhood.
Another option to reduce heating CO2 is the addition of inner wall insulation. As mentioned earlier with breathable solid walls you don’t want to find you have trapped moisture behind it. The walls still need to breathe, so while new products are being developed and coming to market to address this breathability issue, they’re still in the early stages, so for me it’s something to keep an eye on.
Challenge 4 – Plaster
Lime plaster was commonly used in UK houses built before World War I. If you’ve ever tried to hang something on a wall in one of these older homes, you might have noticed that it falls off immediately, leading you to think, “We’re going to need much….much bigger screws!” The challenge with lime plaster is repairing and patching it while preserving its breathable, porous nature.
Fortunately, lime plaster can still be purchased ready to mix, allowing for authentic repairs. However, working with lime plaster can be tricky, especially since it can be harsh on the skin. Thankfully, there are now excellent, breathable alternatives that are easier to use. These modern options provide the same benefits as traditional lime plaster, ensuring that your repairs maintain the integrity and breathability of the original material. A big bonus in having an older house is that the walls are bumpy already so your repairs fit right in 😉
To summarise, being greener in an old house presents particular challenges but technology and products to support you in this are coming to market, but do your research.
Training and Events
Organic September 2024: 1st – 30th September
Organic September is The Soil Association’s annual campaign to highlight the organic movement throughout September, sharing people’s stories and celebrating the everyday choices we make for the planet.
Climate Fresk
17 September, Penrith. Join Cumbria Action for Sustainability for this interactive, engaging and collaborative in-person workshop to understand the fundamentals of climate science.
It’s an extremely interactive group activity where a facilitator uses a pack of cards to support a group of people to map the causes and effects of the climate crisis, and together, through discussion, unpick the complexities, interrelated issues and feedback loops involved. It is a really engaging, collaborative method for understanding the fundamentals of climate science. It uses 42 ‘cards’ drawn directly from the latest IPCC reports and gives a deep dive into the whole climate system. The visual and interactive nature stimulates discussion, debate and group problem-solving. And it is really good fun! You will join a rapidly growing movement of 1.6 million participants worldwide.
Communicating Climate Action in Cumbria
Wednesday 18 September 9:30 – 1:30, Penrith. If you communicate about climate and the environment as part of your job or volunteering, this workshop is for you. Following on from June’s webinar, this event will provide a deeper understanding of the seven segments from the Britain Talks Climate toolkit to help you create and adapt your climate messaging.
Webinar: Towards an environment for everyone
Wednesday 18 September, online. The Wildlife Trusts and National Philanthropy Capital are bringing together leaders from across the nature and social sector to dive into the key issues and potential solutions surrounding high quality housing, green jobs and equal access to nature.
This will be an interactive webinar, with opportunities to post questions, join smaller discussion groups and respond to polls and questions in-session.
Find out more and register here
Carbon Management and Solutions
25 September, online. Take action on your organisation’s carbon footprint and develop a decarbonisation plan that works you. And it’s free!
VCSE Sustainability Roundtable – Finding solutions for common challenges
Tuesday 29 September – 9.30am- 12.30am – Esh Plaza, Sir Bobby Robson Way, Gosforth, NE13 9BA.
Everyturn Mental Health are holding their first sustainability roundtable, where they will also be joined by Newcastle City Council, Genee Consulting and Growing Well Cumbria to explore the leading role VCSEs have to play in combatting the climate and nature crisis.
The climate crisis isn’t something that’s coming, or just ‘around the corner’ – we’re in it now. Our response needs to match the level of emergency. The session will include case studies of impactful, climate action along with facilitated discussion on common challenges and potential solutions to delivering planet-friendly services.
Come connect with like-minded individuals and learn how to support each other, share experiences and find opportunities to collaborate on green projects.
Cumbria Sustainability Network – Talking About Transport
Wednesday 9 Oct, Kendal. Cumbria Sustainability Network members – both existing and potential! – will be able to view the new Waste into Wellbeing premises, and hear from Alistair Kirkbride, a key member of the team behind Staveley community e-bike hire on what a good sustainable transport network looks like and explore the challenges of meaningful change in transport at community level.
Explore Climate
17 October, Online. We know all of those involved with SMEs are super busy so it’s tricky to take time out for extra courses. W&F Green Enterprise Hub and CAfS have created a two hour overview of climate change science, impacts and actions small businesses in the Westmorland & Furness area. It is open to Social Enterprises too.
Sustainability Conference
Wednesday 13 November, Rheged Centre. In collaboration with ICAEW North West, Cumbria Chamber of Commerce is hosting our first Sustainability Conference at Rheged on 13th November from 9am to 4pm.
Join us for a day of inspiration, listening and learning. We’ve a jam packed programme of speakers sharing their net zero/sustainability journey including Pirelli, The Rebuild Site, Cumberland Building Society, Shed 1 Distillery and The Yan. Both councils will give an update on their sustainability progress and plans, the conference also includes networking opportunities, lunch and refreshments, and ends with a panel discussion.
News and Information
Cumberland Council summer Environment and Climate newsletter
Cumberland Council’s latest Environment and Climate newsletter is packed with information on news and events for Cumberland, including:
- Climate and Nature Strategy
- Local Nature Recovery Strategy
- Secondhand September
+more. You can read the newsletter here
Community buildings ‘falling behind’ in energy efficiency, researchers warn
Most community buildings in England are lagging behind other non-domestic buildings in meeting upcoming energy efficiency standards, according to a newly published report.
Research from Social Investment Business found that improvements in community buildings’ energy efficiency have been much slower than other non-domestic buildings, such as offices.
This results in higher energy bills, emissions, and regulatory risk for community buildings, many of which are vital to the organisations who use them.
Council’s third Compost Demonstration Site opens
A third Compost Demonstration Site in Westmorland and Furness has opened at Basecamp North Lakes, home to Alpacaly Ever After, outside of Penrith.
Thanks to funding from Westmorland and Furness Council, and additional funding from Cumbria Action for Sustainability’s Community Fund, the new composting site has been established to allow the public to learn how easy it is to compost at home.
Plan for wind farm to be partly owned by residents
Dozens of offshore wind turbines partly owned by residents of a coastal district could be installed over the next decade.
Under Project Collette, as many as 100 wind turbines are planned for sites off the west Cumbrian coast near the Sellafield nuclear plant in Seascale.
On-demand Webinar: How to lower your digital carbon footprint
A panel discusses how charities can tackle digital’s carbon footprint and consider the sustainability of the technology they use.
Top sustainability myths debunked
Charity Digital debunk some of the top sustainability and ESG myths, showing organisations why they should invest in climate action for the long-term.
How will the climate and nature crises impact education?
A new NPC briefing paper has outlined the ways the environmental crises can impact the education of young people in the UK. It also looks at the way the environmental crises disproportionately impact those from social groups that are typically less advantaged.
Some of the impacts on education of the environmental crises include:
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- Disruption to education.
- Lower academic performance.
- Impact on young people’s mental health.
Visit the NPC resource hub to download the briefing here
Network launching to help volunteers build community green spaces
Environmental charity Hubbub has launched a new “Community Nature Network” to connect, grow and fund community green spaces. The network will offer funding opportunities, free resources, guidance and peer to peer support to community groups who wish to establish new green spaces or improve existing ones.
Members will gain access to a wide range of free useful resources, from videos and case studies to measurement guides and communications templates. It will also allow them to share their success stories and how they’ve overcome barriers. Anyone involved in setting up or running a community-led green space is welcome to join the Community Nature Network – it’s free and it takes less than 5 minutes to sign up.
Find out more and how to join here
New government, new green policies?
CAfS explore the green pledges in Labour’s manifesto in a new blog post:
New Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour party claimed their general election win with the slogan ‘Change begins now’ and a promise to ‘hit the ground’ running’ on key green policies. A few weeks into the new government, we take a look at their key policies, and how they relate to Cumbria.
And you can read read part two here, covering energy efficiency, green skills, transport, North Sea Oil & Gas.
‘Going Green Together Cumbria’ Survey
CAfS and Cumbria CVS need your help to inform a future support project for VCSE organisations.
The proposed project will help VCSE organisations to lower their energy bills, carbon emissions and address #ClimateChange.
It is proposed in response to the climate crisis as well as requirements from funders to include environmental policies and carbon reduction plans within funding bids or tenders.
We hope you will take a few minutes to complete this survey
All completed responses can be entered into a prize draw for a hamper of local goodies!
Thinking of electric vehicles for your organisation?
It’s a popular choice right now with Carlisle racecourse being the latest to bring EV use to their site. With savings to be made in costs as well as reducing your impact on the environment there are many reasons why it might suit your organisation.
The government-led Workplace Charging Scheme has been launched to support organisations in making the shift, with support for up to 75% of the cost of charging points. W&F Green Enterprise Hub offer subsidised advice from one of their partners, Simon Brace EV Consulting, who can guide you through the move towards EV.
Read about the Workplace Charging Scheme here
Find out about charging points near you
7 ways that heatwaves exacerbate existing inequalities
Heatwaves are our new normal, it’s just a case of how bad they will be. The UK is particularly at risk, with predictions that summer temperatures and extreme hot days could rise up to 50% faster than the average rate of global warming. The people most impacted by climate change in the UK are those who are already disadvantaged, often in multiple ways.
In this blog, NPC’s Environment Lead, Liz Gadd outlines seven ways that heatwaves exacerbate inequalities.
Green Data: Measuring the Environment
The latest episode of the ONS’ Statistically Speaking podcast, explores how the ONS measures our natural environment and the green economy.
The contribution of the environment to the economy and the impact of the economy on the environment is also discussed, with greenhouse gas emissions, environmental taxes, and the UK’s move towards more renewable energy all in the spotlight.
