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News for October to December 2005
HHP NEWS
(1) Education, Education, Education
(2) Environment Champions visit HHP
(3) French TV & Climate change
OTHER NEWS
(A) Welsh community launch fighting fund
(B) Meditating builders sought for Dorset
(C) Dorset sustainable resource centre
_______________________________________________________________________________________
HHP NEWS
Education, Education, Education
Schools and other agencies increasingly have to adapt to deliver governments key priorities on health and the environment, such as:
o Provision of educational/learning opportunities for children, both in terms of environmental living and healthy living, that link directly to important initiatives currently in schools, such as ‘Healthy Schools’ and ‘Eco Schools’.
o Education Outside the Classroom Manifesto (Department for Education & Skills, Nov 05) – “Provide children with a high quality learning experience outside the classroom environment. Every child should experience the world outside the classroom as an integral part of their learning and development, complementing learning in the classroom. High quality education outside the classroom can stimulate and inspire; foster independence; aid personal and social development; and can often motivate reluctant learners”.
HHP is very actively developing services to try and support these initiatives in a number of ways, as summarized below.
GO
BACK TO TOP OF PAGE(i) Expanding educational work
HHP has been running for the last two years a successful schools educational programme, ‘Sustainability in Practice – an educational experience for young people’, for years 5 and 6 children. Children take part in a programme of activities that give hands on experience of sustainability. These take place in school and at HHP. They not only provide a fun learning environment but also meet National Curriculum requirements.
Our aim over the coming year is to expand the sustainable educational activities at HHP for school children in a number of ways, in particular:
· Create a modified programme so that it can be used by schools unable to visit HHP due to practical reasons – in essence a generic version with extra sections of the associated resource packs to enable autonomous use by schools.
· Develop existing tours for secondary school age children including a specific practical activity.
This work is being supported by the Bradford & Bingley plc
Schools have limited spare funds to support external visits for activities such as HHP’s ‘Sustainability in practice’ programme. We have therefore had to seek grants or sponsorship. We have been fortunate over the last year in receiving support for these activities from businesses, including Vencil Resil, Bradford & Bingley plc and most recently WWF-UK.
Currently we have an application pending with Boots Charitable Trust for more significant funding that would enable HHP to run the programme for up to two years. In addition to the visit, we hope that the experience gained by pupils, teachers & adult helpers can be continued to be used for learning back in the classroom, on school sites and indeed in their homes and communities. We have had very positive support from Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council, Newark & Sherwood District Council and local schools.
“The educational opportunities available at Hockerton are arguably without parallel in the country and Nottinghamshire schools are very lucky to have this provision on their doorstep. It would be great to see many more schools taking pupils to your site…” (Nottinghamshire County Council, Nov 05)
In November HHP hosted an Eco-schools seminar. This included:
· Time to explore the Mobile Energy Advice Centre (Energy bus) - The Energy Bus is a resource within the East Midlands that can be taken to schools and used to support work done on energy awareness, saving, efficiency, monitoring and other energy related issues.
· Tour of HHP
· Waste/composting activity led by HHP members
· Talks by Carl Thurston (national Eco-Schools co-ordinator) and Hugh McCahon (Notts County Council Environmental Education)
The Eco-Schools programme provides a simple framework to enable schools to become more sustainable and reduce the environmental impact of the school and the community. Pupil involvement is a key part of the programme. Eco-Schools begins with registration. Once registered your school will be part of an international group of schools working towards education for sustainable development (ESD) and a better quality of life for local and (through joint action) global communities. It is also an award scheme based on three levels:
• Bronze award -
self-assessed via website leading to a certificate
• Silver award - self-assessed via website leading to a certificate
• Green Flag - externally assessed leading to a certificate and flag
Eco-Schools is run internationally by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). It is administered by ENCAMS in England and Tidy Northern Ireland in Northern Ireland. Eco-Schools is supported by a wide variety of partners.
For more information see http://www.eco-schools.org.uk/
Over the last few months we have been working with a couple of media organisations in developing education materials:
· Pearson Education (GCSE science course) – The module deals with energy transfers, and using and generating electricity. HHP will be used as a context for the module. This involves using the houses as examples for various aspects of heat transfer, such as insulation, solar panels and cells, etc. Part of the course also includes a video of each context including sequences filmed at HHP.
· BBC Scotland Education - Digital Curriculum service – This is an educational tool for schools. They are developing web-based materials for Design & Technology (KS3) including sustainability issues. Many aspects of HHP were filmed and will be included on a website to be launched in 2007, including video streams and still images, to illustrate various aspects of sustainable living.
(2) Environment champions visit HHP
Environmental Champions are a group of Nottinghamshire County Council employees who have volunteered to raise awareness of environmental issues at the workplace, and change staff behaviour to improve our environmental performance.
HHP hosted the annual event for about thirty of these Champions in September. The aim of the event was to thank the Champions for a year's hard work and enthuse and inspire them to change their actions (at home and at work) to help the environment.
The day involved a tour of the Project
followed by brainstorming sessions on the best and worst things about
the Champions scheme, and what would they like to change. Roger Latham (Chief
Executive,
Nottinghamshire County Council)
attended part of the
day to thank the Champions. There was excellent feedback from Champions
about the event saying how great it all was.
The
Environmental Champions
have reduced
their
office waste, encouraged recycling and will be looking at
issues of energy use and staff travel in the near future.
In the Environment Department, staff gave up their individual waste bins
in exchange for communal recycling facilities.
For more details of what
they
achieved, or how to start a similar scheme in your workplace, contact:
Environmental Champions, c/o Sustainability Team, Trent Bridge House, Fox Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG26BJ
tel: 0115 977 4664
e-mail: env.champs@nottscc.gov.uk
(3) French TV & Climate change
Towards the end of November HHP was visited by France 2 French television news who filmed the Project as part of broadcast material they were collecting to use for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Montreal in early December.
“Having followed the Hockerton housing project in the media over the years I would very much like the opportunity to include it in one of my reports. I particularly liked the fact that the housing is built into the side of a south facing hill and the high levels of energy saving your project realises, along with the involvement your project has in passing on information to interested groups and schools etc.” (Nick Boothby, France 2 Londres)
OTHER NEWS
(A) Welsh community launch fighting fund
Awel Aman Tawe (AAT) is an organisation in Wales who have been facilitating a community led wind project to develop 4 turbines in the Upper Amman and Swansea Valley. All profits from the scheme were to go into local regeneration. It was selected as a case study for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in Sept 2002 and included in new planning guidance on wind energy published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in 2005.
Despite very strong support including the majority of local people, the planning application was turned down by the Council in September. It seems they were swayed by a letter writing campaign from outside the area, mostly photocopies of standard letters from biased anti-wind websites repeating false information.
AAT are determined to fight this at Appeal, so the community can benefit. With enough support they think they can win as there are no technical or statutory objections to the scheme. The Council used “visual impact” as the reason for refusal even though the site is 1.5km from the nearest village. Many wind farms are turned down by councils, but are then won at Appeal.
They are doing their best to fight the Appeal themselves. But with limited resources they need professional support to present the best case. They have been offered heavily discounted prices, but estimate they need £10,000 to cover the professional input of a Landscape and Visual Impact Assessor, Planning Advisor and legal support (which would normally cost about £50,000).
If you are able to support, please log onto their website www.awelamantawe.org.uk .
(B) Meditating builders sought for Dorset
The first cohousing project in the Wessex region is now underway. A founding group of six households raised the money to buy Cole Street Farm near Gillingham in North Dorset. The property currently consists of an old stone farmhouse, seven holiday cottages converted from old farm buildings, and two barns for conversion. Following six months of local research and consultation, a planning application will be lodged shortly to create the Threshold Centre: a low-impact, mixed-use development converting the existing buildings at Cole Street Farm.
The main features of the plans include: Community Space: A timber barn will be converted to provide a group space for 10-20 people, plus kitchen and eating area, especially suitable for groups wanting a quiet, congenial setting. Affordable Housing: The Centre will demonstrate cohousing: small self-contained dwelling units linked with shared facilities to provide affordability, plus the social benefits of an informal community and a more ecological lifestyle.
Courses: The resident team will lead and organise programmes on cohousing, community building, holistic health, creative ageing, Taize singing, etc. Eco-B&B: The Centre will have guest rooms for up to 12 people, for eco-tourism or for visitors doing courses here. Sustainable Design: The buildings will be highly insulated, and served by a biomass and solar heating system.
The group are now seeking four more households to complete the community. They would especially welcome new members with building, project management and maintenance skills, who also share the other values of the group, e.g. shared silent meditations and delicious shared meals.
You can find more information at www.thevillageforest.com/bridcoh.htm, or contact Caroline Sharman or Alan Heeks on 01747 821929 or email: data@workingvision.com
(C) Dorset sustainable resource centre
The Dorset Centre for Rural Skills (DCRS) is expanding by opening a new Sustainable Building Resource Centre early in 2006.
DCRS is a ‘not-for-profit’ organisation set up to keep traditional rural skills alive and introduce new ones to the rural community. The centre is housed in a former agricultural barn that has been subdivided to provide a classroom, pottery studio, forge, glass-blowing studio, large lecture hall, wood workshop and indoor construction space where straw-bale building courses, lime days and dry stone walling courses can be taught throughout the year. Many of the internal walls are of rendered straw bale construction.
The new Sustainable Building Resource Centre will provide a ‘one stop shop’ for information and resources, advice and design facilities. The demonstration straw bale house at DCRS will become the reception and shop for the whole centre. A wide range of sustainable building products will be displayed throughout the building and many will be for sale through the centre.
The official launch date to the general public will be on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th January 2006.
For more information see www.dorsetruralskills.co.uk