Schools pledge commitment to a greener future

MORE than 350 pupils from 40 schools across Dorset came together last Friday to pledge their commitment to a greener future.

The schools were participating in the Dorset Schools Eco Summit, a day of events, talks, discussions and exhibitions designed to create a forum for young people to exchange ideas on sustainability issues.

Originally the brainchild of Yarrells Prep School, which hosted the first eco summit in 2009, this year's event was hosted by Bryanston School near Blandford Forum and co-organised by Dumpton, Queen Elizabeth's Wimborne, Knighton House and St Nicholas, Child Okeford, working in partnership with Dorset county and North Dorset district councils and a number of local and national businesses.

Participating pupils, whose ages ranged from nine to 18, tried their hands at straw bale building, electric bike riding and making a greenhouse out of plastic bottles, and watched various practical demonstrations including a biodiesel processor, which makes biodiesel from waste cooking oil, and a Bionova waste digester, which turns food waste into compost or biomass fuel. They also heard from a number of guest speakers including Dick Strawbridge from the popular BBC2 series It's Not Easy Being Green, Rob Hopkins, co-founder of Transition Town Totnes and the Transition Network, and Julia Hailes, consultant and speaker on social, environmental and ethical issues.

A number of schools were surprised to learn how far food travels to reach our plates and have pledged to start growing their own vegetables. Others plan to install energy measurement meters.

The organising schools hope that the summit will become an annual event, moving from school to school across the county, so that pupils will have the opportunity to report back on their progress.

THE government announced on Tuesday that Yeovil is to get £1.5m towards a town centre eco-development and studies to help plan an eco-town urban extension.

South Somerset District Council submitted a bid last week for its share of the £10m funding pot after becoming one of only nine authorities in the country shortlisted for the money.

There is a grant of £730,000 towards the masterplanning of a town centre 'urban village' and an eco-town urban extension, including a viability assessment, sustainable transport study, and water cycle and renewable energy studies; the sum includes £50,000 for project management of the work, which will assess whether a development of eco-town standards could be built in the town.

A further £750,000 grant has been secured which will allow Zero C, the sustainable developers of the town centre Foundry House project, to create one of the country's most impressive sustainable projects in a location easily seen and enjoyed by people living near Yeovil.

The funding has been allocated on the proviso that the development – which could now include a glass-fronted wood chip burner, possible wind and solar powered homes and possible hydro power project – becomes a showpiece for developers around the country and includes educational displays about its eco-friendly features

The Foundry House project is within the central area earmarked as the town's long planned 'urban village' around the Stars Lane car park area.

Some green ideas from our regular contributor Paul Lund:

We can all do more to help our environment and lessen our impact through reducing waste, energy use, choosing to purchase greener products and save some money at the same time.

Over the next few weeks Eco-Watch will look at some ideas in the lead-up to Glastonbury's Greener Lifestyles exhibition on 10th April.

On the Rebound! If you think you're good at recycling have you thought first about how to reuse? Many things we send to recycling could have a final end use or another use before being put into the recycling bin.

Seedling containers: Cardboard toilet roll tubes, and any other small cardboard tubes, can be placed on a tray (plastic food trays will work), held together with a string tie, and filled with compost. They make great containers to start off spring runner beans, tomatoes or any small seed vegetables that can be sown indoors before hardening and planting out. The roots are not disturbed as you plant the whole tube in the ground and the roots will grow through. Big and small cardboard fruit and veg trays that can hold compost will also work for all seedlings sown indoors or under cover. Start saving them and they will save you buying pots and special compostable seed trays.

Gift bags or small plant pots: Wash the plastic pouch bags that coffee and other foods are sold in. Neatly cut the crimped top first before using contents. Turn them inside out or simply decorate for gift bags or put drainage holes in for housing potted plants. The same can be done with any of the snap shut dried and liquid food pouch containers. Your friends will love your inventiveness!

Big plant pots: clean out paint tins (that held water soluble contents) or the plastic type and drill or nail a hole or two through the bottom. They will serve as temporary plant pots, or decorate for longer lasting containers. Place them in decorative china pots, handmade wooden trays or window boxes, and no one will know the difference.

Bags for sorting recycling: instead of buying a roll of disposable bags, use any empty food bags, toilet roll bags, unused charity bags, big cereal boxes, cat litter bags, in your recycling crate to hold or divide the contents.

Any ideas for reusing materials? Send your eco-tips, news, views and Transition Town updates to Ecowatch, fcharles@bvmedia.co.uk