Sustainable Kirtlington
Aims
Sustainable Kirtlington (SK) was set up in September 2007 in order to raise awareness of climate change so as to pave the way for concrete energy-saving actions in the community. It was given impetus by the activities of the Oxfordshire ClimateXchange network (part of the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford) which supported the initial meetings by providing speakers and covering their costs.
History
The initial programme was envisaged as broadly informative and culminated in a ‘Footprint Fair’, which included various awareness-raising stalls and activities. The profits from the fair were used for the implementation of energy-saving measures in the village hall – notably the lining for the new curtains in the main hall.
Energy auditing
In the autumn of 2008, SK initiated a programme of energy-auditing and/or thermal imaging of individual households, with the support of the Energy Saving Trust. Everyone in the village was informed and 12 households took part in one or both of these surveys. The thermal images give a particularly vivid illustration of heat loss, enabling householders to see the weak points in their roofs, walls, door and window frames.
Working with the primary school
Since the school year 2008-9, SK has been working with the Eco Reps at the primary school. We spent the first year developing a "Green Cred" scheme. This involved composing a questionnaire for distribution to the families of all the children at the school and awarding badges according to their scores. The purpose of this activity is to encourage families to think about their energy use. In 2009-10, the Eco Reps have been regularly recording energy consumption in the school itself and acknowledging the classrooms that regularly switch off lights and keep doors closed in cold weather.
In the early summer of 2009, SK worked with the School on a film about waste, filmed by Andy Russell of Different-Films and funded by Cherwell District Council. The film was awarded first prize in its category – Waste Management and Recycling – in the Oxfordshire Sustainability and Conservation Awards (OSCAs) in July 2010.
Next steps
Since its launch in September 2007, SK has sought to involve the community in its regular programme of events. The Flights Mill project has engaged many people in the village both as experts in various aspects of the project, as volunteers in preparing the river and site, and in the project’s fund-raising efforts, notably its sale of firewood and other wood products.
Click
HERE to link to the Flights Mill project website.
In addition to the hydro scheme SK is working with the Village Hall Management Committee on implementing the recommendations of the Energy Saving Trust and Thermal Imaging audits of the hall in a phased programme, the most expensive of which would be the installation of solar panels on the large south-facing roof. Accurate costings are being sought for this and also for panels on the School and Church, both of which also have south-facing roofs.
The group has ambitious long-term plans aiming towards reducing the village’s carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 – the agreed government target for the whole country.
We would like to hear from anyone in the village who shares our aims of achieving maximum sustainability – through both small, individual steps and bigger, community-wide initiatives. We are particularly keen to involve younger members of the community.
So please get in touch!
Diana Roberts
Tel: 01869 350682
Chris Mason
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