Charlbury Area Waste Action Group

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Up and Coming Events

Last updated 16 February 2010

As the first snowdrops are appearing it is definitely time to announce our Spring Feast and Ceilidh
Saturday 27 March in the Memorial Hall, Browns Lane, Charlbury
Cost: £5/£3 (10-16yrs) and free under 10yrs

To celebrate the arrival of Spring with local seasonal food, drink and community...
Bring your delicious seasonal, local (UK) dishes to the Memorial Hall to share and once the feasting is over we will push the tables aside and the dancing will begin. Follow the link for ideas about local and seasonal food. A bar will be available with local beverages.

Music will be from the well-known group The Kismet Ceilidh Band.
All dances will be called so there’s no need to be afraid.

ALL WELCOME  but
PLEASE DO BOOK as capacity is limited: phone 01608 811057 or email charlburyfeasts@cwag.org.uk

Apart from climate change issues and the recent hostile debate in the press, there is no doubt that the world is facing a severe energy and resource crisis. Production of oil has peaked and we don't have an alternative energy supply to support our current lifestyles, let alone the developing western lifestyles of China and India. Back in 2006, the WWF reported on current UK lifestyles requiring the resources of 3 planets. For an amusing but serious view on ever growing economies, have a look at The Impossible Hamster. Look at the Links and External News page for links to interesting newspaper articles.

To quote Mahatma Ghandi "Be the change you want to see in the world.”

The 10:10 campaign was launched in September 2009. The aim of 10:10 is to get all of us, as people and organisations, to sign up to reduce our carbon emissions by 10% in a single year - this year - 2010. Follow the launch on Twitter. The entire Cabinet has already signed up to it. Oxford's Chris Goodall has written in the Guardian with ideas of how to reduce your carbon emissions by 10%.  Also check out CO2 What Can I Do? and Smarter Driving pages on this website for a host of great ideas from people in Charlbury.

For links to videos and analysis about the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen please look at the Climate Change pages on this website.

Since 1 February 2010, the Co-op has started collecting dead batteries for recycling - they now have a box on their counter. Until now, only 3% batteries have been recycled nationally and the government hopes this to increase dramatically now that shops selling batteries are responsible for recycling them. Many thanks to everyone who used our CAWAG battery boxes at the Post Office, the Corner House and the School. Since November 2007, we have disposed of about 10,000 batteries for recycling.

Food makes such a significant contribution to our impact on the environment that we now have a new Food page with recipe suggestions from local people. Apple trees often bear large fruit crops every other year so, unlike 2008, we didn't have enough apples in Charlbury in 2009 to hold any Big Apple Take-Aways - hopefully they will be back in 2010. Charlbury Sharecroppers did, however, distribute apples from a location opposite the school and also at the Bring & Take in October. We also distributed loads of plums, damsons and greengages to people who had registered an interest in receiving them.

It's never too late in the year to start growing your own fruit & veg. This is the best way to reduce your food miles, reduce packaging and eat healthier! Register with Charlbury Sharecroppers if you have more fruit and veg than you can cope with or would like to help pick fruit and veg that would otherwise go to waste, or if you have some garden space you'd like someone else to grow vegetables on, or if you are looking for somewhere to grow veg. We will help put you in touch with each other.  Robert Longstaff runs short courses about growing vegetables at Longworth just south of Witney.

Contact Lynne at the Good Food Shop (811157) is you have surplus garden produce you'd like to sell.

Use the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Quick Guide we distributed May 2008 for ideas about reducing your impact on the environment. Also check out CO₂ What Can I Do? for our growing list of simple ideas from people of Charlbury - many of which will save you money. Also tips on smarter driving to reduce fuel consumption. For more detail about specific items, use our on-line A-Z and for inspiration watch the "Story of Stuff" and "WakeUp, Freak Out - then Get a Grip". See the Climate Change page for other inspirational short films. Oxford City Council's excellent Oxford is My World guide is also an excellent source of information.

If you hardly ever use your telephone directories and prefer the on-line versions, did you realise you can cancel them? If everyone did this the resources saved would be mind boggling enormous. Cancel your BT Directory (or order one) by phoning Freephone 0800 833 400 Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm. Cancel Yellow Pages (or order one) by phoning Freefone 0800 671 444. Cancel Thomson Local (or order one) by phoning 01252 555 555 Monday – Friday, 8.30am – 5.30pm. Please note that old telephone and yellow page directories are all accepted now in the WODC black recycling boxes or the paper skips.

By the way - if you already "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle", then how about adding "Reforest" too? A donation of £25 to the Woodland Trust will enable them to plant 25 square metres of woodland in the UK which will capture 1 tonne of carbon dioxide over the lifetime of the trees. Also sign up to Prince Charles' campaign to stop the destruction of tropical rainforests which in themselves are so important in protecting the world from further increases in carbon dioxide. The loss of the rainforests will dramatically make climate change worse and HRH The Prince of Wales made a keynote speech on 15 December at the opening ceremony of the High Level part of the UNFCCC Climate Conference in Copenhagen (watch video).

Borrow books from our Bookshare Library which can be borrowed at any time via the website - book of the month for February is Paul Roberts' excellent analysis of the energy crisis The End of Oil. New books are being acquired all the time, usually from Evenlode Books in Charlbury. Jon gives a good discount and delivery is usually the next day. So think twice before you order a book from other sellers on the web, buying from a local shop can be cheaper than the web, it benefits the local economy, you don't have to be in for delivery and you haven't caused so much cardboard packaging to be used. 

Buy one of the last few CAWAG jute shopping bags for £2. These are now only available from the School and the Good Food Shop.  All proceeds go to the school's Eco Project.

Make an appointment to borrow the Low-Energy Lightbulb Library to find lightbulbs to suit all your light fittings or to borrow the wattage meter to find out how much energy various electrical appliances around your house actually use.

Click on the event below for more details: