Sustainable Energy Group

Pembroke Can Make a Difference!

The general agreement at the open evening held in Foundry House, Pembroke on 15th October was Yes, Pembroke can make a difference to its impact on the environment.

The highlight of the evening was a panel discussion chaired by Angela Burns AM to examine that particular question and many other issues raised by the enthusiastic audience. Other members of the prominent panel were Peter Davies, Vice-Chair of the Sustainable Development Commission for Wales, Andy Middleton, Founder Director of The TYF Group, and Rhodri Thomas, Development Officer for Cynnal Cymru.

The messages they gave to the community of Pembroke were to be positive and not disheartened by the challenges; to encourage people to take ownership of the issues without using jargon or making them feel guilty; to harness contributions from local business; and to give politicians the space and confidence to make courageous step changes in policy.

The event was also attended by a number of environmental groups who displayed and handed out information for the visitors and were delighted to discuss the issues with them. They included Friends of the Earth Cymru, PACTO, PLANED, Pembrokeshire South East Energy Group, The Environment Network for Pembrokeshire and the West Wales Eco Centre.

The discussions concluded with Angela Burns soliciting suggestions from the floor for Pembroke 21C to take forward to help Pembroke to continue to make a difference. The audience took to this suggestion with great alacrity making such simple suggestions as arranging car share trips to the local tip and providing energy meters for loan, to more ambitious projects such as using renewable energy for micro generation and forming links with communities in Africa. The most popular suggestion, made by Andy Middleton, was to hold a 24 hour Christmas Party to raise awareness of the issues in a big way!

Schools Programme

Pembroke’s primary schools are helping to make a difference to the town’s impact on the environment. The children are working with Pembroke 21C Sustainable Energy Group on a project funded by Environment Wales, Awards for All Wales and The Waterloo Foundation.

The schools have taken part in a competition to design pictures for a 2010 calendar to promote the project, and thirteen pictures have been selected from Golden Grove Community School, Monkton Priory Junior School and Lamphey Primary School pupils.

Schools Programme

Click here to read pdf file

Rosey Mitchell, Chair of the Sustainable Energy Group and a Trustee of Pembroke 21C, said “The children put a lot of thought into the competition and we had some lovely pictures to choose from. We are keen to involve Pembroke School as well and their pupils will be designing and making Green Oscars for us from recycled materials. The Oscars will be presented at the end of the project to those who have achieved the most change to their lifestyles.”

Launched at the Pembroke Potato Festival on 6th June, the day after World Environment Day, the group are carrying out a “lifestyle questionnaire” of the community to set a baseline from which to measure the change. Visitors to the Potato Festival and to the Pembroke Festival on 4th July were keen to complete the questionnaires which are also being taken from house to house.

While the survey is ongoing the group are running a series of Monthly Messages. The message for June was Save Water – a leaflet with Water Saving Tips has been printed and everyone who completes a lifestyle questionnaire will receive a free bag with a cistern hippo and information from the Environment Agency.

Get on Your Bike is the message for July which the group promoted at the Pembroke Festival on 4th July with a tandem from the Pembroke Community Cycling Scheme. This scheme is run by Pembroke 21C and has recently trained five local people through Cycle Training Wales as ride leaders. A programme of led rides will begin in the autumn.

If you live in or near Pembroke and want to get involved contact Pembroke 21C on 01646 680090 or e-mail foundryhouse@pembroke21c.org

PEMBROKE’S ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

The approach has been developed with post-graduate students from the Welsh School of Architecture Sustainable Energy and Environment course at Cardiff University. The Students worked closely with the group to research the issues and write the questionnaire, visiting the town in November to give a presentation of their work.

In tandem with the audit the Group are planning a series of monthly messages to raise awareness of the project. They will involve and include local schools and groups, recruit environmental champions and present “Oscars” at the end to those who have achieved the greatest change.

If you are fortunate enough to be chosen you will receive a letter giving you more details with a tear off slip so that you can choose the most convenient time for our volunteers to call. You are under no obligation to take part if you choose not to. If you would like to take part as well, please print off the questionnnaire and return to Foundry House. We also hope to approach the schools in the area in the New Year.

Click here to view the questionnaire

This is a very exciting project and if you would like to take part we would welcome volunteers, who will be given the necessary training. Please contact Pembroke 21C on 01646 680090 or email foundryhouse@pembroke21c.org.

Welsh School of Architecture Students visiting Monkton

Pembroke Can Make A Difference!

Aims and Objectives:

The principle aim of this project is to look at how a small community can respond positively to the challenges of climate change and reduce its impact on the environment.

The Objectives will include:

A questionnaire to help us to build up a picture of how we live in Pembroke and to identify opportunities for us to make small changes this will reduce our individual impact on the environment – make a difference! The questionnaire has been developed especially for us by post-graduate students from the Welsh School of Architecture Sustainable Development course at Cardiff University.
Keeping diaries to monitor the changes that we make and using some case studies as examples.
An awareness raising programme through
A series of Monthly Messages to encourage people to take small steps such as walk to work, cycle to school, compost week, car free day, buy local week, stop using plastic bags etc
Appointing and training volunteer community Green Champions in each local area - “one of us” – to raise awareness and to provide advice and information
Seminars and fairs with local partner organisations
Community workshops
Green Oscars to give awards and rewards for those who have made the most change.
Adopting environmental management systems based on the results of the audit that provide simple solutions such as:
Small scale renewable energy projects - bio fuels, cooking oil, coppicing, wind power, solar power.
Small scale transport initiatives – walk to school, cycle to work, share a car, community shopping bus, local shop delivery
Local produce schemes – locally growing co-operative, vegetable box schemes, stalls at farmers’ markets etc.
Other general schemes – plastic bag free high street, low energy light bulb town, community composting, community recycling or re-use initiatives

At the end of the project (after two years) a further audit will be required to measure any changes in attitudes, behaviour and lifestyles as well as improvements to our impact on the environment.

The project provides a model that can act as a significant catalyst for change towards sustainable lifestyles and will demonstrate that behavioural change in small communities can “make a difference”. This model will be transferable to other small communities.

What will the differences be?:

A more positive response to the challenges of climate change
An improved sense of ownership of our impact on the environment
A greater sense that we can – all of us – make a difference
A better understanding that small changes can have a big impact
A better understanding of the changes we need to make
A reduction, both individually and as a community, in our impact on the environment (ie a smaller ecological footprint)
A better sense of community cohesion – we are in this together
A better sense of pride in our environment
A better sense of place – Look what Pembroke has achieved

Community Carbon Footprinting

FAQs

Click here to read pdf file

Funding:

The project is registered with Environment Wales and has received funding from them as well as from Awards for All Wales and the Waterloo Foundation. A significant contribution was made to carrying out the research for and developing the questionnaire from post-graduate Sustainable Development students at the Welsh School of Architecture in Cardiff.

ABOUT OUR GROUP

We originally formed in 2006 with the aim of Pembroke 21C leading the way in Pembroke by reducing its own carbon footprint and incorporating sustainability as a priority in all its activities and projects.

We aim to work in partnership with existing and new bodies to identify the future sustainable energy needs in the community – domestic, commercial, agricultural and leisure activities – and to facilitate sustainable energy projects and enterprises within the community.