The CA-WN Exchange

Talking action - popcawn October 2024

Talking action - popcawn October 2024

Last month’s popcawn was all talk…about why it’s important to talk about climate change and how to do it. One reason talking is good is that it is often a precursor to doing, and it’s vital that we do something. Talking alone will not reduce carbon

WNC Local Transport Plan

WNC Local Transport Plan

The Local Transport Plan (LTP) is a document that sets out a long-term strategy for transport in West Northamptonshire and is currently open for public consultation. This consultation is due to end on the 17th October so it is really important to start getting feedback in. Have your say on

Creamy Fresh Tomato Soup

Creamy Fresh Tomato Soup

September. Season, we’re told, of mists and mellow fruitfulness. The poet didn’t mention unending torrents of rain. Perhaps an oversight on his part, or perhaps it didn’t scan. Fortunately, my tomato plants are tucked up snugly in our old (but still weatherproof) greenhouse. Unfortunately it is not

The Great Simplification

The Great Simplification

Each episode of The Great Simplification consists of an interview by the host Nate Hagens with someone able to provide insight into an aspect of the climate and biodiversity crises (or 'polycrisis'). Most episodes come in at over an hour which allows time to explore the subject matter.

English Pastoral: An Inheritance by James Rebanks

English Pastoral: An Inheritance by James Rebanks

Having just seen Six Inches of Soil, a documentary film about regenerative farming1 (which I highly recommend), this book seemed an appropriate one to add to our Bookshelf this month. It is a wonderful book, beautifully written and telling a story that carries a great deal of power coming from

Six Inches of Soil film report

Six Inches of Soil film report

Six Inches of Soil was co-hosted at the Arc Cinema, Daventry on Thursday 19 September by CA-WN and ActNow Consulting Ltd. This thought-provoking film about three young farmers putting regenerative principles into practice has received wide attention round the country. But there have been no public showings in West Northamptonshire.

Visit to Nottingham Energy Partnership

Visit to Nottingham Energy Partnership

Nottingham Energy Partnership (NEP) is a climate change and fuel poverty charity working across Nottinghamshire. They share CA-WN’s aims of reducing carbon emissions, increasing resilience and lessening reliance on fossil fuel. On our visit we were welcomed by their Chief Executive Officer, Miranda Cumberbatch, their former CEO Philip Angus

If only ...

London is about to trial an electric bus that looks like a tram, has a claimed range of over 200 miles and batteries that can be topped up in ten minutes at bus stands fitted with overhead charging points. The ieTram1 is manufactured at a purpose-built plant in Basque Country,

Report of 12 September public meeting

meeting reports

Report of 12 September public meeting

Our guest speaker for September was Tim O’Callaghan. Tim is a consultant at Electric Places, a not-for-profit company set up in North Northamptonshire to help public and private sector organisations in the area transition to Net Zero. They have been involved with projects to build EV charging hubs and

Carbon Literacy training September 2024

individual impact

Carbon Literacy training September 2024

As we have mentioned over the summer, CA-WN is pleased to offer Carbon Literacy training to all members. After completing the equivalent of one day's worth of training and committing to carbon-reducing actions, you will be deemed Carbon Literate and possess a certificate to prove it. Further details

We need to talk about climate - popcawn September 2024

individual impact

We need to talk about climate - popcawn September 2024

Do you feel that people generally don’t talk about climate change? Considering how it will, and already does, affect all our lives, it doesn’t get the airtime it deserves. Why could that be? I think there’s several reasons – it’s big and scary, it’s going to

Council Watch September 2024

Council Watch September 2024

Climate Change Strategy Consultation It won’t surprise anyone that CA-WN is pleased to see West Northamptonshire Council consulting on a Climate Change Strategy. Obviously we’d have liked to see it sooner but nevertheless it is very welcome. This consultation is intended to influence development of the strategy – there

My View - Andrew Stevens

My View - Andrew Stevens

I first started reading about climate change perhaps 25 years ago1. At the time I was interested in environmental issues in general as well as politics, specifically inequality and how I thought politicians don't take a lot of notice of evidence on what works to improve the health,

Meet the Steering Group - Rupert Knowles

Meet the Steering Group - Rupert Knowles

As a child, I remember trotting round our orchard with my father and a large black umbrella. We gave the branches a sharp tap and caught the bugs that fell. We were looking for black-kneed capsids, a predator of red spider mites. Today people are still talking about introducing IPM

Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth by James Lovelock

Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth by James Lovelock

This book was first published in 1979. Even my second-hand 1991 reprint is over 30 years old! The ideas it set out were revolutionary at the time and are still fresh and enlightening today, at least to this reader. The hypothesis at the core of the book is that the

The Countryside Kitchen meets...

The Countryside Kitchen meets...

One of the joys of podcasts is that they really are egalitarian – lots of podcasters are big names backed by well-established production companies, but just as many aren’t, and it is great to be able to recommend a podcast made locally. Milly Fyfe is a businesswoman and food blogger,

Syan Farm visit

Syan Farm visit

What is a Vertical Farm? As the vertical farmers at Syan Farm themselves say: "With space and time running out for open field farming, we’re looking up. We grow beautifully nutritious crops on multiple levels – vertical farming. It saves on space, reduces carbon and gives us total control

Carbon Literacy Training: a personal response

individual impact Featured

Carbon Literacy Training: a personal response

Clare Robertson-Marriott shares her reflections after completing a Carbon Literacy course with CA-WN. Concern for all nature and the planet brought me to climate and nature action. Over the last few years, I have organised various public engagement events to introduce the climate and nature crises. Taking part in the

Think Global. Act Local.

Think Global. Act Local.

by Danny Moody, Chief Executive of the Northamptonshire County Association of Local Councils (Northants CALC), a membership organisation representing all the parish and town councils and parish meetings in Northamptonshire. Climate change is a pressing global issue that requires action at all levels, from international agreements to local initiatives. One

individual impact

popcawn July 2024: Do you speak Carbon?

So, you’re worried about climate change: you know it’s going to affect our future, especially for our children and grandchildren, but you’re not sure how their future could look. You know that we need to reduce our carbon emissions and get to ‘Net Zero’, but you’re

Council Watch July 2024

Council Watch July 2024

Items on the agenda1 for West Northamptonshire Council's July meeting pack included WNC’s Annual Report on how they are performing against their own targets. The ‘Green and Clean’ banner, like all elements of the WNC Corporate Plan, has a set of performance measures. The target shown for

IKEA - can Big be a Force for Good?

IKEA - can Big be a Force for Good?

IKEA is a big beast. Statistics taken from its latest company report show it has 467 stores in 62 markets across the world. It employs 219,000 people. 860 million people visited those 467 stores (many of whom will have travelled in their cars). There are 9,500 products in

CA-WN 18 July Meeting Report

meeting reports

CA-WN 18 July Meeting Report

Our guest speaker for July was Dr Declan Ryan, Associate Professor in Physical Activity & Health at the University of Northampton, who gave a presentation about Northampton's Active Quarter. The meeting was recorded and is available on the CA-WN YouTube channel1 and Declan’s presentation slides are available

Banging the Drum for Combined Authorities

Banging the Drum for Combined Authorities

Our Transport correspondent asks whether the interests of public transport could be better served by more centralisation. No matter your political persuasion, it is undeniable that the Labour Party is now in power, having secured a substantial majority in the election on Thursday 4 July 2024. It is also undeniable

Britain's Housing Crisis

Britain's Housing Crisis

Broken Homes: Britain's Housing Crisis: Faults, Factoids and Fixes by Peter Bill and Jackie Sadek Today’s housing crisis featured in an earlier Bookshelf. I make no apology for another housing-related reading recommendation, this time 200 or so pages of useful historic context, anecdotes and picture-painting stories. Many