Meet the Steering Group - Mick Lorkins
Q1. What is your motivation for being involved with the environmental movement and with CA-WN in particular?
I retired in 2023 and have always been keen on environmental issues and wanted to do more. Before retirement I would always ensure that, as part of my job as a project manager, environmental issues were part of the wider plans. My last project was a school build in the northwest and that school had Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP) for heating and hot water, solar panels, batteries, was super insulated and ventilated.
In my own house I have also installed an ASHP, Solar panels and a battery.
The desire or need to do more for the environment has led me to join CA-WN and the Umbrella Fair Organisation.
As a individual an amount of environmental issues can be addressed but as a group working together much more can be achieved. CA-WN has a group of committed and dedicated people meeting regularly to make a difference. From information, videos and meeting notes on-line I could see CA-WN were saying the same things that I was thinking. The CA-WN website is a fantastic local resource directing people to events and meetings and is packed with information so I felt had to join!
Q2. What other roles do you have in your life outside of being involved with CA-WN?
Outside CA-WN I am a father and a husband and I wonder what my generation is going to leave future generations if we just sit back and let business as usual be the way forward. Change is needed. Governments move slowly but local groups can make the difference.
Q3. If you were given one wish to change something in West Northamptonshire what would it be?
I used to work for Northampton Borough Council which is part of the recently formed West Northants Council. I wrote the ‘Northampton Economic Regeneration Strategy’. The strategy was directed by elected members but feel to some extent I have had a fair go at changing some things in Northampton. I did suggest to the members to put solar panels on all council houses, in a business plan (about 15 years ago). Perhaps this could be revisited.
Q4. What one change have you made for the climate in your own life that you are happiest about and why?
I have recently set up the Northamptonshire Woodland Community Volunteers to promote the More Trees Now method of relocating sapling trees. In the winter trees are rescued from woodlands where they grow in the shade under the mother tree and will eventually die from lack of water, nutrients and sunlight. These small trees are dug up using volunteers and given away to other tree woodland planting projects to create more woodlands. Last season 2024/25 we rescued 750 trees between knee and shoulder height. They were given away for free and went to 11 local tree planting projects. We plan to do more digging and planting in winter 2025/26.
If you are interested please join our Facebook page ref. Northamptonshire Woodland Community Volunteers | Facebook
Q5. Tell us something about yourself that people might find surprising.
When I was younger I used to work for GEC Alstom Turbine Generators and commission the building of the turbine side of a nuclear power station in China. Nuclear power is one of those subjects that divides the environmental community. In one respect it produces very large amounts of electricity with no carbon emissions (excluding the build) but brings with it a decommissioning legacy. If we were not in a climate emergency other option would be preferable.
As a comparison, Hinkley will produce the equivalent of 3,200 wind turbines. The UK currently has 11,500 turbines of which 2,652 are off shore. (Ref Google).
PS I still have a strong desire to have my own micro generation wind turbine in my own garden. It is currently a key element of UK micro power production that could be installed on all houses in the UK but is overlooked.