JUNE 2023
News
Put out Warm Homes Workshop in your diary now
As part of this year's St Albans Sustainability Festival we're holding a community drop-in session to help everyone prepare for next winter and make their home more energy efficient now.
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Join us, on Saturday 17th June 2-4 at the Marshalswick Community Centre, and invite anyone you think will find this event helpful.
With no foreseeable changes to the UK energy sector, it is likely that we will be facing our second winter of astronomical energy prices.
Whether you're dreading trying to keep your home warm (or struggling to keep it cool), looking to try and reduce your bills or want to make your home more sustainable, you'll find there's lots of help and advice at this event.
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The National Energy Foundation will be giving advice to help you feel warmer, healthier and more comfortable in your home while also helping cut the cost of your bills.
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There'll be advice on grant and finance options for energy saving measures for all budgets, however small, from St Albans CAB and St Albans Community Bank
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For the next steps there'll be information on solar panels and heat pumps
Plus, bring the kids to join in our Warm Homes colouring competition, and find out about our campaign to ensure everyone can have a warm home that doesn't cost the earth
Come for the whole event or pop in when you're free, and please tell others about this event so everyone can benefit.
Tell your MP: curb emissions from flying by not permitting more flights
We’re in a climate crisis.
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Human induced climate change, caused by emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, is already causing dangerous and widespread disruption.
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Transport is the UK’s largest source of greenhouse emissions and, mile for mile, flying is the most damaging way to travel for the climate.
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So Luton Airport’s plans to increase passenger numbers to 32m per annum is in direct conflict with our obligations to reduce our impact on the climate and should not be allowed to go ahead. Indeed, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) recommends that the key to controlling the damaging effects of flying should be demand management - quite the opposite of a huge increase in passenger numbers.
Soon, the planning inquiry needed so Luton Airport can gain permission to increase passenger numbers by 120% will start. Before that happens, we need our MPs to tell the Government that more flying is incompatible with a safe climate.
Whilst the Government says that its Jet Zero strategy will bring us “guilt free flying”, scientists from the Royal Society have warned that, in reality, this is currently out of reach.
We need to tell our politicians that the only solution to curbing emissions from flying is not to permit more flights, and to ask them to do everything they can to oppose increased passenger numbers from Luton Airport.
Thank you to everyone who came to our Warm Homes Workshop
A big thank you to everyone who helped with or came along to the Warm Homes Workshop that we held on Saturday 17th June.
Experts from Better Housing Better Health, St Albans Community Bank, JAC Architects, St Albans Citizens Advice, Sustainable St Albans Thermal Imaging Camera advisers and Solinvictus were able to help guests with queries around leaky windows, boiler problems, whether to get solar panels and so much more. All will hopefully have a warmer and slightly more affordable home this winter. In addition we gathered lots of signatures for our United for Warm Homes Petition to out MPs.
If you've not done so please sign the petition now and let's make sure that insulation and green energy are crucial issues at the next election so everyone can have a warm home that doesn't cost the earth.
And finally... Get active on social media
If you've not joined the St. Albans Friends of the Earth Facebook Group yet, then there's no time like the present.
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And get on Twitter to find us at @stalbansfoe
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If you're really keen, then get some top tips to be really effective on social media here.