DDC/KCC Neighbourhood Forum in Deal 13th Oct

Community Meeting To Focus On Environmental Projects In The Deal And Walmer Area

Joint Press Release By: Kent County Council and Dover District Council

Residents are invited to come along to a community meeting focusing on environmental projects in the Deal and Walmer area, being held at the Astor Theatre in Deal on Thursday 13 October from 7pm.

This is the latest event to take place in the Dover District under the remit of the Neighbourhood Forums.

The meeting will include a chance to meet local groups and to find out about environmental projects in the area. The event will include information stands and speakers from projects including the Pines Calyx, Rippledown Environmental Education Centre, and Deal With It. There will also be an opportunity to get involved in small tabled discussions on the work of KCC and DDC on environmental projects in the area.

Doors open at 7pm and the event closes at 9pm. Light refreshments will be provided.

Dover District Neighbourhood Forums are a joint initiative between Kent County Council, Dover District Council and Town and Parish Councils, and are a key element in our commitment to continue to inform, consult and involve local residents.

For further information, please email neighbourhoodforums@dover.gov.uk or see the Neighbourhood Forums page or see the KCC Community Engagement page, or sign up for regular updates with our Keep Me Posted email alert service.

Victoria's Green Matters - Thursday 29th September 2016

Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:

We have written about poor air quality in the past and emphasised how deadly it is all around the world. It kills more people than malaria and HIV/Aids put together and has been linked to heart and lung disease and strokes for many years. Now, toxic nanoparticles from air pollution have been discovered in human brains.

The scientists have called their new research a ‘discovery finding’ which should now lead to further examination into what is potentially an environmental risk factor in Alzheimer’s disease. The recent research, which examined the brain tissue of people from Manchester and Mexico, found many particles of magnetite, an iron oxide. This substance is particularly toxic in the brain and oxidative cell damage is one of the key features of Alzheimer’s disease.

Many of the magnetite particles found in the brain are very distinctive because their shape suggests that they are from molten sources from combustion, such as car exhausts, power stations or industrial processes. Magnetite pollution is everywhere – a survey of roadside air in Lancashire found 200 million magnetite particles per cubic metre.

A study undertaken in 2015 linked air pollution to a significant increase in the risk of Alzheimer’s disease while other research showed brain damage in children and young people related to Alzheimer’s. Dementia in older men and women has also been linked to air pollution.

Surely it is time to take drastic action to reduce the amount of pollution in our cities so as not to condemn future generations to this horrible disease.



Victoria Nicholls. Transition Deal.

#GreatBritishBeachClean - Deal 18th September

 

All Big Thank You to our 33 Volunteers of today's Deal Beach Clean - part of MCS's 'Great British Beach Clean'

We collected and logged 14 bags of rubbish weighing just over 18kgs - lots of small bits of plastic and fishing line today. 

Our next Deal With It Beach Clean will be a pop-up one on Sunday 23rd October 10am meeting at Sea Cafe on the Walmer Green - All Welcome.

There is also the Kingsdown & Ringwould Parish Council's Autumn Beach Clean of Kingsdown Beach next Sunday 25th Sept from 10am

Orchard Community Energy - Kent's 1st Community Energy Company AGM

5.5% APR 3-YEAR BOND. ORCHARD COMMUNITY ENERGY BOND LAUNCH AND AGM

Event to be held at the following time, date and location: Wednesday, 14 September 2016 from 18:30 to 21:00 (BST) UKP Leisure Club Avenue of Remembrance ME10 4DE Sittingbourne United Kingdom View Map

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Want to find out more about the community energy model? The board of Orchard Community Energy ( OCE) - Kent's biggest community-owned renewable energy project - invites you to its bond launch and first AGM. We have already successfully acquired a £6M solar farm in Iwade Parish, near Sittingbourne, using the community ownership model. This is an exciting step for Kent and just the beginning of our aim to ensure communities have the opportunity to own and control the generation and use of energy. Come and hear about what community investment in this solar array near Iwade in Kent is now achieving. Existing members and shareholders as well as local and Kent-wide residents are warmly invited to join us at UKP Leisure, Sittingbourne. OCE acquired the solar array in June 2016, when the site was already generating and exporting electricty to the grid. The 5 MW array produces enough electricity in a year to meet roughly the equivalent demand of 1250 homes. Using the community energy financing model, we are ensuring that surplus profits are accrued at a highly beneficial rate. Over a 20 year span, Orchard Community Energy aims to build a Community Fund of up to £3M. Supported by Mongoose Energy Limited, the board of OCE, plans to deliver further community energy projects, enabling the people of Kent to literally take power into their own hands. Please book early as spaces are limited. For information about other community energy events in Kent throughout September and October, where you can speak to at least one of the OCE directors, please contact Stephanie Karpetas. stephanie@sustainabilityconnections.co.uk Agenda 18.30   Arrival    Refreshments and a chance to network/ meet the Board 1900    The Orchard Community Energy Bond Offer (The full bond offer document will be available on the evening) 19.45    AGM : Including Chair’s Report – what has been achieved so far and plans for the future – Penny Shepherd; audited accounts, community fund and re-election of Directors. 20.30 Q & A / Networking 21.00  Close

Eastry Community Energy - 10th Sept Open Day

Eastry Energy is a new Community Energy Initiative based in Eastry near Sandwich. 

We are organising our first Energy Information Event in the afternoon of Saturday 10thSeptember 2016 

Name of the Event: “Power to the People”
Location: Eastry Village Hall - High Street - CT13 0HE Date: Sat 10 Sept Times: 2 to 5pm

The aim of the event is to create a dialogue with local residents and raise awareness of products and services that are now available in the renewable sector.

Great British Beach Clean - Deal 18th September

This month sees the annual national survey of rubbish on our coastline run by the Marine Conservation Society - 'the Great British Beach Clean'

Our Deal Beach Clean on the 18th September (9:30am meet at Deal Pier) is part of this and we will be supplying pickers, bags, gloves and logging sheets. Children are very welcome but must supervised by an adult.

The Clean will last for about an hour.

There are about eight other cleans happening around the Kent Coast and nearly 200 nationally see here for full details

Great British Beach Cleans in Kent include:

17th September: Bishopstone Glenn - West. Register >

17th September: Grenham Bay. Register >

17th September: Pegwell Bay. Register >

17th September: Plumpudding (Minnis Bay). Register >

18th September: Deal. Register >

18th September: Beach Walk. Register >

18th September: Dungeness NNR. Register >

19th September: Garrison Point Beach. Register >

19th September: Epple Bay. Register >

You can see the national report from the 2015 Clean here

Victoria's Green Matters - 1st September 2016

Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:

Zero Waste Week is a campaign dedicated to raising awareness about waste and reducing it around the world. After all, there is no such place as ‘away’. Every time we throw something away, it goes to landfill, is incinerated, it is litter or worse, it may end up in the stomach of an animal.

Zero Waste Week takes place each year and is happening this year from 5 - 9 September. It is concentrating on food waste and the theme is ‘use it up’. Did you know that the average family wastes £50 worth of food a month? It is definitely time we did something about this.

There are many ways that you can aim for zero waste. Avoid the BOGOF! If fresh items are involved in a ‘buy one get one free’ offer, the chances are that you will throw away the extra one. Either only have one item or if you have two, make sure that you share the extra with friends or neighbours if you can’t use it yourself.

How are you on portion sizes? Take note from the packet of pasta/rice and only cook enough for the people you are feeding or make sure you have plans to use any leftovers!

Once in a while, only cook what you already have in the house. See what you have in the freezer and your cupboards – you will probably be really surprised by the meals you can create.
Have you left your fruit and veg too long in the bowl and they’re past their best? Don’t throw them away – make soup with the veg and smoothies with the fruit.

To find out lots more about zero waste go to www.zerowasteweek.co.uk