Happy International Women's Day! - 8th March 2010

Great video from ActionAid! http://www.actionaid.org.uk -
'The Girl Effect'

Keeping the Lights on - 20th April - CPRE Kent Pines Calyx

The Kent area of the Campiagn to Protect Rural England have a conference event 'On Keepting the Lights On' on the Tuesday 20th April at the Pines Calyx centre in St Margarets10:30-1:45pm. £20 for CPRE members.
Speakers included:  Peter Harper (CAT), Alastair Gould (Carbon Free Group) and Sir Crispin Tickell.
http://www.cprekent.org.uk/read-event.php?id=3

Warm Homes, Greener Homes....

The Government announced its Household Energy Strategy - 'Warm Homes, Greener Homes' on Tuesday at EcoBuild


Its three key points are:

• 'Pay as you Save' - Loan scheme from 2012. This tied to the property rather the current owner.
• More powers to Local Authority's working with energy companies to deliver local energy plans
• More regulation on energy standards, especially on private landlords

The overall aim is to reduce emissions from homes by 29 per cent by 2020.

For more info check the Dept of Energy & Climate Change website or comment at Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/mar/02/ed-miliband-loans-green-home

Victoria's Green Matters - 28th Feb

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

Is spring really just around the corner? It is difficult to believe that we are ever going to be able to do any gardening again with ground so sodden after all the rain. If you have any vegetables over wintering in your garden, they will be looking very sorry for themselves as they try to overcome all the water around them.

It is a delight to see the snowdrops, their pretty white and green flowers dancing in the wind and rain.  They may look delicate and fragile but were able to reappear from under a thick blanket of snow to cheer us up. Most years they seem to bring the spring with them but this time we are still waiting despite the crocuses and miniature iris bringing us some colour.

If you have been able to find a couple of hours to spend in the garden during the few fine days we have had, it is the time of year to be tidying up after the winter. If you have clematis that flower in late spring and early summer, now is the time to prune them lightly. Cut out thin and overcrowded stems as low down on the plant as possible and tie in the remaining stems to the plant’s support for a good display later on in the year. Buddleias and other summer flowering shrubs can also be pruned now so be brave and cut them down so that new shoots will bear flowers and the bush will be the shape you prefer.

If you are lucky enough to have a greenhouse, you will already be thinking about the vegetables that you can start off now. You can go a long way towards your ‘5 a day’ by sowing lots of seed to plant out later. It is heart warming to look forward to growing your own fruit and vegetables, however small your space, with the added bonus of cutting your carbon footprint.

Trains4DeaL - 'The Deal footplate men'

Train4Deal who are campaigning to get the High Speed Trains that trundle past Deal to stop have launched a protest song against SouthEast Trains. Rebadged local band 'Cary, Rathbone and Bell' as the Deal Footplate Men. Next meeting is on Thursday at the Alma - more details at http://trains4deal.com/

Time for Plan Bee....

The Cooperative are running a brilliant campaign on urban bee keeping in 2010. They have a petition against pesticides and are funding training & equipment to get you going as a bee keeper. As well as this they are putting another £160k in research projects on the demise of the honeybee. They even do discounted bee boxs for solitary bees!

Please sign the petition and get more info at http://www.co-operative.coop/ethicsinaction/takeaction/planbee/

Victoria's Green Matters - 21st Feb

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

What does renewable energy mean to you? Many people think only of power from the wind, either on or offshore, when renewable energy is mentioned. Wind turbines have a huge place in the mix of energy forms for the future and they can also cause great controversy if there are plans to site them in sensitive areas where communities or wild life will be affected.

There are several other forms of renewable energy, some of which can be installed in homes and can benefit the population directly. These include solar water heating and photovoltaic panels, the latter generating electricity directly from light.

At the beginning of February the Government introduced new feed-in tariffs for domestic renewable energy, which means that anyone installing photovoltaic panels, a hydro-electric scheme or their own wind turbine, will be paid for the electricity they produce. Sounds too good to be true? Not at all – and this is only bringing us into line with other European countries, e.g. Germany, where feed-in tariffs have been operating for ten years.

In actual fact, the benefits are threefold: the householder will be paid 41p per unit of electricity generated; they will not have to buy electricity from their provider and should they have any electricity unused, they can sell that back to the National Grid at 3p per unit. There is, of course, an initial outlay but at present there is also a Government Grant of £2,500, which can help with this.

This represents an excellent investment of 8-10% on money put into the scheme that you choose. It also represents a certain amount of independence from the energy companies that rule our lives at present and as fossil fuels become rarer will have increasing difficulty giving us a continuous supply.

If you are lucky enough to be able to fit both solar thermal and photovoltaic panels, you will have a supply of hot water and generate electricity, too. You will have made a very good investment and reduced your carbon footprint into the bargain. Worth thinking about?

For more information go to the Energy Saving Trust at www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

DWI: Deal Home energy audits ends this week....

The joint campaign between Deal With IT and the Energy Savings Trust for Home Energy Audits in Deal has had a great response. The campaign has been focussed in Mill Hill area and on homes built post-ww2. It has used state of the art GIS mapping (Geographic Information Systems) and thermal imaging techniques to help identify homes that it would be beneficial to.

Those taking part will be getting a full survey report in the next few weeks with recommendations on how to slash their heating & power bills

 If you missed out on survey contact the Energy Savings Trust on 0800 512 012 or get an online assessment at www.energysavingstrust.org.uk

Call of the Wild - What Kent's wildlife tell us about climate change

Deal With IT are holding a joint event with RSPB Kent on Friday 16th April - 7pm Landmark Centre Deal High Street on 'The Call of the Wild: What Kent's wildlife & countryside tell us about climate change'.

We have two speakers Michael Walter of Blean Woods National Nature Reserve and Geoff Meaden Canterbury Christchurch University. All Welcome.

FairTrade Fortnight: 22nd Feb - 7th March

FairTrade Fortnight has started - what are you going to swap? Make sure you add your pledge at  http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/

Publish Post

thebigswap/

Celebrating our third birthday....

Deal With It held its third AGM on Saturday 13th February 2010. Rosemary Rechter, Deal With It co-ordinator said: “We have had a really successful year; both in the number & variety of events we have organised and in getting the message on climate change out to the people of Deal”.

The highlights in the past year have been:

• The very popular ‘Celebrate Your Deal’ event headlining local produce & green issues
• The packed meetings with Caroline Lucas, MEP and Michael Meacher MP
• Film showings of the ‘Age of Stupid’ at the Pines Calyx
• The groups involvement in the district council’s Local Development Strategy
• Working with the Energy Saving Trust to get local home energy audits.

The meeting agreed the following priorities for the Group in 2010:

• To become a supporter of Fair Trade
• To work towards Deal gaining ‘transition town’ status
• To support and extend the campaigns on transport and especially local train provision
• Establishing more local links with villages and other local organisations
• Re-run the ‘Celebrate Your Deal’ in October
• Organise meetings on Home energy in March and the impact of Climate change on wildlife (with the RSPB) in April.

This year’s committee is:
· Rosemary Rechter (Co-ordinator), Victoria Nicholls (Secretary), Helen Reeve (Treasurer)
· Becky Lythgoe, Sue Delling, Sarah Gleave & Steve Wakeford (Publicity)

Join the Magnificent Revolution.......

Magnificent Revolution come up with some really interesting but simple green ideas. The one that caught my attention was their bicycle generators for outdoor amplification - Here demonstrated by Deal's very own Cocos Lovers at a gig at the Secret Garden Festival last year playing their Howling Wind.....

Check out Magnificent Revolution's site at http://www.magnificentrevolution.org/ as they have got some fanastic ideas!

Ps. The Cocos Lovers are at the Astor on the 6th March....

Earth Hour 2010 - 8:30pm Sat 27th March 2010

Turn off your lights to show support

In 2009 hundreds of millions of people around the world showed their support by turning off their lights for one hour.
Earth Hour 2010 will continue to be a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community. A call to stand up, to show leadership and be responsible for our future.
Pledge your support here and turn off your lights for one hour, Earth Hour, 8.30pm, Saturday 27th March 2010.
It’s Showtime! Show what can be done.

Deal DIY Green home energy group....

DWI member Jack Domane who will be speaking at our Green Energy Forum on the 20th March is also very keen to get a group going to put some of these green ideas into practice in Deal.

Jack a retired engineer has already installed a cheap £80 solution for transferring the heat from his conservatory into his house which has slashed his heating bills. He thinks he can do the same for his hot water bill; he is working on prototype for cheap and easily maintained wall-mounted Solar water heating system which would only cost about £500 but could half his hot water bills... interested, well meet jack on the 20th or email him at j.daledomane@btinternet.com

'Deal With It' supports FairTrade

At our recent AGM in February, 'Deal With It' voted to support Fair Trade principles and the local campaign make Deal a 'FairTrade' town. Find out more at http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/

Better trains for Deal .....

As well as our own DWI campaign to improve the local train service, especially the loop up to Canterbury, 'Deal With It' are also supporting the 'Trains4Deal' campaign to get the new London bound high speed trains to stop at Deal -support them at  http://trains4deal.com/

Deal With IT - Green Energy Forum 20th March - Landmark Centre 2pm

Deal With IT have organised a Green Energy Forum at 2pm on Saturday 20th March at the Landmark Centre, High Street, Deal Kent CT14 6BB


Come along and find out how you can have cheaper and greener energy in your home!
This meeting will aim to provide a fund of information to anyone interested in domestic renewable energy, especially those currently considering what they themselves would like to install.
You will find out what the options are, how much they are likely to cost, what you will save, and also how you can do it all yourself and save even more money!
Steve Plater, a PhD student at the Energy & Environment Research Unit of the Open University, specialises in the production of solar electricity and will explain all the options available for domestic use.
Jack Domane, a retired design engineer, will explain to those with the necessary skills how they can make their own solar panels at much less cost.   

Hannah Jones, a representative from ‘Eternal Energy’, will be on hand with a mobile display unit which will illustrate some solar technology for the home.

Be Certifiably Green in 2010

A Permaculture Design course is to be held at Rippledown Environmental Education Centre. The course will teach you how to use permaculture principles and practice:

- in your own life
- to contribute to the Transition Town processes
- for community projects
- to improve sustainability in your workplace.

This 12 day Accredited Permaculture Design Certificate Course will be lead by Steve Charter (Diploma Permaculture Design, MA Environmental Planning), assisted by Nir Halfon (Dip Biodynamics, Cert. Permaculture Design) and covers eco-building, sustainable energy, sewage, composting, eco-community and appropriate economics. The Certificate will be issued by the Permaculture Academy (GB) and is recognised by the permaculture and sustainable communities movement world-wide. The course is being run in association with The Bay Trust - an environmental education charity leading a wide range of not-for-profit sustainable community activities in the East Kent area and working to promote healthy, sustainable living.

Course Fees: £750/person
This particular PDC Course is being very generously subsidised by The Bay Trust and the price includes full course fees, accommodation and food. It is possible to take individual weekends or parts of the course, by agreement only. The Pc Design Certificate is only gained by those completing the full course.

Course Dates:
Fri 29th January to Sun 31st January 2010
Fri 26th February to Sun 28th February 2010
Fri 26th March to Sun 28th March 2010
Fri 16th April to Sun 18th April 2010

For further information click here.

Will Fidel attend Environment Exhibition?

Forget the will he/won't he rumours about Barack Obama attending The Copenhagen Climate Summit. The question that is now on everyone's lips is 'Will Fidel come to the 'Deal With It' Library Exhibition?'.

The odds are on that Fidel (Deal Library's only feline member) will not miss this exciting event, given he is a highly intelligent cat, no doubt concerned that mankind seem intent on ruining the planet not only for themselves, but for every other species too.

The exhibtion at Deal Libray starts on Saturday 19th December and runs throughout the Christmas period. Please come down and have a look at our displays and information, including what 'Deal With It' have achieved this year, activities by other local organisations as well as pointers on how you too could make 2010 a greener year.

Cat lovers who haven't read Fidel's story click here.

Christmas at the Calyx

On Friday 18th December The Bay Trust and Village Energy Group welcomes you to 'Christmas At The Calyx'from 4 til 6pm. Come along for mulled wine, mince pies and a few hearty carols.There will be lots of festive cheer with story telling and live music for children.

At 5pm a brief presentation will illustrate the progress made in St. Margaret's over the past 18 months in reducing carbon footprints, saving money on energy bills and other efforts that have contributed to a more sustainable future for the village. A positive local response to the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit!