Greening Medstead
Campaign Phase Two
Following the success of the first phase of the Greening Medstead campaign, the Environmental Group met with Terena Plowright, Director of The Greening Campaign, in September 2009, to initaite planning for phase two of the campaign.
This phase will take a more detailed and structured approach to tackling our village's impact on climate change. Potential initiatives being discussed, include:
- Pensioners Heating and Insulation Scheme: a project is being developed to assist residents, especially the elderly, with grant applications for and installation of home insulation.
- Renewable Energy Projects: a project being developed in association with Medstead Bowls Club has been suspended pending the restoration of the Village Hall. The project would have installed solar roof panels to generate electricity for the Club with any surplus being sold back to the National Grid and the income generated shared with other community organisations. However, it has been decided more appropriate to concentrate resources on the restoration of the Village Hall.
- Education & Awareness Programme: feedback from Phase I of the campaign included significant interest from residents and village organisations to better understand the different renewable energy options available and their advantages and disadvantages.
- Community Gardens: establishing and maintaining vegetable gardens for the benefit of the community.
- Energy Monitor Loan Scheme: providing Southern Electric Smart Meters, on a loan basis and in return for a refundable deposit, to residents via The Handy Store.
What do you think? Contact the Environmental Group with your comments.
Solar, Wind, Water or Air?
From April 2010 it will be possible to receive payment for electricity that you generate and use yourself, see the table below, with figures provided by the Department Of Energy and Climate Change. If you generate enough electricity and export some back into the grid, the feed-in tariff rates in the table below will increase by 5p kW/hr.
To explain all this and give some guidance on costs and which type of renewable energy might be suitable for you, the Greening Medstead team will be producing a series of articles. These will look at different technologies such as Solar (PV & Water), Wind, and Air Source Heat Pumps.
The information will come primarily from the Energy Saving Trust (EST), the Low-Impact Living Initiative (LILI) and local experts.
So if you want to save money and the planet, keep a look out for future articles over the coming months. It is planned to have experts at the Medstead Fête to take your questions or contact the Environmental Group.
Medstead Saves 145 Tonnes of CO2!
Medstead residents were delighted to hear the news that that they had achieved a saving of 144.613 tonnes of carbon dioxide, 101,000 litres of water and £23,672 on bills through their participation in the Greening Medstead Campaign's drive to reduce energy consumption and save CO2. The results were formally announced on Saturday, 11th July at the Village Fête.
Following the launch of the campaign in early May, challenge cards were posted in windows and on gateposts throughout the parish and the formal count was made in the first few days of July; 131 households (17% of the parish) took up the challenge. The Energy Saving Trust independently audited the results.
"This is a fantastic achievement and makes Medstead one of the top performing villages in the whole of Hampshire and Sussex, well done Medstead" said Terena Plowright, director of the Greening Campaign.
Medstead Primary School staff and children were presented with an award, a glass plate with the greening campaign logo, for their contribution towards the carbon reduction. It is intended to pass on the award next year to the organisation or individual in the village who makes the most significant contribution to the greening campaign. The award is an original design by local artist Jan Simpson, of Koru Glass Designs.
The Medstead Environment Group would like to thank all residents who supported the campaign. In addition thanks go to Signs Direct for the posters, local businesses who promoted the campaign with posters and flyers and, of course, those residents who championed the ten challenges at the Launch event in May. Finally, thanks to Linda Horne from EHDC who provided an informative display on recycling at the Fête - the mucky dip went down a storm even if a bit smelly!
Greening Medstead continues, with an evaluation of the next phase of the campaign which will take a more detailed and structured approach to tackling Medstead's impact on climate change, starting with identifying sustainable projects for the community.
You can keep up to date on the activities of the Environment Group, including updates on the Village Green and the Village Pond, via this website, through the pages of the Medstead Times, or email: with 'subscribe' in the header to receive newsletters by email.
Take The Challenge
You can participate directly in the Greening Medstead campaign by taking five small, simple and inexpensive actions from the ten initiatives below:
- Turn off the lights when you leave the room:
Save £6 and stop 23kg of CO2 from going into the atmosphere. - Change three light bulbs to low energy:
This could stop as much as 32kg of CO2 being emitted and could save you £9. - Do not leave the tap running when brushing teeth:
Save a massive 4.23 tonnes of water. The water running down the plug hole has been filtered, cleaned and pumped, which uses energy too. - Insulate the hot water tank to a depth of 75mm:
Save £30 and stop 195kg of CO2 being released. - Turn off all inactive appliances and standbys:
Save £32 and stop 130kg of CO2 being pumped into the atmosphere. - Top up loft insulation to a depth of 270mm:
Save £45 and 300kg of CO2. - Boil only the amount of water you need:
This could save £6 and 29kg of CO2. - Turn the thermostat down by 1°C:
Save £50 and 330kg of CO2. - Install cavity wall insulation:
Save £120 and stop 800kg of CO2 being released. - Reduce the flush on the toilet by installing a water saving device:
Save 3480 litres of water, up to £8 and 2kg of CO2.
These ten initiatives have been included on a Challenge Card which is being delivered to all households in the Parish. They are also available at The Handy Stores and Read's Butchers.
You can also download a Challenge Card here.
All you have to do is to make your card visible to the road by Wednesday, 1st July so we can collect them and complete an audit on the amount of CO2 saved by the village.
The results will be published at the Village Fête, on Saturday, 11th July.
In the Parish Plan, nearly 80% of residents said that "the Parish should encourage local initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint". Let's see if Medstead can do even better than our neighbouring communities who have already taken up the challenge!
Campaign Launched!
Medstead's youngsters led the way at the launch of the Greening Medstead Campaign on Saturday, 9th May. The Village Hall was packed with displays on how every one of us can reduce our carbon footprint and so play our part in fighting climate change.
Pupils and teachers from Medstead School demonstrated the two challenges they are championing: reducing the water used each time a toilet is flushed by using a Hippo Bag and turning off all inactive appliances and standbys. Better Plan Monitors from Southern Electric show just how much electricity a household is consuming minute by minute and what a difference turning off a light or standby can make.
The Guides were also there to tell us just how much carbon and money we can save by turning off a light when you leave a room. It seems so obvious, but how many of us do it?
The Brownies challenged visitors to brush their teeth for two minutes while they collected the water used when leaving the tap running. The water was then measured and on average 10 litres of water runs down the plughole.
They reminded participants this was not only a waste of water, but also of the energy that has been used to clean, filter and pump the water to our homes. Their message is: "turn off taps when brushing teeth".
The benefit of cavity wall insulation was clearly demonstrated by an amazing dolls house, created with the help of the Beavers. One room had been insulated and the other, not. Both rooms were heated by a 40 watt bulb and a thermometer in each room showed an 8°C difference in temperature. Examples of a variety of loft insulation materials were also on display.
There was a display showing the damage that can be done to your pipes and hot water tank in a hard water area like Medstead. The cylinder gradually accumulates large deposits of chalk and the potential for wasting heat if there is no water softener and the damage to the cylinder in a few short years was dramatic.
Most people overfill their kettle when making a cup of tea. Local eco-friendly online retailer Wikaniko demonstrated a clever new kettle which enables you to boil just the right amount of water and save both time and energy.
One frequent criticism of low energy bulbs is that they take a long time to warm up and the light they give out is not as bright as standard light bulbs.
A range of alternative low energy bulbs from Lightlines was on display, demonstrating this is no longer a problem. A large number of free low energy light bulbs were given away to visitors, courtesy of Scottish and Southern Energy.
So will Medstead residents take up the challenge? Come to Medstead's Village Fête on Saturday, 11th July and find out!
Medstead School Joins The Campaign
Medstead School is joining the Greening Medstead campaign by championing two of the challenges: toilet flush and standby!
Each family with children at the school has been sent a Hippo Bag which goes into the toilet cistern to reduce the water used each time it is flushed.
To make this more fun there is a class tally on a Greening Campaign tally board in the KS1 corridor. If you use the Hippo Bag your child can place a hippo in their class water droplet to show this. The winning class will earn points towards their class reward.
The school also has four Better Plan Monitors from Southern Electric to lend out to parents. Do you leave empty rooms with the lights still on? Do your children spend hours in the shower? Do you fill the kettle without thinking what it costs to boil it? Nothing is switched on but the meter is still running; the Better Plan Monitor can show by just how much, and it can be a shock!
The monitor is easy to use and comes with full instructions. It is a fun way of helping improve your energy habits and helps to reduce your fuel bills too!
The school will also be using one of the monitors to evaluate its energy use and to help find ways of making improvements. Staff and children will also be encouraged to do their bit in school by closing doors and windows and not leaving equipment on standby.
The school tries very hard to talk to the children about their school environment, the local environment and global issues. The Greening Campaign is a really practical and positive way to reinforce these messages and so we are very happy to give it our support - we hope you will too.
Claire Robson, Medstead School, Environment and Outdoor Education.
Campaign Planning
The first step in the campaign took place on Monday, 2nd March when 27 residents representing village organisations, clubs, businesses and societies met to help plan the launch.
The campaign was explained in detail by Terena Plowright, Director of The Greening Campaign and the Environmental Group.
Attendees were then invited to choose ten simple actions they considered to be most relevant to the village and which will enable people to make a difference to our environment today - and long into the future.
At the campaign launch in May, local organisations, businesses and individuals will act as champions to show the benefits of the initiatives in a fun and informative way.
If you would like to help champion an initaitive, please contact the Environmental Group.
Campaign Timeline
Assuming this first phase is successful we, as a community, will then move on to the next phase of the campaign. This takes a more detailed and structured approach to tackling our village's impact on climate change.
Other News
People in the community who are over 70 or on certain benefits can act now to find out if their homes qualify for free insulation - so saving money and carbon - by contacting the government-sponsored and non-profit making Energy Saving Trust.
At the end of January 2009 the Environmental Group trialled the use of a thermal imaging camera which, given the right conditions and with careful interpretation, can reveal where a building is losing heat and if improvements in insulation are needed.
Example images of the Village Hall are shown below:
Thermal images show the temperature range, from hottest to the coldest and, at the intersection of the cross, a spot temperature. The scale is different for each image. The most significant information is the relative difference between the hotter and cooler parts. If the range is very narrow then it is unlikely there is any serious heat loss, even though the hottest parts will still be shown as white on the image.
Consequently, images should avoid factors such as direct sunlight and the sky which significantly increase the temperature range and reduce the relative temperature difference.
Any surplus money raised from the trial is being donated for future Medstead environmental projects.
