Climate Change Resolution
On 11th July 2019 Lindfield Parish Council passed the following resolution:
Lindfield Parish Council acknowledges that climate change is a serious issue. Lindfield Parish Council has already taken steps to mitigate against climate change and will continue to do so. The council will seek to keep up to date with advice from its regional and national associations regarding climate change and the role that local authorities can play. The council will consider this at its first Environment and Amenities meeting where it will be discussed fully. The council, where possible, will consider climate change alongside other factors when decision-making. The council will seek to help residents, through educational means, to reduce their carbon footprint.
This resolution was developed following a presentation on climate change by Fairer World Lindfield ( click here for Facebook link) at the Annual Parish Meeting in May 2019.
Climate Change Action Plan
Lindfield Parish Council is pleased to announce that it has adopted a Climate Change Action Plan, which commits to helping tackle the environmental emergency at a local level. A copy of the Plan can be found by clicking here. The plan was last updated in February 2023.
Climate Change Working Group
On 14th November 2019, Full Council agreed to the formation of the Climate Change Working Group. Councillor Wood chairs the Working Group, which also includes Councillors Grace, and Wilson. Additionally, the Parish Clerk assists the Working Group.
- The terms of reference for the Climate Change Working Group are:
- Consider how best the Council can meet its Climate Change policy objectives.
- Provide the E&A Committee and Full Council with regular updates.
- Provide updates and advice for the local community.
- Obtain quotes for any projects/ideas.
- Propose future & ideas that could be included in a business plan / future budgets.
- Subject to Committee and/or Full Council approval implement projects/ideas.
- Monitor effectiveness of any implement projects/ideas.
- Liaise with third parties.
Actions undertaken so far
The following work has been undertaken:
- Passed a Climate Change Resolution.
- Implemented a Climate Change Action Plan.
- Passed a tree policy for trees on Parish Council-owned land.
- Signed the Tree Charter and support its objectives ( https://treecharter.uk/ ).
- Installed wildlife boxes on the Denmans Lane allotments & Wilderness Field. Wildlife boxes provide shelter and a safe nesting place. Boxes installed include those for birds and solitary bees. Most bees in the UK are solitary. Bees are very important to our ecosystems and economy as they help pollinate fruit, vegetable crops, and wildflowers.
- The Working Group holds regular meetings and is working with other local authorities to explore and promote local Climate Change initiatives. Working Group members regularly take part in third-party events.
- Planted additional trees on the Wilderness Field and Denmans Lane allotment site.
- Implemented a management scheme for the Wilderness Field that seeks to promote the re-establishment of wildflowers to help pollinators.
- Encouraged residents and visitors to the village to grow native wildflowers by giving away free seeds at Lindfield Village Day.
- Produced articles in Lindfield Life promoting the policy, its objectives, and the work of the community.
- Contributed financially towards Fairer World Lindfields virtual screening of the film 2040
- Purchased a Volatile Organic Compound monitoring device. Data from the devices is uploaded onto the following map: https://map.atmotube.com/en/united-kingdom/england
- Supported the setting up of Lindfield Repair Café by providing a start-up donation of £500. In its first year, the group held ten events, attracted 892 visitors, and repaired 779 items. For information on the group can be found by clicking here.
- Contributed toward the installation of a new floating island on Lindfield Pond which includes plants to support the ecosystem.
- Where possible purchase environmentally friendly consumables for the office (for example washing up liquid, soap, etc)
- Created a Climate Change Award to recognise the work of individuals, groups, and businesses in the local area who are seeking to tackle climate change. The award scheme aims to promote good practice.
- Support the Greener Lindfield local partnership. This partnership seeks to bring together groups, individuals, and businesses across the village to encourage and support sustainable gardening practices.
Carbon Impact Tool
The Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE), in collaboration with the University of Exeter, has developed the Community Carbon Calculator tool called Impact. Impact is a free, open-source, online tool providing small communities with easy-to-understand data about where most carbon emissions come from in their local area. Members of the community can then use this information to work together to cut emissions. The tool considers the following categories:
- Housing - Emissions resulting from residents’ use of energy in their homes.
- Food and diet - Emissions resulting from the consumption of food and drink products by residents
- Travel - Emissions resulting from the transport choices & behaviours of residents
- Waste - Emissions resulting from the management of waste generated by residents
- Consumption of goods and services - Emissions resulting from the purchase of goods and the use of services by residents.
The following
table shows the CO2e figures for the local area and nationally:
| |
Lindfield
Urban
|
Mid Sussex
|
GB Average
|
|
Housing Emissions
|
3.91
|
3.93
|
3.5
|
|
Food and diet
|
4.14
|
4.14
|
3.6
|
|
Travel
|
3.62
|
3.8
|
3.1
|
|
Waste
|
0.17
|
0.18
|
0.1
|
|
Consumption of goods & services
|
6.91
|
6.7
|
5.4
|
|
Total
|
18.8
|
18.8
|
15.7
|
More information on the Impact tool can be found here.
Greener Lindfield – September 2023 article
Saving Seeds By Christine Cawley
As summer draws to a close and autumn approaches, gardeners will traditionally be starting to tidy their plots in readiness for winter. However, we are increasingly becoming aware of the benefits to wildlife of not being too hasty to clear away plants which are no longer productive but whose maturing seeds and decaying foliage can provide a rich source of winter food and shelter for insects, birds, rodents and other small mammals.
Some seedheads are also beautiful to look at, and they deserve to be left in situ to be enjoyed by all. Alliums often look even more dramatic in seed than when flowering, and honesty (Lunaria annua) produces papery discs dotted with seeds which the low autumn sunlight illuminates with a silvery glow.
By leaving the seedheads on flowers after the colour has faded, we are not only helping wildlife but also renewing the diversity of our gardens. Every spring I delight in the sight of those “volunteer” flowers of forget-me-nots, foxgloves, hollyhocks and love-in-a-mist which have self-sown themselves around my garden. Some purists may consider them weeds, and certainly some of them can be a little too vigorous, but simply by leaving them to do their thing we ensure they come back year after year to provide the essential backdrop for a beautiful cottage garden.
We can give nature a helping hand by collecting seed of our favourite annuals and sowing it where we want the flowers to appear. On a dry day, once the seed pods start to go brown and rattle when shaken, collect them in a paper bag and “clean” them by separating out the seeds from the stalks and other detritus. They can then be stored in brown paper envelopes until you’re ready to sow them when conditions are favourable as things begin to warm up the following spring.
The added benefit of doing this is that many flowers produce masses of seed, which when collected can be shared with family and friends and exchanged at seed swaps for other varieties, thus increasing the beauty and diversity of all our gardens.
Find us on Facebook @GreenerLindfield or email greenerlindfield@gmail.com.
How you can become involved
We want to work with the local community including local groups, businesses, and other councils, to raise awareness of climate and sustainability-related issues, share good practices and identify actions we can implement in Lindfield. We would welcome any interested residents or local businesses to contact us if you would like to become involved or have any ideas which you would like us to consider. Ideas can be submitted by the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BPPDSZJ
One of our aims is to seek to encourage Lindfield-based businesses to be environmentally sustainable. Alongside this, we would like to encourage residents to make changes in their behaviours to be more carbon-neutral. This will include promoting and encouraging recycling, reuse, and repair as well as walking and cycling as leisure activities. The Challenge to live differently - Have you thought about how you could make an action that could help the environment? Here are some suggestions:
- Commit to recycling more.
- Try to re-use rather than dispose of items.
- Commit to using your car less.
- Buy from environmentally friendly businesses.
- Grow more of your food.
The Climate Change Working Group can be contacted using the following email address: climate@lindfieldparishcouncil.gov.uk