Heating Up

Over the last week or two we have been all conscious how much warmer it has been as compared to the long dark days of January. The spring flowers are also feeling the warmer weather coming as the daffodils and crocuses come into bloom. In our garden the daffodils are about two weeks later than last year.
Those of us with solar hot water panels will also have been noticing the difference. We have now started having days when the panel alone can provide all the hot water we want.
At Northfield Ecocentre we record the performance of the panel. The graph in the picture above is updated to yesterday but clearly shows the rise in output. It shows the amount of daily heat produced by the sun on our panel expressed in Kilowatts. The way it dramatically increases in the summer can clearly be seen on the graph which started last spring.
If you want to watch how it performs during the summer it is regularly updated and can be seen here.

Permaculture

I have tried to understand the principles of permaculture on a number of occasions but each time have found myself bogged down in statements like “Provision for life systems”
Last night I attended a talk at Northfield Ecocentre by two people who are applying permaculture to their garden in Sutton Coldfield.
When shown in a garden setting it seems easier than when trying to apply it to “life as whole”.
I came away from the talk with the impression that if I tried to apply some of the following then I am doing some of the permaculture design principles.

· The garden must be sustainable. Ie it should not rely on inputs such as fertilisers from outside.
· Plants should be planted to help each other. Ie some like shade and some like to give shade.
· Every plant has its use whether it is to encourage bees or provide fertiliser such as nettles and comfrey.
· Understanding diversity to make things work together. Ie companion planting.
· Make use of edge effects. The sides of woods and ponds all have a use.
· Be creative in fitting things in. This may have things climbing up each othe or compost heaps heating up new plants.
· Recycle and reuse to create the infrastructure of the garden.

It is hoped the garden at the Ecocentre will have permaculture features incorporated in it. Now that the better weather is coming volunteers will be needed to come and help.

Northfield Photographs

Taking photographs often makes you see things in a different light. On Saturday I walked round the 1000 year old St Laurence Church area. I had driven through on a number of occasions but never stopped and had a look.
Northfield Ecocentre has just launched a photographic competition. The photographs have to be taken in Northfield but can be either of “Nature”, “Cityscape”, or “Community”. There are a number of age groups. So here is a chance to wander round with a purpose and see what you can find. You have until the end of May to find the perfect photo!
Details of the competition can be obtained by downloading:
The Brief
The Entry Form
There is a lot going on at the Ecocentre these days so keep an eye open for something that suits you.

It Pays to Produce Your Own Electricity

The government has recently announced that those people who produce their own electricity will be paid for doing so. The scheme is know under the name of “Feed in Tariffs” or FiT.
Some details are:
· The Feed-in Tariff makes installing micro generation much more financially attractive -it should be possible to finance the costs with a bank loan, with the income from the Feed-in Tariff helping to cover your repayments.
· Payments will be inflation-linked for all generators and tax-free for domestic properties.
· Payments are guaranteed for 20 to 25 years, depending on the technology.
· For small generators, the FiT will be paid for their total generation, including the units they use themselves.
For example - a household with a 2kW solar pv system
Installation cost: £10,500 (subject to survey)
Income (including savings made on electricity bill):£870 a year
Return on Investment 8%, payback period 12 years.
For example - a household with a 6kW wind turbine
Installation cost: £24,000 (subject to survey)
Income (including savings made on electricity bill): £2,700 a year
Return on Investment 12%, payback period 9 years
· Households should not consider installing any micro-generation technology until they have first addressed the energy-efficiency of their property.
· Technology must be appropriate for the situation - for example solar pv works best on a south-facing roof, and there is no point installing a wind turbine unless you live in a windy place.
· The scheme only applies to installations fitted after 15th July 2009 and even those get a lower rate per unit than brand new projects.
· Good Energy however will pay most people 15p a unit regardless when it was installed and can help with every stage of the process, from choosing the right technology to finding a grant to getting paid your FiT - visit www.generateyourown.co.uk to find out more

Church Photovoltaic Panels

Birmingham planners have shown Birmingham up as a “stick in the mud” department by recommending rejection of the planning permission to fit PV panels on St Mary’s Church Moseley. Councillors yesterday simply opted out by accepting the officers opinion. Some time ago I had heard that there were staff in that department who were climate change deniers so perhaps this reinforces that view.
St Marys is a grade ll listed building yet throughout the country there are examples of planning authorities granting permission for panels on even Grade l listed churches St James, Piccadilly shown above).

In rejecting the application the council has flown in the face of government advice to them which is that sustainability issues should have the highest priority when considering applications. They have even ignored the advice of one the city’s own sustainability officer who incidentally is also part of the planning team.

By this action the council has put the reputation of Birmingham as a progressive sustainable city, right to the bottom of the league

Helping the rain forests

There are a number of websites that make a contribution to a charity whenever you use them. The one below is a bit different.

Ecosia www.Ecosia.org is a search engine run by a non-profit group that uses 80% of revenue generated by leads to protect the Rain Forests.

I have put it on my desktop without any problems, it simply changed the little search box on the top RHS from 'Google' to 'Ecosia'. Every time I have used it, a small fee is paid to Ecosia and this is used for their work on the rainforests. I figure appears in the bottom right of your screen telling you how much rainforest you have saved.

If you find other websites that donate to environmental charities let us know.

Packaging

I do not often shop in Lidl but this morning we needed a few things so went in the one at Balsall Heath.
As I was coming out I noticed a lady who had past through the checkout and was packing her purchases into her bags. However before she put them in her bag she removed much of the packaging. For instance she took the bag of cornflakes out of its box and discarded the box.
I had heard of and seen this happening in Germany but never seen it in the UK.
Many of us moan about excess packaging but not many of us do something about it. I take my hat off to the Balsall Heath lady.
Incidentally Lidl do now stock some Fairtrade goods. I saw chocolate, tea, and coffee and there could have been more.

A New Year

Happy New Year to everybody. I hope you have all made resolutions to help improve the environment this year.

The start of a new year makes me start putting things in a new diary. Usually we start thinking about what plants we are going to grow particularly in the allotment. However as I write snow is falling outside so perhaps I will put it off for now.

However despite the supermarkets almost destroying the natural rhythms of the year by importing food when it is out of season there are a still a few things that can only be bought at certain times. The one that comes to mind in January is Seville oranges to make marmalade. This month is the only time of the year one can find them and even then one has to search.

I love marmalade so do go out and search and buy enough to make enough marmalade for a year. If you have not tried making your own now is the time! You can do it in the warm and ignore the weather outside.