I recently managed to catch up with my best friend who has been travelling for seven weeks, and has now returned to her home in Sydney, Australia.
She’s been reporting back on the weather over there – the wicked fires in Victoria, the very hot weather along the east coast and now the shocking floods in the Cumberland river. It seems the world is determined to get the message home to us that nature isn’t happy.
With climate change a worldwide issue, it can sometimes feel daunting and out of our control. But we can all make a difference. No matter how small, every gesture really does help.
At a Council meeting in 2018, Frome Town Council declared a climate emergency. There are many activities and projects at FTC that are designed to make a positive difference.
If you’re living in a poorly insulated property, need advice on making your home more energy efficient, or even if you’re concerned about paying energy bills, there’s help at hand from the council’s Healthy Homes team.
We already know that walking and cycling are healthy ways to stay active but it’s also a great way to avoid using the car, reducing our carbon output.
Recycling is another way to help, thinking how we might avoid our heavy use of landfill, even to the point of being aware of the way we shop, and the products we buy. Please also remember that the community fridge is there for us all and is designed to reduce food wastage which would otherwise be discarded.
Growing our own vegetables can also be a great opportunity to save money, reduce the use of pesticides, and to use any waste food for composting. If you don’t have outside space where you are, there is a waiting list for allotments, but hopefully worth the wait! Contact Frome Allotment Association directly to find out more.
One example of re-using materials includes donating any old or unused technical equipment to DonateIT’s tech amnesties at the town hall. There’s another opportunity coming soon, on Saturday 31 January from 10am to 1pm – bring your unwanted computers, smartphones, consoles and tablets to be rehomed or responsibly recycled, with all your data securely removed. This year the tech amnesty is happening in the same day as Everyone Needs Pockets’ Mammoth Mending Day, also at the town hall, from 10am to 4pm – why not book a place to bring your projects or much-loved clothing in need of care and attention along to give it a new lease of life?
It’s up to each and every one of us to think carefully about what we do in our daily lives. The world is in crisis. Let’s not just rely on others to fix it. We can each make a difference, so let’s do it!
Book a free space for the Mammoth Mending Day on 31 January at bit.ly/mammoth-mending-day-jan26. More about Healthy Homes at bit.ly/healthy-homes-ftc. Contact Frome Allotment Association at fromeallotments.co.uk.
