Zero Carbon Luton
Well, summer’s been a strange one, hasn’t it? Record breaking heat, drought, climate disasters in the news, and a winter fuel crisis looming. We’re covering some of that, but we haven’t forgotten about summer holidays either.
Luton residents fundraise for Pakistan
Bracing for higher energy bills
Family holidays by train
Luton residents fundraise for Pakistan
Luton residents are rallying in support of communities in Pakistan after the country was hit by historic flooding. Mosques, local businesses, organisations and individuals have been working together, hosting events including a sponsored car wash and a charity dinner. The funds will go towards relief efforts in Pakistan, where 33 million people have been affected by flooding. Many have lost homes, crops and livestock in the heaviest monsoon season for a decade.
Among those playing a key role in coordinating the fundraising efforts is local radio station Inspire FM. “What we’re telling people is that we will market whatever they are doing,” says Operations Manager Mohammed Tariq. “If there are people out there who can do a run, a sponsored walk, whatever you can do to raise money – then we as a radio station are happy to promote that, and to support them in their venture. And if there are people who want to raise money but don’t know of a credible charity, then we can help there too and bring people together.” Inspire FM’s website will be listing details of local fundraising events and projects.
It has been a difficult year for Pakistan, and for Luton families with a connection to the country. Earlier this year Pakistan was hit with a heatwave unparalleled in 122 years of temperature records. Scientists have since suggested that climate change made the heatwave 30 times more likely. Now Pakistan has been hit again, this time by devastating floods, driven by higher rates of glacial meltwater combining with very heavy monsoon rains.
“When you have disasters like this, it brings home the impact of ignoring the environment,” says Tariq. “It’s very important at times like this to not only help and support, but also to look at the causes of why it’s happening, and see the bigger picture.”
Image credit: Children displaced by floods in the Balochistan province of Pakistan ©UNICEF/Pakistan22/Sami Malik
Bracing for higher energy bills
Household energy bills are expected to rise by 80% in the Autumn, after OFGEM raised the energy price cap in a widely expected move. Across the country, annual fuel bills will rise to an average of £3,549 – though this will rise again in January, then again in April. Many Luton households will struggle to cover these escalating costs, potentially tipping thousands of families into fuel poverty.
Various forms of help are available, from council tax rebates to cold weather payments. A new council web page brings all the schemes together in one place for those who need some extra support.
Nevertheless, many will find they aren’t eligible for these support schemes, and there will be difficult choices to make. “Unfortunately all the signs are that things will get harder for people over winter,” says council leader Hazel Simmons. “As a council we continue to lobby central government, making them aware of the plight of the most vulnerable in our town and urging them to provide more money so we can help those most at risk.”
With the coldest months a little way off yet, some will be looking for ways to reduce their bills. We’ll be sharing ideas for reducing energy use and creating warmer homes in the coming weeks. We’d also be interested in hearing about any community projects around energy saving or staying warm - all of which will reduce carbon emissions as well as keeping people comfortable and saving them money. Let us know about it in the comments below, and we’ll feature them in upcoming newsletters.
Family holidays by train
Flying is the most damaging form of transport, with carbon emissions often ten times higher than travelling by public transport. So despite living in an airport town, some families in the area choose not to fly on holiday – and that doesn’t mean you’re stuck for interesting places to go. You can get further than you might expect from Luton station.
Take the Plane family, who took a skiing holiday earlier this year. They travelled from Luton to St Pancras for an easy connection to the Eurostar to Paris. Then they caught a TGV train to the alps. “The couchette was comfortable to sleep,” says Mark of the overnight train. “There was some queueing at passport control on the Eurostar but probably quicker than airport queues. It was great to wake up to the view of the mountains in the morning.”
“We wanted to use lower carbon transport,” says Mark, but taking the train was also convenient. “The train station was two hours closer to our destination than Milan airport, and the prices were fairly similar.”
The Owladi family went on a longer train adventure: “Our family of four spent three weeks travelling in a big loop around Europe, getting as far as Warsaw and visiting 9 different countries. We found the train journeys much less tiring than it would have been to fly or drive, and in most cases we were able to get seats around a table so we could eat lunch or play games en-route. Travelling by train gave us the opportunity to see lots of different places, including some off the beaten track. We all really enjoyed the experience.”
Isaac Beevor specifically chose not to fly on holiday as part of a flight-free pledge – as encouraged by the Flight Free UK campaign. The campaign highlights the fact that people in the UK take more flights than any other country, and shares stories of people who have made a pledge to avoid flying. “My family are now taking fewer or no flights because of my choices,” says Isaac.
Lastly, my family took a train holiday too. We travelled from Luton all the way to Sweden, spending time in Germany and Denmark along the way. I’ve shared some longer observations about the trip here.
Train travel can be more expensive and isn’t for everyone. But avoiding flying for the climate doesn’t need to mean giving up holidays, travel or tourism.
In other news
Luton’s six Green Flag Parks have all retained the standard for another year. Have you been to them all? The six are Wardown, Brantwood, Leagrave, Stockwood, Memorial Park and Peoples Park.
Speaking of Stockwood, there are plans afoot for improving the park, which are out for consultation at the moment. If you’ve got a moment, have a look at the plans and add your comments.
If you’re wondering why Luton doesn’t have a hosepipe ban when lots of other areas do, it’s because most water used here is groundwater, rather than surface water such as rivers or reservoirs. Affinity Water explain.
Luton Airport has joined a Cranfield University study into direct air capture of carbon emissions, as part of its plans to reach carbon neutrality. We look forward to hearing more about study, which will be published shortly.
And finally
Find yourself saying “wait, why didn’t they include xyz in the newsletter?” Great! It means you’ve got a Luton climate story we don’t know about. Drop us a line to tell us all about it and we’ll put it in the September issue. Or if it’s more urgent than the end of next month, it’ll go on the website right now at zerocarbonluton.org.
Send your stories and questions to Jeremy Williams: jeremy@earthboundventures.org
Thanks!
Luton residents fundraise for Pakistan
Luton residents are rallying in support of communities in Pakistan after the country was hit by historic flooding. Mosques, local businesses, organisations and individuals have been working together, hosting events including a sponsored car wash and a charity dinner. The funds will go towards relief efforts in Pakistan, where 33 million people have been affected by flooding. Many have lost homes, crops and livestock in the heaviest monsoon season for a decade.
Among those playing a key role in coordinating the fundraising efforts is local radio station Inspire FM. “What we’re telling people is that we will market whatever they are doing,” says Operations Manager Mohammed Tariq. “If there are people out there who can do a run, a sponsored walk, whatever you can do to raise money – then we as a radio station are happy to promote that, and to support them in their venture. And if there are people who want to raise money but don’t know of a credible charity, then we can help there too and bring people together.” Inspire FM’s website will be listing details of local fundraising events and projects.
It has been a difficult year for Pakistan, and for Luton families with a connection to the country. Earlier this year Pakistan was hit with a heatwave unparalleled in 122 years of temperature records. Scientists have since suggested that climate change made the heatwave 30 times more likely. Now Pakistan has been hit again, this time by devastating floods, driven by higher rates of glacial meltwater combining with very heavy monsoon rains.
“When you have disasters like this, it brings home the impact of ignoring the environment,” says Tariq. “It’s very important at times like this to not only help and support, but also to look at the causes of why it’s happening, and see the bigger picture.”
Image credit: Children displaced by floods in the Balochistan province of Pakistan ©UNICEF/Pakistan22/Sami Malik
Bracing for higher energy bills
Household energy bills are expected to rise by 80% in the Autumn, after OFGEM raised the energy price cap in a widely expected move. Across the country, annual fuel bills will rise to an average of £3,549 – though this will rise again in January, then again in April. Many Luton households will struggle to cover these escalating costs, potentially tipping thousands of families into fuel poverty.
Various forms of help are available, from council tax rebates to cold weather payments. A new council web page brings all the schemes together in one place for those who need some extra support.
Nevertheless, many will find they aren’t eligible for these support schemes, and there will be difficult choices to make. “Unfortunately all the signs are that things will get harder for people over winter,” says council leader Hazel Simmons. “As a council we continue to lobby central government, making them aware of the plight of the most vulnerable in our town and urging them to provide more money so we can help those most at risk.”
With the coldest months a little way off yet, some will be looking for ways to reduce their bills. We’ll be sharing ideas for reducing energy use and creating warmer homes in the coming weeks. We’d also be interested in hearing about any community projects around energy saving or staying warm - all of which will reduce carbon emissions as well as keeping people comfortable and saving them money. Let us know about it in the comments below, and we’ll feature them in upcoming newsletters.
Family holidays by train
Flying is the most damaging form of transport, with carbon emissions often ten times higher than travelling by public transport. So despite living in an airport town, some families in the area choose not to fly on holiday – and that doesn’t mean you’re stuck for interesting places to go. You can get further than you might expect from Luton station.
Take the Plane family, who took a skiing holiday earlier this year. They travelled from Luton to St Pancras for an easy connection to the Eurostar to Paris. Then they caught a TGV train to the alps. “The couchette was comfortable to sleep,” says Mark of the overnight train. “There was some queueing at passport control on the Eurostar but probably quicker than airport queues. It was great to wake up to the view of the mountains in the morning.”
“We wanted to use lower carbon transport,” says Mark, but taking the train was also convenient. “The train station was two hours closer to our destination than Milan airport, and the prices were fairly similar.”
The Owladi family went on a longer train adventure: “Our family of four spent three weeks travelling in a big loop around Europe, getting as far as Warsaw and visiting 9 different countries. We found the train journeys much less tiring than it would have been to fly or drive, and in most cases we were able to get seats around a table so we could eat lunch or play games en-route. Travelling by train gave us the opportunity to see lots of different places, including some off the beaten track. We all really enjoyed the experience.”
Isaac Beevor specifically chose not to fly on holiday as part of a flight-free pledge – as encouraged by the Flight Free UK campaign. The campaign highlights the fact that people in the UK take more flights than any other country, and shares stories of people who have made a pledge to avoid flying. “My family are now taking fewer or no flights because of my choices,” says Isaac.
Lastly, my family took a train holiday too. We travelled from Luton all the way to Sweden, spending time in Germany and Denmark along the way. I’ve shared some longer observations about the trip here.
Train travel can be more expensive and isn’t for everyone. But avoiding flying for the climate doesn’t need to mean giving up holidays, travel or tourism.
In other news
Luton’s six Green Flag Parks have all retained the standard for another year. Have you been to them all? The six are Wardown, Brantwood, Leagrave, Stockwood, Memorial Park and Peoples Park.
Speaking of Stockwood, there are plans afoot for improving the park, which are out for consultation at the moment. If you’ve got a moment, have a look at the plans and add your comments.
If you’re wondering why Luton doesn’t have a hosepipe ban when lots of other areas do, it’s because most water used here is groundwater, rather than surface water such as rivers or reservoirs. Affinity Water explain.
Luton Airport has joined a Cranfield University study into direct air capture of carbon emissions, as part of its plans to reach carbon neutrality. We look forward to hearing more about study, which will be published shortly.
And finally
Find yourself saying “wait, why didn’t they include xyz in the newsletter?” Great! It means you’ve got a Luton climate story we don’t know about. Drop us a line to tell us all about it and we’ll put it in the September issue. Or if it’s more urgent than the end of next month, it’ll go on the website right now at zerocarbonluton.org.
Send your stories and questions to Jeremy Williams: jeremy@earthboundventures.org
Thanks!