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What needs to be done?
Like many rural parishes, Bigbury relies heavily on oil-fired heating due to the limitations of the local grid and the fact that we will never be connected to mains gas. Our determination to reduce our parish carbon footprint has inspired the move to renewable energy providers and investment in renewables and batteries at home and in our businesses.
Power Bigbury
OUR AIMS
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Celebrate the progress of our 'Bigbury Power Station' champions who have switched to renewable energy.
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Create awareness of the renewable options and signpost grants and technical support to make it happen.
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Support businesses and individuals who want to move away from fossil fuels.
WIND POWER OPPORTUNITY
Octopus Energy are proposing a 1 MW wind turbine in Bigbury. Public consultations indicate strong local support. The planning application has been submitted to SHDC.
ADVISORS
Independent advice is available from LEAP and South Dartmoor Community Energy. Ask about a Whole House Energy Survey and grants.
What have we done?
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Regular features in parish magazine to promote Carbon Savvy's Top Ten Tips to reduce carbon footprints of our homes.
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Held workshops to help home owners to use the free Carbon Savvy Home Carbon Calculator
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Promoted and enrolled on Carbon Savvy's Carbon Ambassadors training to better understand climate change and how we can reduce our home carbon footprints.
Next Steps
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Create an annual Bigbury Energy Questionnaire to collate progress, ambition and concerns about switching to renewable energy.
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Organise an annual 'Green Doors' event for local homes can share their progress on switching to renewable energy solutions.
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Celebrate the 'Power Stations' in Bigbury where homeowners are installing renewable energy equipment.
Home Carbon Footprints
Farm Carbon Footprints
What have we done?
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All farms in Bigbury are measuring their farm carbon footprint and are working, with their customers support, to reduce the impact of their farming practices on climate change.
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Farms measure soil organic matter (SOM) regularly as an indicator of soil fertility. For every 0.1% increase in SOM farmers are able to store 9 tons of eCO2 per hectare helping us to slow down climate change.
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Regular features in parish magazine promote Farm Carbon Toolkit to reduce carbon footprints of our farms
Next Steps
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Open Days on farms to showcase what farms are doing to increase habitat for nature, produce renewable energy and reduce their carbon emissions.
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Continue to work towards setting up the Small Farm Carbon Offset Scheme
What have we done?
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Teamed up with Eoin McQuone, Chief Carbon Coach, Founder and Managing Director of Go Climate Positive to understand the importance of small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in our fight to slow down climate change by reducing business carbon footprints.
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Shared Go Climate Positive training videos for SMEs.
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Introduced businesses to the concept of the Small Farm Carbon Offset Scheme to enable them to become carbon neutral.
Next Steps
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Hold Open Days for our businesses to showcase what they are doing to reduce their carbon footprints.
Business Carbon Footprints
Parish Carbon Footprint
What have we done?
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Highlighted our over reliance on fossil fuels (oil and LPG) and the need to shift to renewable energy.
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Raised awareness of the estimated average carbon emissions from a home in Bigbury calculated from meta data by the Exeter University Community Calculator.
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Signposted information about the Bigbury territorial carbon emission footprint.
Next Steps
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Work together to reduce the impact our community has on global climate change.