Food
How to feed ourselves without damaging the planet is one of the big questions that humans need to solve urgently.
Although large government-scale action is undoubtedly needed, there are clear individual actions that we can take to reduce the impact of our food consumption on the environment. Buying food locally reduces our car mileage and resulting CO2 emissions. These are reduced even further if the food itself is grown locally. Supporting veg box schemes with an environmental remit is better than buying veg at the supermarket.
Excess packaging is another big problem in the food industry. Consumers can vote with their money by buying food with the least packaging, buying products in bulk, reusing plastic bags and using refill stores.
Abbots in Transition initiate and support projects to increase the amount of locally grown, locally made food eaten in Abbots Langley.
Abbots in Transition Food initiatives
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Community Markets
We run community markets in the Henderson Hub in Abbots Langley. Our markets focus on locally produced food and craft items. Please contact us if you would like a stall.
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Spring Seedling and Seed Giveaways
Since Spring 2020 Abbots in Transition have organised Spring seed and seedling giveaways in the Millennium Gardens in Abbots Langley. These are part of our ‘Get Abbots Growing’ initiative. They are usually held on a Saturday morning in May. All
Energy
Can we afford to run our lifestyles on fossil fuel?
Our comfortable life is made possible by abundant energy. But using coal, oil and gas to power our way of living has driven levels of CO2 towards the tipping point to unmanageable climate change. The supplies of fossil fuels are becoming harder to access. And even if we can access them, we cannot burn them because of the risk to life on the planet. However we can reduce the amount of fossil fuels we use by saving energy, and by switching to other energy sources.
One of the most effective ways to reduce the energy we use is to reduce the energy we waste. UK homes are so poorly insulated that £1 in every £4 spent on heating could be saved. Government research estimates that as much as 30% energy can be saved through energy saving measures alone.
To reduce our dependence on fossil fuels we need to increase the amount of energy that is supplied by renewable sources such as solar and wind energy. This can be done at the household level by installing solar heating or solar electricity panels.
Some energy suppliers also provide ‘green energy’, through a mixture of investing in renewable technology, buying electricity produced from renewables, and carbon offsetting any non-renewable production of gas.
Abbots in Transition have produced information leaflets with details of local and national suppliers of renewable energy and insulation, which are available to download.
Daily Life
There are many small actions we can take in our daily lives to reduce our impact on the environment. We can aim to reduce, re-use and recycle, to grow some of our own food, to cycle or walk instead of using the car.
We could aim to cut down on the items we buy, and to get some of those that we do buy from second-hand shops. As well as the local charity and second-hand shops selling clothes and bric-a-brac, there are others selling second-hand furniture, tools and craft items.
We can also use our power as a consumer to spend our money in ways that are less harmful to the planet, and to support those businesses and institutions that are reducing their environmental impact. This could mean shopping locally, buying organic and buying second-hand but also actions such as changing our banks to those that do not invest in fossil fuels.
Transport
In Britain almost a quarter of annual carbon emissions are from transport, 85% of which is road traffic. For a 400 mile trip from London to Glasgow, the carbon dioxide emissions per passenger travelling by air are 133.7 kg, compared to 80.2 kg if travelling by road and 46.8 kg if travelling by rail.
Our goal is to make it easier for people to choose alternatives to the car.
Campaigning
There are many local and national campaigning groups for a variety of issues.
For influence on a local level it helps to understand the local council structure and which council is responsible for which issues.
Your local politicians
If you live in Abbots Langley your most local political level is Abbots Langley Parish Council (ALPC). They are responsible for some of the land, allotments and pathways in the village, including playgrounds and playing fields. They hire out their halls and cut grass and hedges.
They can also influence local planning decisions. Abbots Langley is divided into areas called wards and you will have a Parish Councillor covering your area. You can also attend council meetings and speak. To do this you need to give advance notice to the Clerk.
Parish councillors are elected at local elections usually held in May.
Your district politicians
The next political level in our area is the district council. If you live in Abbot’s Langley your district council is Three Rivers District Council (TRDC).
Some of their responsibilities are to make planning decisions, control land and provide refuse collection.
You have a District councillor covering your area and you elect them in your district council elections usually held in May. The council has councillors from 4 different political parties and some independents. The Liberal Democrats currently control the council.
You can ask questions at their meetings. You can question your Councillors at your local area forum.
Your county politicians
The highest tier of local government is Hertfordshire County Council (HCC). It is responsible for schools, roads and libraries for example.
You have a County councillor who covers the area you live in and you elect them in county council elections usually held in May. You can attend council meetings.