The Dorchester Carbon Project

On Saturday, 27 Feb 1:30pm - 5:00pm, sewing tutor Sue Hazell. Cert. Ed. (PCE) and the ladies of the Dorchester WI will lead a very useful workshop. Get help making those alterations to your favourite outfits. If you can't sew and would like to know the basics then sign up today! The application form can be downloaded by clicking here. Just fill it in and return to School Cottage, 9a Queen Street, opposite the school, with the swing in the garden. The best bit is that the workshop is completely FREE!

By now you should have received through your letterbox a brown bag containing your free Dorchester 2010 Calendar. The calendar has lots of information on village events, lovely photographs and some tips on how to live a life less damaging to the planet. The calendar has been printed by Oxford firm Seacourt who are counted as one of the top environmental printers in the world!

Enclosed with your free 2010 Dorchester calendar you will find 3 documents:

ENERGY SAVING TRUST HOME ENERGY CHECK

The Energy Saving Trust has chosen Dorchester for its Green Communities Programme. This means that they will be supporting residents to reduce energy usage and lower energy bills. In order for the Energy Saving Trust to know how best to give their support they first need to know how we currently use energy in our homes. Please complete the form and return it to the Energy Saving Trust so they can advise you.

TOWARDS ZERO WASTE PLACES

Dorchester-on-Thames has been selected by DEFRA for the Towards Zero Waste Places project. Only six communities in the country have been chosen and Dorchester stood out from the rest for it's strong sense of community and innovative ideas. Some projects have already started and there will be lots more events throughout 2010 to help us reduce waste. To find out how best we can do this please complete the Waste Survey and return it via the boxes in the Post Office or Abbey. Keep an eye on this website for future event details in 2010.

MAIL PREFERENCE FORM

As part of the Towards Zero Waste Places project residents are being given the opportunity to stop junk mail being delivered. If you would like to take advantage of this FREE service please complete the Mail Preference Form.

If you would prefer to complete these surveys online then please click here or on the ONLINE SURVEY tab at the top of the page.

We hope you enjoy your calendar.

Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year to you and your family.

On Saturday 5 December 2009, ahead of the crucial UN climate summit in Copenhagen, tens of thousands of people from all walks of life will march through the streets of London to demonstrate their support for a safe climate future for all.

Part of a global series of public actions, The Wave will call on world leaders to take urgent action to secure a fair international deal to stop global warming exceeding the danger threshold of 2 degrees C.

The Wave - which is not just a huge march but a whole day of exciting campaign activities - is organised by the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition, will show mass support by people from all backgrounds for a better, low carbon future for the UK and the world.

We want the UK Government to show leadership at Copenhagen. We want them to Protect the Poorest, Act Fair & Fast, and to Quit Dirty Coal now, to inspire the deal the world needs..

Join The Wave - the UK’s biggest ever demonstration in support of action on climate change.

With the Copenhagen Climate Conference fast approaching here are a few facts you need to know:

• Up to 20,000 people are expected to attend the Copenhagen summit.
• The Copenhagen summit aims to limit the global temperature increase by no more than 2C. Without action it will increase by 6 to 7C by the year 2100.
• Global CO2 emissions have risen by 29% in the past decade.
• The average US citizen emits 19.9 tonnes of CO2 a year; the average UK citizen emits 9.3 tonnes.
• China emits the most carbon emissions, 21.5% of the total. The top 10 countries in the world emit 67.2% of the world's total.
• The UK has experienced nine of the 10 warmest years on the record since 1990.
• An average domestic flight, rather than a high-speed electric train, produces 29 times as much carbon dioxide.
• The global population will increase by 34% by 2050 - an extra 2.3 billion people - to 9 billion, quadruple the 1951 figure.
• The proportion of very dry land has doubled since the 1970s and global sea levels have risen 10cms during the last 50 years.
• Tropical deforestation is responsible for approximately 20% of world greenhouse gas emissions.
• Studies have concluded that global warming may drive one quarter of all land animals and plants to extinction by 2050.
• Over 40% of current CO2 emissions are caused by the choices we make as individuals!

The Energy Saving Trust & Dorchester Carbon Project invite you to the 'Dorchester Green Community Launch' at Dorchester Abbey on Saturday 21st November from 2pm to 4pm.

We will have exhibitors, games, refreshments and all the advice you could possibly need to save energy and money!

The Energy Saving Trust has chosen Dorchester-on-Thames for their 'Green Communities' programme.

So go on, come along and get some friendly advice from the experts. Entrance is FREE!

If you require further information please email us.

It's easy to feel overwhelmed by climate change, but it doesn't have to be this way. What if we resolved to cut 10% of our carbon emissions in 2010? Not a bad start. What if we got everyone we know to do the same? And what if all this made governments sit up and take notice? Maybe this could be the first step towards a brighter future. Time to stop imagining it. It's happening right now. Sign-up today and be a part of it.