Welcome to CAPS!
CAPS is the Climate Awareness Partnership Sidmouth
CAPS is about raising our awareness of the climate – and our collective action to address it.
CAPS is a partnership of Sidmouth Town Council and other local organisations – including the Sidmouth Churches, the Sidmouth Plastic Warriors , the Sidmouth Science Festival , Sidmouth schools and the Vision Group for Sidmouth
And the Partnership is open to all members of the Sid Valley community – whether individuals or organisations.
Here’s a list so far of The CAPS Partners
SOCIAL MEDIA!
Don’t forget to join us in conversations online at the CAPS Facebook page:
Climate Awareness Partnership Sidmouth (CAPS)
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EVENTS!
NEXT GREEN DRINKS: 7.30pm: Thursday 16th May
On the third Thursday of every month – 7.30pm for an hour or so
Meet informally to talk about environmental issues @ CAPS monthly ‘Green Drinks’ event!
Upstairs room, Anchor Inn, Old Fore St, Sidmouth EX10 8LS
Just meet at the bar! AND please buy a drink!
[with thanks to Portsmouth Green Drinks (UK) (@GreenDrinksPort)]
LOOKING FORWQRD TO THE NEXT GREEN DRINKS!
Get in touch for more information by contacting us here.
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“FARMING THE LAND IN DEVON: LOOKING TO THE FUTURE”
CAPS – Upcoming talk with farmers and landowners 6th June
More and more countries are realising that they need to reform their food systems in order to lower their greenhouse gas emission commitments to meet net zero by 2050 – as well as enhance the biodiversity of the land they are responsible for. Therefore the topics of diet and land use have never been more relevant. To expand on the theme another talk will be hosted by CAPS on Thursday, 6th June, called Farming the Land in Devon: Looking to the Future.
This will highlight the challenges and barriers that farmers are facing in Devon as the climate changes. A panel of landowners and farmers will reflect on their personal experiences and history in the industry and explain how they are adapting now, along with what possibilities they see for the future.
The panel will include Katherine Gray from the Sid Valley, Henry Gent from outside Exeter and Haydn Dawkins from North Devon. There will be a good amount of time allocated for Q & A at then end. The talk will take place at 3pm in the Cellar Bar of Kennaway House. The event is open to all; there is a fee of £2-50 which also covers a drink and biscuit.
Events – Climate Awareness Partnership Sidmouth
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WHAT ACTIONS TO TAKE!
How to save money and the planet
The main thrust of last year’s Sustainable Sidmouth Champions Awards was all about ‘how to save a little money and how to save the planet a little’: Sustainable Sidmouth Champion Awards
The Metro newspaper does regular pieces on ‘how to save money and the planet’, with this from a couple of years ago: 27 ways to save the planet: from short showers to longer lasting tech | Metro News
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A good example of ‘saving a little money and saving the planet a little…
Dave Bramley, chair of CAPS has adapted the lists from Metro – with his own list of 16 really easy ways to…
“Going about your daily life shouldn’t cost the earth but going green needn’t cost a fortune either. In fact, there are lots of ways taking the environmentally friendly option could actually save you money, you know, while you save up for an electric car or a few solar panels for the roof or whatever. To get you started, here are 16 easy ways to save money and the planet…”
16 really easy ways to save money and the planet
FEATURES!
From Recycle Your Electricals – WEEE Recycling – Material Focus
There’s a website called ‘Recycle Your Electricals’ which suggests where exactly you can take your defunct electrical items which can’t be repaired:
Electrical recycling – Where to recycle & donate – Recycle Your Electricals
The explanatory video is worth a watch:
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I am HypnoCat. Gaze into my eyes and I will show you how your old electricals and electronics change into shiny new objects.
You will remember everything.
How electrical recycling works | The Facts – Recycle Your Electricals
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From Climate Outreach:
Giving a picture of people’s awareness and concern about climate change and nature loss – and how to engage with people.
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Britain Talks Climate shows us people in Britain care about climate change and want to tackle it as a society.
The toolkit exists to help us better understand and engage with people’s priorities, questions and concerns. It helps us tell clearer, more compelling climate stories that resonate with people of different values and backgrounds.
The segmentation research underpinning Britain Talks Climate is More in Common’s Core Beliefs model.
Unfamiliar with Britain Talks Climate?
Find out more information on our ‘What is Britain Talks Climate?‘ page.
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NEWS!
Catching up with some recent blog posts:
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How would the Sid Valley generate its own power? There are different ways to do large-scale stretches of solar panels: covering roofs and creating solar farms are the most obvious – and both have been in the news lately.
Solar roofs and solar farms in the news – Climate Awareness Partnership Sidmouth
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The European Court of Human Rights has just declared that the Swiss government’s inaction on climate change has violated the human rights of its citizens. Which brings us to the question of who is responsible to bring down greenhouse gases. The Economist asks: What responsibilities do individuals have to stop climate change? Whilst the Guardian answers: Individuals can’t solve the climate crisis. Governments need to step up.
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A stunning photo of a dinosaur’s footprint, discovered on Sidmouth beach in February, is being used to send a powerful environmental message to children. Fossil hunter Dr Rob Coram spotted and photographed the print, which was made 240 million years ago by a rauisuchian – a reptile that looked like a cross between a crocodile and a dinosaur.
The picture is being used to promote the environmental message of a children’s book by local author Jo Earlam, which is being given away to local libraries and coastal litter picking groups. The book, Rosa’s Footprint, was inspired by the discovery of a similar print in Sidmouth 12 years ago. It aims to raise awareness of climate change and marine pollution, encouraging readers to think about their own ‘footprint’ on the planet. More information can be found here:
Amazing dinosaur footprint discovered on Sidmouth beach | Sidmouth Herald
Earth Day 2024: 22nd April: gifting “Rosa’s Footprint” – Climate Awareness Partnership Sidmouth
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‘We are not prepared’ said a US academic recently. And as the UK’s Climate Change Committee said this time last year, climate change has arrived, yet the country is still strikingly unprepared.
How prepared are we for climate chaos? – Climate Awareness Partnership Sidmouth
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We need more batteries – or, as today’s piece on the Climate Action website makes clear, the rapid expansion of batteries will be crucial to meet the climate and energy security goals set at COP28.
To some extent that is happening with what was announced for the West Country earlier in the year, when Tata confirmed Somerset will host a £4bn battery factory It is clear though that we need innovation to make the electric vehicle battery more sustainable
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IMAGINE!
A weekly synthesis of academic insight on solutions to climate change, brought to you by The Conversation
The Conversation is a good place to go for in-depth news and analysis:
Climate change – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation
It also has a weekly newsletter focussing on issues around climate:
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Imagine newsletter – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation
For example, a recent ‘Imagine’ newsletter looked at what the Anthropocene really means – here.
“Every fish in the sea, bird in the sky, microbe in the soil and beast on the land weighs less than the cumulative mass of things humans have made. Stark evidence that people are transforming the planet is not hard to come by. Yet a month ago, geologists rejected a proposal to date Earth’s departure from the Holocene of the last 11,700 years, the relatively stable epoch in which a mild climate allowed farming to flourish and civilisations to rise, and the dawn of a more dangerous era shaped by human endeavours: the Anthropocene…”
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The Anthropocene already exists in our heads, even if it’s now officially not a geological epoch
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