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Sustainable Wantage
The Mix LogoFebruary 2018 Newsletter
 
For more info or to book on any of the courses or workshops at The Mix, email Jo, call 07768 767787, visit the Mix website, or the Mix Facebook page.

In The Mix in February:
 
It's a busy one - we have 27 happenings in The Mix this month!
Here are the highlights:Haybox cooking

 
Sat 3rd Repair Cafe
Tues 6th Monthly Craft Night
Sat 10th Haybox soup (lunchtime) and Junk Monkeys (afternoon)
Sat 17th Make your own pyjama bottoms
Wed 21st Sustainable Wantage Board meeting -all members welcome!
Sat 24th Trev's Silver Jewellery workshop (morning)
and
Crochet - the next stitch (afternoon)
Sun 25th How to Grow Your Own Fruit (morning) and Fruit Tree Grafting (afternoon). These two workshops can be booked together for a discount rate.
Wed 28th Green Drinks

 
Resource Bank logo
 
We have LOTS of jam jars, if anyone needs any please get in touch! Also 3 kettles, repaired and PAT tested, available for a donation to Sustainable Wantage.
This month we are collecting mini plastic bottles (sample size).

Free Hayboxes! We will have free hayboxes with instructions available, so you can try this energy-saving method of cooking for yourself. They will be given out at the haybox soup event at The Mix. If you'd like one but can't come on the day, contact Jo.

Any questions or to arrange drop-offs email Jo or call 07768 767787.

National Nest Box WeekBlue tits and nest box

14th-21th Feb

The British Trust for Ornithology is encouraging people to put up nest boxes during 'National Nest Box Week', to give our breeding birds more places to raise their young. It provides information on how to make a nest box and how to choose a good site. You can also register your box to take part in the Nest Box Challenge, and help monitor the breeding success of Britain's birds.



Progress on PlasticSeahorse with plastic-stemmed cotton bud.

The issue of plastic waste continues to make headlines. There seems to be real momentum for change, thanks in part to Blue Planet II, which won the Impact Award at the National Television Awards. Here's a summary of the news:

* Theresa May called it '
one of the greatest environmental scourges of our time', urging supermarkets to introduce plastic-free aisles and introduce charges on plastic containers. However her plans to eradicate avoidable plastic waste by 2042 were criticised for their lack of urgency. The EU is also
* The
5p charge on plastic bags is to be extended to cover all retailers in England.
* Plastic microbeads bannedThe UK-wide ban on some types of
plastic microbeads has come into effect.
* Scotland is to ban plastic-stemmed cotton buds. Most major retailers have already switched to paper stems (although these should still be binned not flushed).
* From last month,
China has banned plastic waste imports, meaning the UK can no longer rely on the country to recycle our waste.
* If you're itching for change, here's Friends of the Earth's list of 9 really good alternatives to plastic.
* You can buy refills of laundry liquid, fabric conditioner, washing-up liquid and hand soap at The Mix every Mon 4-6:30pm and Wed 1-3pm, plus some Saturdays.
* Iceland have said that their new ranges will use paper-based trays instead of plastic. Waitrose have pledged to ditch black plastic from their own-brand food.
Glasgow City Council have agreed to stop using plastic straws, after a local primary school campaigned on the issue.  Costa and Wagamama will both stop using plastic straws. Man collecting litter
* Many coffee shops now offer discounts to customers bringing their own reusable cup. Starbucks and Costa Coffee currently offer a 25p discount, and Pret a Manger recently increased their discount to 50p. The discounts are not always well advertised, so you may have to ask.
* A new craze is taking off - '
plogging' combines picking up plastic litter and jogging, with people sharing photos on social media and tagging their friends.
* Here are a few petitions related to plastic waste: Support the proposal of a tax on single use plastic. Ask for bottle deposits. Urge supermarkets to cut plastic. And here. Ask Costa to increase their discount for reusable cups. Urge McDonalds to stop using plastic straws.

 

What is... geoengineering?

Above the cloudsGeoengineering refers to the deliberate large-scale intervention in the Earth's natural systems to counteract climate change. Possible methods include planting crops which are lighter in colour to reflect more sunlight, or the spraying of sulphates into the atmosphere to cause temporary cooling by mimicking a volcanic eruption. Some geoengineering methods would have undesirable impacts, but if dangerous climate change is not averted some consider that they might become an important option. For this reason, many people think they are worth researching, while making every effort to rapidly curtail emissions. For more information visit Oxford Geoengineering Programme.


 

Recycling symbolIn Brief

The council is looking for your views on how to help reduce waste. Click here to respond to their consultation.Forest fire

2017 was the hottest year on record without an El Niño. It was also the second hottest ever recorded - remarkably, 2017 was hotter than 2015, which at the time was by far the hottest year on record thanks in part to a strong El Niño event.
Young Green Turtle
Climate Change is turning some turtles female Warmer nest sites mean that 99% of green turtles from the northern Great Barrier Reef are female. Scientists and wildlife managers are exploring ways to keep the nests cool to produce more males.

New York City has announced that it is divesting its pension fund from fossil fuels. The huge pension fund currently includes about $5bn in fossil fuel investments. The city will be severely affected if sea levels keep rising, so they are also suing five oil companies for their contribution to climate change.

 

Out and About

Thurs 1st RSPB talk: Birding Israel.

Wed 7th Feb Oxford Climate Society talk:
The importance of Natural Capital in a changing climate. Also in Oxford: Going Dutch: Learning from Groningen's Cycling City Success.

Mon 12th Feb 7:15. Oxford Climate Society talk:
One struggle, different frontlines: The Many faces of climate activism.

Mon 19th Feb 7:15. Oxford Climate Society talk:
Carbon Offsetting.

Mon 26th Feb 7:15 pm Oxford Climate Society talk:
The Cities of the Future.

Mon 5th March 7:15
George Monbiot on climate change. Oxford Climate Society.

 


Green Drinks Sustainable Wantage SocialGreen Drinks
Wed 28th February
7:30pm - 9pm in The Mix, Mill Street
Bring your own tipple. All welcome.


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