For more info or to book on any of the courses or workshops at The Mix, email Jo, call 07768 767787, visit theMix website, or the Mix Facebookpage.
In The Mix in February:
It's a busy one - we have 27 happenings in The Mix this month!
Here are the highlights:
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
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 Week
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 Plastic
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:
Geoengineering 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.
In Brief
The council is looking for your views on how to help reduce waste. Click here to respond to their consultation.
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. 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.