All Rights Reserved. © Carbon Neutral Biggar 2008 unless otherwise stated
welcome page
// introduction
Our ambition is to reduce Biggar's carbon footprint and aim to be more self sufficient as we approach the twin threats of Climate Change & massively increasing oil prices. Although this is a bold ambition, we are taking up the challenge as we want future generations to realise that we recognised the risks and took positive action to reduce them. A whole network of towns has recently developed across the UK called "Transition Towns". All these towns are trying to to do the same thing so we have joined the network in order to learn from the experiences of these other like-minded communities. Click HERE for more information.
What does this mean for Biggar? Essentially it means working together to learn ways of saving money by reducing our energy use and resulting greenhouse gas emissions and then looking at ways to become more sustainable by relocalising our food, work & energy production. The ultimate aim is to adopt a "One Planet Living" programme so we reduce our impact on the planet and ensure that Biggar remains a sustainable community into the future. To understand the urgency of our Climate Change dilemma a little better, it may help to watch this fantastic little animation video: Click HERE
local food network
climate change
our projects
news & events
carbon footprint
carbon rationing
local stories
photo gallery
solar energy
//local food network becomes our priority
After a recent review meeting, the group agreed that we should concentrate our efforts on the local food network project. We intend to re-submit an application to the Government's Community Climate Challenge Fund, in an attempt to get funding for this project to promote local food growing and encourage our community to buy local food. This will help support local businesses and at the same time substantially reduce the carbon footprint associated with our food purchase choices.
More detail to follow here shortly:
useful info links
energy saving
contact
// brownies coffee morning
Our Brownies have just organised a very successful coffee morning to raise funds for WWF and were kind enough to invite along Carbon Neutral Biggar and the Primary School P7 children to do put up displays about the importance of us all buying locally produced food from local shops. The displays alos showed the incredible distaances that lots of our food travels to get to our plates and the massive amount of carbomn emission pollution which results.
// insulation project a great success!!
Fuel bills are going through the roof and improving your insulation is one of the easiest ways to save you money.
Leaflets were recently posted throughout Biggar explaining that Carbon Neutral Biggar had negotiated an insulation offer with Scottish Power & EAGA, for every home in the town, to help save money on your fuel bills and achieve Biggar’s goal of reducing our carbon footprint. All householders were offered FREE or a discounted price to have cavity wall or loft insulation installed.
We had a great response with over 90 homes taking up the offer. If you missed the opportunity but would still like to arrange a free survey call James McKnight from EAGA on 01555 850095 or 07866 723310 quoting Carbon Neutral Biggar.........
// get stuff for FREE
Don't dump that household item that is no longer any use to you, give it away to someone who might be able to use it. You will be amazed how one man's junk is another man's treasure. Lets keep it out of Landfill if we can. Go to www.freecycle.org to advertise your item, look for something for FREE or log on as a member to see what is being given away in future. The a new group has just started in Lanark.
//biggar's own reusable shopping bags here now
Be proud to be a BIGGAR SHOPPER, get your very own reuseable jute bag for just £3.00 in various Biggar shops including, Brydens, Atkinson Pryce Books, The Co-operative, The Orchard fruit shop & Ovens the butchers.
// do you have a garden to share ?
In order to encourage and facilitate more garden space for growing our own vegetables, it has been suggested that we ask Biggar residents if they have a garden that they either, don''t want to cultivate any more or are unable to. If we then find people in the town who would like to grow their own but don't have a suitable garden, we can bring the two parties together and suggest that the produce grown is maybe shared between the two families involved. Its a real "Win Win" situation. So if you are in either category, please contact us on 01899 229254 or email: info@carbon-neutral-biggar.com with your details, or log your details on to www.landshare.net
Pictured left to right are Laura Shirley & LIz Jamieson (our first resident to offer garden space)
//schools get energy monitors
Carbon Neutral Biggar has just donated energy monitors to help both the Primary & High School pupils to understand their school's energy use and CO2 emissions. The High School was particularly interested in comparing the energy reduction when they move to the new school.
Our Chairman John Riley with the Primary Scool
Eco Committee.
//our first community garden gets under way
The members of the Legion Hall, South Back Rd Biggar, have kindly donated the land behind the hall for us to utilise as a Community garden, to grow fruit & vegetables. As you will see from the photo it is going to need a lot of Tender Loving Care but we have had a leg-up with some help from B&Q who have kindly donated numerous items from plants to equipment, to help us get this off the ground.
Laura Shirley has kindly offered to manage this project for us and anyone who is interested in being involved, should contact Laura on 01899 229254.
Kindly supported by
// save money by car sharing !
We are all probably guilty of taking the car over the same long journeys on a regular basis, without considering if someone else in the town might be making the same journey at the same time in another car. By agreeing to share the journey in one car, you could help reduce CO2 emissions by 50% and if you agree to share costs, you could save money too. Here's an example of the savings if you travel to the South Gyle in Edinburgh every day: If you shared all of your journeys with at least 1 person, you could save an estimated: £1,372.42, 11,006.39 miles, 314.47 gallons of petrol, 1.73 tonne of CO2 and 33.73 pounds of NOx each year.
Liftshare is an organisation set up to encourage and assist car sharing. To register yourself for car sharing, please click HERE.
// mobile phone recycling
Please help us to raise funds for the project by recycling your unused mobile phones. You will find FREEPOST envelopes in the The Taj Indian Restaurant, the Post office, Chest Heart & Stroke Charity shop, Miniatures and Mindings & Hamilton's Newsagents. Or you can phone John on 01899 229429 to get one.
We have just received confirmation of 15 phones being recycled.........
Well done everybody, keep up the good work!!!
//carbon neutral biggar on BBC Holyrood LIve
The BBC recently came to Biggar to see what we have been up to. They interviewed a number of our members and the programme went out on Holyrood Live on BBC2 on 25th May. Click HERE to watch the video
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