HEaRT
A
Newsletter from the Huyton Environment Round Table (HERT)
Issue No 2 - Summer 2000.
Page 2
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| EVENTS DIARY |
Alt 2000 – Making the Right Connnection
The River Alt has seen a considerable improvement in recent years thanks to the efforts of the Alt 2000 project and all of the partner organisations involved in trying to clean up the river. But there is still a major problem which the River Alt faces, and that is pollution from houses.
When most people think of pollution they think of pollution from factories and oil from cars, but one of the main problems facing the River Alt is wrong connections from local houses. Houses built within the last 30-35 years have been built with a separate sewage system. This means that there will be a pipe which takes all of the dirty water from your house to a waste water treatment works, and a pipe which takes all of the clean water from the roof drain and discharges it straight into the River Alt.
The problem comes about when a new washing machine, toilet, sink or shower is fitted in your house. In some cases you may not know which pipe is which and so connect the new appliance to the clean water drain and not to the dirty water drain. This means that the water goes straight back into the River Alt ‘untreated’. This causes a sewage fungus to develop, and does not allow plants and animals to live in the river.
How
can you help?
Alt 2000 would like you to check the piping in your house. If all of your
appliances (ie washing machines etc) are connected to a pipe which is
sealed and is coming from your upstairs toilet then there is probably
no problem (see diagram 1). But, if they are connected to a roof drain,
or they go into an open drain at the base of your house (see diagram 2)
then you could be polluting the River Alt. If so, contact Alt 2000 to
find out how you can rectify the problem.
If you are unsure about the drains in your house and you would like somebody to come along and give some advice, then contact the Environment Agency on 0645 333111 for more information.
The Knowsley Compact is an education, business and community partnership and celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. It is the umbrella organisation for a wide range of work-related activities in Knowsley and is now recognised by both the private and public sectors as a major partner in local regeneration.
Our work includes: placement of 1500 young people and 40 teachers per year into work experience with local companies; 100 compact graduates per year; Mock Interviewing; over 60 business mentors trained and placed in schools, Huyton Work Shadowing programme for 15 unemployed adults; New Deal extension; Life Skills programme; over 30 Youth and Community Enterprise development projects and Peer Education programmes, to name a few!
Among the many successful projects on offer is the preparation for Work and Training programme, which offers an alternative curriculum for 80 pupils each year who, in their last year of school, are at risk of exclusion from the labour market. The Knowsley Compact has also recently been chosen as the umbrella organisation to administer the DfEE’s Neighbourhood Support Fund, which will bring in over £600,000 into the Knowsley voluntary sector over the next three years.
For more information contact Dave Morgan on 0151 477 0077
On Saturday
27th May, The Knowsley Green Fayre and Farmers’ Market filled Court
Hey Park with stripey awnings, African drumbeats, a large assortment of
entertainers and stall-holders and even a cricket match! Pottery and driftwood
crafts, whole-foods and holistic therapies, environmental activities,
charities, circus skills, sustainable development, metal flowers and wildflowers
tempted people from all over Merseyside and even further afield for a
cheerful start to the bank holiday weekend.
The event was organised by the wildflower charity Landlife as part of the Merseyside Green Transport Festival co-ordinated by Merseytravel. Despite intermittent rain and ongoing construction work for the National Wildflower Centre, due to be completed in August, the event had a real summer party atmosphere. Stall-holders and fayre-goers alike enjoyed the relaxed but lively feel of the day, shared in all the activities on offer and made the most of the sun when it appeared.
The courtyard
of the National Wildflower Centre made a perfect setting for Knowsley¹s
first (and Merseyside’s second) farmers market. Part of a growing
movement over the country, farmers markets sell locally produced goods
to local people. There is an emphasis on added value, quality and freshness
and also an educational component connected with the origin and production
of food. Handling, packaging and transportation processes are reduced
in line with anti-pollution and sustainability criteria.
Ostrich steaks and buffalo milk were on sale at the Court Hey Market
along with lots of fruit and vegetables, organic and wholefoods and a
few interesting ideas on how to cook your purchases.
For further information contact: Landlife, National Wildflower Centre, Court Hey Park, Liverpool, L16 3NA. Phone 0151 737 1819, Fax 0151 737 1820, e-mai: info@landlife.org.uk, website www.landlife.org.uk
Dawn Holmes is the BTCV Officer for Knowsley, funded through Huyton SRB and KMBC, to develop environmental projects within the community. Recent activities have included working with children and adults at Bluebell Lane Scout Hut to create a herb border and wildflower area.
The
scouts have been busy clearing weeds, bricks and rubble from the site
and have planted some fruit trees and willow around the edge. BTCV have
arranged for the delivery of top soil and the Scouts are now waiting for
a fine weekend to rake out the soil and plant grass seed, herbs and wildflowers.
Tree planting at Bluebell Lane Scout Hut.
A gardening club is also underway at Huyton-with-Roby CP School, with pupils planting a variety of shrubs and flowers in the school and courtyard. A further project at the Gateway Club for people with learning difficulties has involved creating raised beds and paths suitable for wheelchair use. Dawn will then set up a gardening club with members to carry out planting and care for the garden.
For further information about these schemes, or to get involved with BTCV call Dawn on 0151 423 4433.
“Are you doing your bit?” is a nation campaign designed to spread the environmental message to people. It encourages us all to make small but important changes in our everyday lives, to benefit both ourselves, the local and the global environment. Each issue of the HEaRT newsletter will focus on a particular issue to raise awareness and inform Huyton residents how you can do your bit!
ENERGY- The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change
The greenhouse effect is a natural process by which some gases trap heat
in the atmosphere. But human activity such as burning coal, gas and oil
for transport and energy in our homes and for industry is causing the
release of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere faster than
plants can absorb it. It is this increase in levels of CO2
- the main ‘greenhouse gas’ - that contributes to climate
change – popularly known as global warming.
Climate change will affect the Earth in many different ways. It will mean more extreme weather conditions – some areas could experience flood and others drought, in some areas crops will grow and in others the land will become barren. All of which will have a huge impact on food production, water supplies, human health, wildlife and the countryside.
More efficient use of energy in our homes, in the way we travel and in our daily lives can limit the amount of greenhouse gases trapped in the atmosphere and so help to reduce the effects of climate change. In this issue we will focus on what you can do to save energy in you own home. The chances are that you spend more money on energy than you really need to. So try cutting back with these easy tips, which won’t cost you a penny. You’ll save yourself money and you can do your bit to help protect the earth.
- Turn off your TV and other electrical equipment at the appliance rather than leaving them on stand-by. Appliances still use around a quarter of the power if you leave it on standby. Annual saving about: £55 per year.
- Close your curtains at dusk, and tuck them behind your radiators. Annual saving: up to £15.
- During the summer, open curtains and blinds, and close your windows during the day to warm up your home. Annual saving: up to £5.
- Plug your bath and sinks when running hot water. Annual saving: about £10 - £15.
- here possible take showers instead of baths. Annual saving: about £5 - £10.
- Turn your hot water temperature thermostat down to about 60ºC / 140ºF. Annual saving: about £10 - £20.
- Turn your central heating thermostat down by just 1ºC. Annual saving: about £15 - £40.
Contacts: For more information please write to Jane Palmer, Sustainable Development Unit, Department of Planning and Development, Knowsley MBC, PO Box 26, Archway Road, Huyton, L36 9FB. Tel: 0151 443 2276