Transition Island Blog

About one million litres of water will soon be saved by Southern Water on the Island every day.

The County Press says this is enough to fill 10,000 baths.

A £7 million investment in new state-of-the-art recycling equipment, which takes water out of sludge, will improve supplies in the south of the Island.

The project at the Sandown works is part of £700 million of environmental improvements being carried out for Southern Water throughout Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Island between 2005 and 2010.

The water company said its new equipment, which is nearing completion, will take 90 per cent of the water from a thin sludge that previously went to waste.

new machinery

The new machinery takes water used in backwashing the normal filters, slows it down and adds clarifying chemicals that bind together the solids in the sludge so that it falls out of the flow. This clarified water can then be sent back to the beginning of the filtration process and can end up as clean water.

Southern Water section leader Des Eastman said: “This is a cost-effective and eco-friendly way of putting good quality water back into the system. As an island, water resources need to be managed very carefully on the Isle of Wight. Investing in schemes such as this is vital to ensure we continue to meet the needs of our customers and the thousands of visitors to the island every year.”

meter successes

The Isle of Wight provided evidence that metering does lead to more prudent consumption over the long term. The National Water Metering Trials, which ran from April 1989 to March 1993 on the Island, recorded an average reduction in domestic consumption of 11%, with peak period reductions of up to 30%. (Southern Water Services (December 1997) Water Consumption on the Isle of Wight 1988 - 1997)

We use an average of nearly 55,000 litres of tap water a year for drinking and washing - enough to fill a private swimming pool. If we had to use bottled mineral water at roughly 36p a litre instead, that would cost us each £19,800 a year.

drought trends

Exactly how frequent droughts are in the UK is difficult to define. 1976 was definitely a drought, and so were the mid 80’s. The mid 90’s was argued over - it was a drought according to some and not to others. The trend since the 1860’s is for wetter winter and drier summers, and this has increased since the 70’s. This seasonal cycle is strongest in the south and east of the country and if this trend continues then we can certainly expect more droughts in the future.

hosepipe bans

During the next drought water companies will be able to ban most uses of domestic hosepipes. Inconsistencies of the hosepipe ban where highlighted during the 2005-2006 drought. After consulting, Defra announced in October 2007 that the legislation would be changed and allow water companies greater discretion over what they ban.

On average, the Environment Agency says, garden watering is about 5% of household water use over a year. But this is concentrated in summer months, when water is most scarce. A hosepipe ban can save significant amounts of water - evenings and weekends water demand can double or even treble the daily average as people water their gardens. 

Interestingly, on the Isle of Wight where 90% of households are metered, hosepipe bans are introduced more rarely, and if necessary, later in teh year.

bathwater re-use

Save yourself money and reduce water wastage by fitting a simple but ingenious device to divert your used water from the shower/bath to your garden. This simple device is controlled from ground level by pull cords. Easily fitted to existing pipework, you can use pre-heated water to warm your greenhouse in early spring - saving parafin or electric too! Read more…

water butts

Now is the time to buy a water butt and rainwater diverter kit. You can use this water from watering plants, washing cars, flushing toilets - for free!

Action:
At least, buy a water butt or two!

Plastic litter on Britain’s beaches has reached record levels, endangering whales, dolphins and seabirds.

The Marine Conservation Society, which campaigns for cleaner beaches and seas, said plastic litter has increased by 126 percent since its first survey in 1994.

Scores of marine wildlife species, including seals and turtles, have died after eating plastic or drowning after getting tangled in debris or old fishing nets, it said.

“The results are truly shocking,” said Emma Snowden, the society’s litter projects coordinator. “Plastics are of particular concern as they could persist in the marine environment for centuries with fatal consequences for marine wildlife.”

In the last decade, the amount of plastic drinks bottles has risen by 67 percent, plastic bags by 54 percent and cigarette butts by 44 percent.

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The Conference is a great success! Well-designed, well-attended and well-addressed by relevant speakers.

Organised by the Island Strategic Partnership (ISP) to launch the Eco-Isle Vision, their many speakers repeatedly brought the message home - we WILL get there.

journey planning

Setting the scene were David Pugh, speaking as leader of the Isle of Wight Council, and John Owen, Chair of the ISP. They reminded us that we have to commit to our destination before we plan the journey. And what an ambitious destination!

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“Isle of Wight Council Chief Executive Joe Duckworth is to leave the authority in the summer to take up the same role at the London Borough of Newham.

“IW Council leader Cllr David Pugh pledged the transition to a new chief executive would not disrupt the council’s aims and objectives, not least its ambitious plans to transform itself into Eco Island — a energy self-sufficient island by 2020.”

From the Council’s press release [read more]

We had been hoping that he would help us to push through a revitalisation of the CarShare scheme the Island desperately needs. Let’s hope he could see that completed before he leaves.

Opinion:
We do hope that the transition to a new permanent Chief Executive will go smoothly. Too often ‘new brooms’ move goal-posts, and interim managers allow innovations to stall.

It would be such a shame…

Two public meetings are avalable for Isle of Wight people to find out more about the Eco-Isle vision for a sustainable future.

The Isle of Wight Council has organised a free Conference on March 26 to explain their Sustainable Community Strategy.

It will set out their vision for 2020 and plans for how a low carbon community will be achieved. The Strategy is the product of the Island Strategic Partnership, a multi-agency team of representatives from the public, business, voluntary and community sectors.

The morning will allow a variety of speakers to present relevant ideas from international competition, the Eden Project, Sustainable Energy Ireland, University Innovations and the new green design champion commission.

There is also an afternoon session for operations and business managers who would like to get practical advice about reducing the carbon footprint of their business. For more information about the content of this session, please call Pippa Howlett on 01983 823 693 or 07807 159 635.

A bigger event provided for the residents of the island is organised for the end of may, called the Big Green Picnic.

This will be held on Church Litten Park in Newport town centre on May 24 and 25.

Low carbon and sustainable lifestyles will be highlighted by the following features and activities that will be present throughout the whole weekend:

• Bicycle racks
• Discounted buses to Newport
• Electric Vehicle Exhibition including - Prius, Smart, Electric scooters, Segway
• Library exhibitions inside
• Council Tent - including - composting, solar car heats, future of eco-island exhibition plus… to be confirmed
• Quay Arts Tent - including - Straw bale housing, footprint pledge project
• Making bags - Ventbag - with our exhibit on banning plastic bags and our jute bags to buy…
• Making Bunting
• Mobile phone recycle unit
• Cinema tent - Green videos etc
• Health and Beauty Area
• Bandstand - Local talent and performers - from Green Storytelling to local bands
• Refreshments (WI and FM to be confirmed - more details later)
• Island Waste
• Games
• Workshops…

and much more still to be confirmed!!    

From The County Press

The Island’s first bio-diesel company has appealed for businesses to recycle used cooking oil to convert to green fuel.

Wight Made Bio-Diesel plans to increase production to up to 1500 litres a week, after a successful pilot project.

At around 10p a litre cheaper than normal diesel, there is no shortage of demand, accord­ing to company founders Joan Martin and Chris Sprackling.

Committed to the Island, they only use cooking oil that can be recy­cled as opposed to oil specially produced for bio-diesel. “We want it to stay on the Island. Some companies will collect waste oil but then it has to be transported off the Island to be convert­ed.”

So not only do they help the Island’s economy, they also reduce the transport miles involved.

Action:
Help them with your old cooking oil, contact on wmbd(at)hotmail(dot)co(dot)uk

An eco engine for small boats has scooped its Sandown inventor a major deal with a top marine manufacturer.

Graeme Hawksley’s super-efficient propul­sion system is the result of five years’ research into hybrid electric technology and looks set to go into production following a deal struck on Tuesday with leading marine engine manufac­turer Beta Marine.

The partnership sees joint collaboration for the final development, testing and marketing of the system, which is due to be launched in May.

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From the County Press

The local branch of Age Concern is looking for more friends.

The charity is calling for volunteers to sign up and join its befriender service, which gives vulnerable and lonely older people vital and welcome company.

Volunteers will be asked to visit their new friend for a chat and cup of tea, or take them out for a change of scenery. All volunteer befrienders will be trained and supported by Age Concern IW and will be invited to meet for a monthly coffee morning.

Opinion:
The elderly are amongst the most vulnerable to climate change health risks. They are also the most overlooked resource of crisis experience we have! We have much to learn from them about surviving Peak Oil.
Action:
Anyone interested can contact Gwen Glover, Alan Wiles or Gina Williams on 525282, or email gwen.glover@aciw.org.uk.

Two Isle of Wight schools may show a lead to others across the South East.

Gurnard and Cowes Primary schools introducing more local produce and are making their meals healthier. They also encourage pupils and the community to engage in cooking activities.

This is harder than it seems, as modern timetabling prevents most practical cooking by ringing the bell just as it’s getting interesting. There just isn’t time to finish within a period.

The Soil Association promotes organic food growing in the UK. Their ‘Food for Life Campaign’ helps pupils learn about seasonal foods and understand the ‘food miles’ issue.

A team from the Soil Association visited the schools on 25 February where they sampled the food, met teachers and students including the school cooks and othos involved in the project.

The schools hope to be recognised as one of the nine Flagship Schools by the end of March.

Opinion:
We are really pleased at this project -
it will help parents as much as children.

Growing your own will help families become more independent when food prices start to spiral. This will be due to the cost of oil increasing as we hit Peak Oil, and causing fertiliser, pesticide, and transport costs to rise. 

Converting land for biofuels could actually worsen the problem of global warming.

Although proposed as a viable alternative to fossil fuels, it will create more major carbon emissions, a report has warned.

But there are alternative sources of biofuel, and today (26/2/08), the news is that biofuels should only be produced if they meet strict internationally agreed environmental standards.

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