St John's Church Egham

Experience Hope

Virtual Discussion

VDD: Exploring the World of Bees

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Exploring the World of Bees

13th July at 19:00- Virtual Q&A Dinner Discussion
With local bee keepers: Richard Emmett & Joey Snoad

Source: Instagram #the_gallery_of_magic

Bees were living on the planet many years before the first humans stepped out into the world. As well as honey being a “super-food”, harvested by us for thousands of years, we now know that the bees who make honey are critical to the planet’s eco-system. Without them, first plants then animals, then humans would struggle to find enough food to live on.

So what makes this tiny animal so special? Why are they different from wasps? How and where do they live? And what do I do if bees start building a nest in my garden or roof?

Source: Instagram #scienceoftheuniverse

Local beekeepers: Richard Emmett & Joey Snoad have hives in Virginia Water, at The Beehive pub Englefield Green and at the Forest Estate Community Hub Englefield Green Hub where there is a Beekeeping Club.

Join them for a discussion on all things bees and honey. Ask as many questions as you like to reveal the wonderful world of bees – our world.

To connect with us:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/StJohnsEghamEcoChurch

@StJohnsEcoChurch https://www.facebook.com/StJohnsEcoChurch

https://www.instagram.com/stjohnsecochurch/

@StJohnsEcoChurch https://www.instagram.com/stjohnsecochurch/

Email: StJohnsEghamEcoChurch@gmail.com

VDD: Habitat Monitoring in Runnymede

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Habitat Monitoring in Runnymede

14th July 19:30-20:30: Free Virtual Discussion – Ticketed Event

The UK Govt’s biodiversity plans: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/biodiversity-2020-simple-guide-and-progress-update-july-2013

Runnymede National Trust explores Habitat Monitoring

The Runnymede and Ankerwycke National Trust site contains a diverse range of habitats for wildlife including homes for many rare and endangered species. Habitats include Langham Ponds, which is a protected area designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and additional wetlands, meadows and woodland.

In mid 2019 the Trust decided to form a new volunteering programme solely focused on understanding the species of butterfly, bee and plants found on the site, offering an opportunity to experience a different Runnymede- known historically as the site of the signing of the Magna Carta.

Since 2019 a lot has changed and the trust are proud to work with a dedicated team of volunteers who have embarked on their first formal butterfly transect routes, priority habitat surveys and we are now looking to the next stage of developing the programme further.

Jess Kellard is part of the Runnymede Explored team, a National Lottery Heritage Fund project. The aim is to make Runnymede National Trust’s stories more accessible, particularly how the landscape played a role in the story of Magna Carta and how we as a community can look after it today. Jess’s work involves co-creating meaningful volunteering opportunities, events and activities that everyone can get involved in.

Come join Jess in this live virtual dinner discussion and bring a picnic.

If you want to leave a question for this discussion please submit a question via our question form. Click here to access

To connect with us:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/StJohnsEghamEcoChurch

@StJohnsEcoChurch https://www.facebook.com/StJohnsEcoChurch

https://www.instagram.com/stjohnsecochurch/

@StJohnsEcoChurch https://www.instagram.com/stjohnsecochurch/

Email: StJohnsEghamEcoChurch@gmail.com

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VDD: Low Carbon, Low Energy

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Creating a Low Carbon Home

Thurs 15th July 20:00 – 21:00: Free ticketed live virtual dinner discussion

Many of us are interested in reducing the pollution we generate directly , whether that is through transportation (see discussion on Walking and Cycling Infrastructure) or simply via the energy generation needed to run one’s household. 13% of the UK’s carbon emissions comes from mainly heating our homes due to draughts and cold spots. A low carbon home is a more comfortable home with cleaner air and a healthy indoor temperature.

What’s more exciting, is your home can become a virtual power plant providing electricity to heat your home, charge an electric vehicle or to store energy for use later on.  As the UK is moving away from coal fired power stations, the grid carbon factor has halved since 2014.  So electrification and moving away from gas is a really important part of creating a low carbon home.

The difficult part is knowing where to start, so we are inviting you to a free virtual dinner discussion with our expert, Leah Robson, who will answer questions to help you on the road to a low carbon home.  Leah has installed heat pumps and solar panels in over 50 local homes and businesses and is especially keen on a whole house approach to look at how insulation and different technologies can work together to reduce CO2 emissions.

Saving or reducing the energy used also means saving money. That can be as simple as changing a light bulb!

Leah & Mister Squeak Fire

Resources:

Leah, specialises in helping households to be carbon neutral. To join her discussion, register below and then be ready with questions and your dinner.

If you want to leave a question for this discussion please submit a question via our question form. Click here to access

To connect with us:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/StJohnsEghamEcoChurch

@StJohnsEcoChurch https://www.facebook.com/StJohnsEcoChurch

https://www.instagram.com/stjohnsecochurch/

@StJohnsEcoChurch https://www.instagram.com/stjohnsecochurch/

Email: StJohnsEghamEcoChurch@gmail.com

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VDD: Electric Cars Demystified

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Electric Cars Demystified

Monday 26th July 2021 at 8pm-9pm

See article on impact of traffic pollution on asthma: https://www.medclique.org/child-health/traffic-pollution-impact-childhood-asthma/

The Government has brought forward the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars to 2030, and from 2035 you will not be able to buy a plug-in hybrid. As such, many of us are turning our attention to alternative fuels, in particular electric. With respect to clean air emissions, this is great news as the air emissions from fossil fuel cars creates Nitrogen Oxides which is harmful to living organisms, including us.

Air is essential for us, our animals and plants. The quality of our air is affecting us in insidious ways. For example: Four million children develop asthma every year as a result of air pollution from petroleum fueled cars and trucks, equivalent to 11,000 new cases a day. Children are especially vulnerable to toxic air and exposure to it is known to leave them with stunted lungs. https://www.who.int/airpollution/news-and-events/how-air-pollution-is-destroying-our-health

But what other benefits or disadvantages are there to electric cars? How environmentally kind are they? If you’re interested in electric cars and the infrastructure that supports their use, come armed with questions to ask Mark Calnan who will be presenting this session.

Mark Calnan, of Qarma Solutions and EB Charging, advises local authorities and businesses on integrated and sustainable solutions for decarbonising transport to meet the 2050 net zero emissions target, and to prepare for the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars. He has been a pure EV (Electric Vehicle) driver since 2014 and is currently authoring a charging infrastructure guide for local authorities, on behalf of the Department for Transport's Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) due for publication in 2021.
Mark is a highly experienced chartered engineer with over 30 years in major integrated transport infrastructure and complex building projects (UK and Middle East) - from Channel Tunnel to Crossrail, including a 2-year assignment as Heathrow’s Energy Manager overseeing its energy demand reduction programme.

Ever passionate about the environment and sustainability, over the last 8 years, Mark, Alex (his son), and business partner, Paul have co-founded EB Charging who initiated and funded the first electric taxi projects in Hertfordshire and Cambridge. They continue to develop and advise on innovative technology solutions; from managing Clean Air Zones, to intelligent charging bays and Smart Charging.
Mark and Paul recently completed a feasibility study to assess powering locally-owned EV charging infrastructure from community solar generation. They are currently advising an NHS Trust on decarbonising its fleet, and a North East authority on its 2-year electric van trial.

To connect with us:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/StJohnsEghamEcoChurch

@StJohnsEcoChurch https://www.facebook.com/StJohnsEcoChurch

https://www.instagram.com/stjohnsecochurch/

@StJohnsEcoChurch https://www.instagram.com/stjohnsecochurch/

Email: StJohnsEghamEcoChurch@gmail.com

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VDD: Reduce Your General Waste

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Church of England’s Prayer

The Journey to Zero Waste & Litter Free Environments

24th July 6-7pm: Ticketed Virtual Q&A

Shannon and Iris regularly plog the streets of Chertsey

Handling & processing waste costs money. Waste that is not recycled is incinerated, which means a resource is burned forever.

Check your knowledge of the waste terms here

Metal is the only material that can be recycled nearly an infinite amount of times. Recycling glass requires very high temperatures (over 800 degrees celcius which is higher than the temperatures of the incinerators) and materials like plastic and paper are downgraded with each “recycle”. I hear some of you saying “My council recycles plastic”, and some of you demand that “More plastic should be recycled”

When plastic is recycled, it can be recycled on average 6 times before it is deemed useless. Since September 2019, virgin plastic has been cheaper to purchase than recycled plastic.

To reduce the amount of waste that is processed, there are a number of initiatives from BYOR (Bring Your Own Reusable), Repurposing, Upcycling, and Reusing. Charity shops, preloved sites and freecycling are great ways to reuse items that are in good condition. Upcycling or repurposing using crafting methods has a finite number of times you will be able to divert your rubbish from the general waste. Our Eco-Brick project is a way to repurpose bottles and upcycle plastic rubbish we would otherwise have to put in our general waste. But we should be able to see beyond normal and see opportunities. Zero Waste / Refill shops have been popping up around the UK and globally.

Mel from Bare + Fair, a zero waste shop, will be at the discussions

BYOR is a great way to refuse purchasing single use bags, coffee cups, take away containers and more. Some of the take away shops will use your containers if you ask them. Cups in Egham used to provide a 20p discount off your purchase if you brought your own container.

Neil has been campaigning and helping lead governance changes

There are many more ways to reduce waste and we have brought together a panel that actively reduces waste from a business/organisational perspective, resident perspective, and a political perspective

  • Iris and Shannon – Chertsey residents whose challenge is to pick up litter every day in their daily walks and have an Instagram account @RubbishADay
  • Neil – from Zero Waste Europe promotes and supports societal moves to zero waste, and the need for change at political and corporate level to enable that change at a personal level.
  • Mel – runs Bare and Fair, a refill shop in Woking to enable sustainable and low-waste living a realistic option

Come join us for a free live virtual dinner discussion on going zero waste on the 24th July 6-7pm. Register for a ticket below:

If you want to leave a question for this discussion please submit a question via our question form. Click here to access

To connect with us:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/StJohnsEghamEcoChurch

@StJohnsEcoChurch https://www.facebook.com/StJohnsEcoChurch

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@StJohnsEcoChurch https://www.instagram.com/stjohnsecochurch/

Email: StJohnsEghamEcoChurch@gmail.com

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VDD: The Food Waste Cycle

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Make Food Last & Eat Great Food

17th July 2020 7-8pm – Free Ticketed Virtual Dinner Discussion + Q&A

The average UK household throws away £355.68 worth of food every year, equating to a startling £9.7billion across the country annually.

According to the research collated in February 2019, 65 per cent of UK adults admit to buying too much food that ends up being thrown away, with London and Newcastle reporting the highest rates of food waste.

Source: https://resource.co/article/study-reveals-uk-wastes-97-billion-food-each-year
Advocacy | FEBA
Image from: https://www.eurofoodbank.org/en/advocacy

As Christians we give thanks for our food and pray it blesses our bodies. However, there is a great deal of confusion about how long food can be kept safely.

Some believe we have been programmed to use an artificial date as a means of when to dispose of food products, instead of relying on our natural senses to look, smell and taste. When we grow our own food, we rely on those senses to tell us when food is inedible. Fruit, vegetables and freshly laid eggs taste so much better when you’ve grown it yourself, looked after chickens.

Heather will be sharing tips about growing your own

The Use By Date and the Best Before Date have different meanings. A Use By Date is about safety and a Best Before Date refers to the quality and shelf life of an unopened food product.

Every year, we throw away 7.2 million tonnes of food and drink in the UK, most of which could have been eaten. So think carefully before throwing away food past its “best before” date. The food will be safe to eat after this date but may not be at its best in terms of flavour, texture and nutritional value.

Suzanne from EdAbles Social Kitchen will sharing tips on cooking great food with food that may seem old

For more about food labelling see here: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-labelling-terms/

For handy tips on reducing food waste see here: https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/

Janet loves her veg

At the live Q&A session the panel consists of people who are dedicated to reducing food waste from purchasing, to cooking, to preserving to growing your own.

  • Suzanne from EdAble Social Kitchen: her social enterprise creates meals from food that would otherwise be wasted
  • Heather is a professional gardener who will be able to tell you about plants and composting
  • Janet is a veg lover who enjoys cooking and growing veg

Come join us for a free live virtual dinner discussion on making food last and growing food on the 17th July 7-8pm. Register for this event below:

If you want to leave a question for this discussion please submit a question via our question form. Click here to access

To connect with us:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/StJohnsEghamEcoChurch

@StJohnsEcoChurch https://www.facebook.com/StJohnsEcoChurch

https://www.instagram.com/stjohnsecochurch/

@StJohnsEcoChurch https://www.instagram.com/stjohnsecochurch/

Email: StJohnsEghamEcoChurch@gmail.com

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VDD: Developing Green Active Travel in Surrey

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Developing Green Active Travel in Surrey

Thursday 8th July 20:00-21:00: Free Virtual Discussion – Ticketed Event

Turning away from cars and increasing cycling and walking is a great way to reduce our individual carbon emissions while also improving our physical and mental wellbeing. https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/guides-tools-and-activities/five-steps-to-mental-wellbeing/

The Green Travel Action Group is comprised of residents of Runnymede who believe a healthy and happy neighbourhood is one in which encourages active travel. They have started a consultation with Surrey County Council and Runnymede Borough Council to develop better cycling and walking infrastructure within Runnymede.

Before you attend the session, you might like to see the comments that have been made so far: https://surreycovidtransportmap.commonplace.is/comments

You might also like to watch Xavier Brice’s webinar on Liveable Cities: Living and Moving Together

Jeff Wilson is a Transport Planner at Surrey County Council. As a member of the Transport Policy team, he is involved in the delivery of a number of active travel schemes in the county and the development of a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan for the Runnymede area. He is a keen walker, bike user and public transport advocate.

Xavier Brice is the CEO of Sustrans, Sustainable Transportation, and has been fascinated by transport’s impact on society since childhood. He believes that how we get around shapes how happy we are as individuals, and how happy and healthy our society is. He thinks we could all be a lot healthier and happier and is thrilled to be in an organisation making that happen.

Prior to Sustrans Xavier was at Transport for London where he held a variety of roles. This included leading the modernisation of London Underground’s stations, and developing a new cycling strategy for the city, which led to the introduction of the Cycle Superhighways and Cycle Hire Scheme. Before this, he advised international businesses and organisations on their strategies

Resources:

The vision for cycling and walking

What are the steps to designing a cycling and walking infrastructure plan (LCWIP)

Register at EventBrite for a ticket:

If you want to leave us a question for this discussion please fill in our question form. Click here to access

To connect with us:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/StJohnsEghamEcoChurch

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@StJohnsEcoChurch https://www.instagram.com/stjohnsecochurch/

Email: StJohnsEghamEcoChurch@gmail.com

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VDD: Climate Change Action & Eco-Anxiety

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Climate Change Action & Eco-Climate Anxiety

29th July 2021 at 8-9pm – Free Ticketed Virtual Discussion + Q&A

At COP25 (2019) climate scientists estimated the world had only twelve years to tackle the problem of greenhouse gas emissions. In November 2021 the UK will be hosting the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), with the conference’s ambitious aim of “Uniting the World to Tackle Climate Change”. The problem is, many nations lack urgency, and continue with Business As Usual. The UK says it will strive to be carbon neutral by 2050, which is twenty years after the “deadline’ set by the climate scientists. Does this remind you of an apathetic Covid response that large nations took?

Members of St John’s Eco-Church appealing to Runnymede Borough Council to create a Climate Change Strategy (June 2021)

How can we alleviate our own fears and anxiety about this? What can we do to redirect that energy to create positive actions to alleviate society’s contribution to climate change?

Join our discussion on the 29th July with:

Chris Hyde is chair of the Surrey Climate Commission transport group, and is working with others to deliver a more sustainable approach to transport across Surrey. He is also a transport planner and has worked with Transport for London. He was in the team that wrote the first Mayor’s transport strategy, briefing Mayor Ken Livingstone on walking and cycling policy and strategy.

Maria Gabauerova is an active member of Extinction Rebellion (XR) in Guildford since late 2019 and a member of Doctors for XR since mid 2020. Maria is also a student mental health nurse at the University of Surrey.

Esther Prior is St John's Vicar. In her last APCM, she outlined a bold vision to see St John become carbon neutral by 2030

Dal Hettiaratchi has been working as a counselor for about 15 years with a Christian charity who provide counselling to those who cannot afford to pay the full price for it. In her job she has dealt with many issues around anxiety and depression. Dal has a BSc in Psychology and BACP accredited integrative counselling diploma from Guildford. 

This is a free virtual ticketed event with a limited number of places available. Please register below if you would like to attend.

If you want to leave a question for this discussion, please submit your question via our question form. Click here to access

Resources:

https://www.churchofengland.org/news-and-media/news-and-statements/general-synod-sets-2030-net-zero-carbon-target

Climate anxiety and the Church

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191010-how-to-beat-anxiety-about-climate-change-and-eco-awareness

To connect with us:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/StJohnsEghamEcoChurch

@StJohnsEcoChurch https://www.facebook.com/StJohnsEcoChurch

https://www.instagram.com/stjohnsecochurch/

@StJohnsEcoChurch https://www.instagram.com/stjohnsecochurch/

Email: StJohnsEghamEcoChurch@gmail.com

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