St John's Church Egham

Experience Hope

Eco-Festival

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: Moments, Mindfulness, Meditation

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Moments, Mindfulness, Meditation

Thursday 29th July 21:10 – 21:40

Mindfulness simply means paying attention to our experience in the present moment, on purpose and with an attitude of kindly acceptance. Join Suzette as she ends the virtual discussions with time to reflect, be calm and to prepare your mind for the journey of a peaceful sleep.

Suzette Jones (MSc, RN) is a Registered Nurse and a Health & Wellbeing Adviser who delivers and facilitates training, talks and support groups on a range of health and social issues to the faith, voluntary and statutory sectors. A lifelong Christian meditator and Mindfulness teacher of over ten years she facilitates sessions which are open to all, regardless of faith or none.
Mindfulness practice can be found in a range of settings including health, education, and business. Each session is bespoke to those attending in time and content and will include some simple exercises that use our natural human capacity such as observing breathing, walking, speaking to reduce stress and aid our mental & physical well-being.

To join fill in the EventBrite form below:

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: 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

To return to the main schedule – click here