Since September and the Great Big Green Week, we are still waiting for the plans for the school crossing from BMDC and we expect that a consultation will take place once they are disclosed. Given the positive feedback from the trial we are hoping that the wider pavements will be in place soon.
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority want to encourage more walking and cycling given that 38% of all car trips in West Yorkshire are of less than 2 miles.
We have been hearing more about plans for the Wharfedale Greenway that now has planning permission for the Otley to Burley sections. Work is now needed to assess how to bring the route up to standard and how the spur comes into Menston.
With the huge hike in energy prices, we would like to hear from people who can share their experience of insulating their homes - do get in touch or come to a meeting. The Resolution Foundation is saying that the number of households spending 10% of their income on energy will treble in April.
Local businesses are still being encouraged to make pledges to be more sustainable in a way that works for them - do look out for the blue stickers around the village.
The land and nature working group within CAM has now established itself as a stand alone charity - Menston Area Nature Trust - so if you want to find out more about them, please see their website: https://mant.org.uk/
Our next meeting will be on 27th April at 7.30 in the Parish Room if you want to get in touch or join us before then go to https://climateactionmenston.org.uk/
Saving Creation
You may remember that in February 2020,the Church of England adopted an ambitious target to reach net zero emissions by 2030. The Diocese of Leeds are at the forefront of acting on this and it is a key part of the Diosesan Strategy strongly endorsed by Bishop Nick in the context of loving, living and learning.
He sets out that reducing our carbon usage is an act of love . We share a “common home” on the earth and the resources are not limitless. Loving our neighbours as ourselves calls us to reduce our carbon usage as individuals and as a church.
Facing up to the reality of climate change requires us to live differently; to ask difficult questions and consider our priorities. Achieving net zero by 2030 communicates to the world and to ourselves who it is we believe in.
In aiming for net zero by 2030, we are seeking to be both bold and courageous. It will be a costly journey . Let us seek to support one another to learn, grow and discover more about God, his mission and the role of the church in the 21st Century.
The Diocesan website has lots of good information and all parishes and deanearies are being asked to work on their net zero strategy. The Church of England has decided to start by only counting its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions for the commitment to be carbon net zero by 2030 . That means carbon dioxide produced from directly burning fossil fuels (gas/oil for heating and petrol/diesel used for church business travel) and carbon emitted from using fossil fuels to generate electricity.
So the 6 steps to net zero are set out as:
Measure and monitor: use of the energy footprinting tool and report to the APCM
Plan and prepare: checklist and template
Essential energy actions:cut back on energy use and use a !00% renewable tariff
Essential travel actions: move to electric cars, charged with renewable energy
Carbon offsetting: such as tree planting for remaining emissions.
Stepping out and up: celebrate what you are achieving.
At St John’s we are doing some of these things but we could do with a small group to work on this together with getting to a Silver or Gold Eco church award. If you would like to get involved please contact the Parish Office! Climate Action Menston are meeting in the Parish Room this Wednesday at 7.30pm. All are welcome to attend. April's meeting will take place on Wednesday 27th April.