Ashton Hayes is aiming to become the first village in England to become carbon neutral

English village spearheads carbon neutral drive
AFP Monday March 12, 06:28 AM





ASHTON HAYES, England (AFP) - A small English village last year set itself the aim of becoming the country's first carbon neutral community -- only to be swamped with requests for advice from around the world.

"I simply didn't want to tell my grandchildren that we knew the effects of the climate change and that we didn't care," said Garry Charnock, the man behind Ashton Hayes' "Going carbon neutral" campaign.

"Today, about 40 villages and cities such as Manchester, Abu Dhabi and Rotterdam
have contacted us for advice on what to do," he added, also citing interest from Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

The village is set amid the rolling hills of Cheshire, northwestern England, a short drive from the well-to-do city of Chester and not far from the Welsh border.

Charnock first had the idea of spearheading a carbon-cutting drive after going to a debate on climate change at a literary festival in Wales. His first act was to ditch his high-powered BMW for a less gas-guzzling, compact car.

Today, the most visible signs of his campaign can be seen in the village primary school and the pub, which he and others who have joined the bandwagon describe as the "lungs" of the community.

"They influence our community, the school is an excellent catalyst. And the children involve their parents," said Tracey Todhunter, another member of the 40-strong project team.

The campaigners have fitted a small wind turbine and solar panel on the roof of the school to heat its water, while an "eco-team" of a dozen pupils ensure as much as possible is recycled, and turn off any unused electrical device.

The school choir has written a rap song, dubbed "Carbon neutral," which they hope to sing on July 7 in London, when "Live Earth" concerts are scheduled to be held around the world.

Barry Cooney, manager of the Golden Lion pub, agreed to join the campaign in December, even though he admits to being "a bit incredulous" at first.

Four months later, he is over the moon.

His monthly electricity bill has gone down from 1,000 pounds (1,473 euros, 1,930 dollars) to 650 pounds after he changed his light bulbs, turned down the heating and switched off devices not being used.

"Ideas pop out all the time. Each initiative is a step forward but we can't do everything in the same time. You can't change your way of life in one day," said Charnock.

For the moment, the focus is on energy conservation. As well as cutting use, the village also wants to produce its own electricity using a micro-grid fueled with wood provided for free by the conservation charity The Woodland Trust.

Villagers have also proposed to utility Scottish Power that it install wind turbines in a field offered by a local landowner.

"In return, we would have a wind turbine and we could sell the excess output of electricity," says Charnock.

In other initiatives, a system by which villagers can offset their carbon emissions is being set up, with hundreds of trees being planted, and solar panels cropping up on some houses.

A teleconference room, to cut the need for people travelling, is also under construction.

Many households have begun using compost and recycling to cut down on waste production. Over one year recycling has improved by eight percent.

"That's the highest in the county," said Alison Ambrose, proudly.

The village has been given a subsidy of 26,000 pounds from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs to share its experiences. A conference scheduled for mid-April in Chester is already sold out.