The Gödöllő Climate Club finds a twin club
in the UK: Fownhope CRAG
Members of GreenDependent went to Fownhope, where they participated in the local climate club meeting. They shared experiences they had gained in their own Gödöllő Climate Club and the idea of cooperating more closely as twin clubs to achieve common goals also came up!
Fownhope is a village of about a thousand residents in Herefordshire, South-West England. The local climate club (The Carbon Rationing Action Group or CRAG) was established in the late 2007 by residents who wanted to reduce their carbon footprints. Club members meet monthly in the local pub and help each other with footprint reduction. They also share what they know about low carbon living and also actively take part in raisingawareness among the wider community. For example: In 2009 the CRAG involved the residents of the village in a tree-planting project. According to CRAG initiators: ’climate change is becoming uncontrollable and represents a real danger. Trees, however, are really important in binding carbon dioxide. With our tree planting project we give our support to a global initiative which asks for worldwide governmental cooperation to cap CO2 levels in the atmosphere at 350 ppm. (Currently, from one million air particles –or ’parts per million’ ppm - 386.8 are CO2 according to www.co2now.org).
‘The fruit and walnut trees that we planted support local food production and a lot of transportation will not be needed. We know that this is very little globally but it is very important to do our best in small communities. The trees are not only beautiful but also increase the chances of survival for wildlife, which is increasingly threatened due to climate change.’
Led by CRAG, 350 trees were planted in the public areas of the village, in the gardens of public buildings and in residents’ gardens as well.
In 2010 Fownhope CRAG group members have also participated at community events where
- CRAG member families show posters, give short presentations and talk about what they do at home in order to reduce energy consumption and related CO2 emissions, and how they utilize renewable energy sources,
- they also show a short film about their activities and efforts, and
- organize community awareness-raising programmes: e.g. an eco house design and
drawing competition for schoolchildren.
CRAG groups operate in the United Kingdom as part of a network. They are groups whose members are committed to reducing their individual and community carbon footprints. As a first step they determine their yearly emission level or carbon ration. Then they track and register their household energy consumption, journeys by air and car and calculate the
related carbon dioxide emissions. Finally, at the end of the year they pay for their carbon debts; that is, emissions above the pre-determined level. There are groups where members pay a sum of money earlier agreed on for each kilo of CO2 emitted above the determined level. The money goes into the group’s ’carbon fund’. The money collected this way is spent on designated projects: tree planting, setting up wind turbines, etc.
Further information:
About the Fownhope Club:
http://www.350trees.org.uk/
http://www.fownhope.org.uk
About the CRAG movement:
http://www.carbonrationing.org.uk
