Permaculture and sustainability in Llanrhaeadr Ym Mochnant
February 4th 2012 Posted at cooperatives, current affairs, Cwm Harry Project, energy, ethical investment, sustainability, Wales
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Permaculture in Llanrhaeadr
I love Llanrhaedr and have been visiting here regularly since 1992, when I first returned to the UK after working Zimbabwe and Kenya for several years… but for some reason it was never on my mind to live here. More by coincidence than design I moved to the village a couple of years ago and I am finding that I feel very much at home here and am now am turning my thoughts to getting more invovled and wanting to bring my experience to bare in working for a more resilient and sustainable community here. Resilience is a bit of a buzz word at the moment…. really all it means is that we have to be able to provide at least a bit more of what we need to flouish locally from our own resources. Energy and food prices are rising, and where the UK used to be a net exporter of oil and gas, we are now heavily reliant on expensive foregin imports. I understand that there are no easy alternatives and that large scale developments such as the proposed Cambrain wind farm cause all sorts of unease regarding their impact on the landscape, but that aside does not address the broader concerns for energy security. No easy answers here… but I am convinced we need more of a dialogue around these issues and we need to think ourselves about what we might want and where our own oppotunities lie.
All talk?
We need action on the ground, beyond just talking about it and I really hope these sessions I am planning to run in the Wynnstay from the 23rd of this month will create a space to explore some of the issues. We have also applied to the LEAF grant program to win some resources to start some energy projects in the village. We hope to be able to offer 30 energy meters for housholds to monitor their own energy use, 10 free energy audits for different types of buildings, (these audits will be done by fully professional energy specialists) in order to see where the best opportuniteis for energy saving, insulation and investment in better applicances may lie and we would also like to run feasibility studies on the potential for developing a community owned hydro scheme. A lot of water flows through the village each year, and we are aware that there used to be a hydro installation below Pen Y Bryn hall… there are examples out there of community owned schemes and we would like to examine the possibilities of something like that for the village here. Finally we have also applied for money to fit solid wall insulation on an old farm house here.. as an exemplar of what is possible, there are lots of new materials on the market now, breathable membranes, lime renders etc.. that suit older proerties and can make them much warmer without spoiling their character.
Aside from these energy projects I hope to be able untangle some of the myths and confusions around sustainability and the urgent need for transition, talk about available technologies, strategies and examples from other parts of the UK and the world where people are coming together to face similar issues. Please come and join us in the Wynnstay on Thursday evenings to find out more and to get invovled. See you there!
















