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Weekly Roundup Sustainability Energy Education 3rd July 2020

Weekly Roundup

Pic of the week

Brownies from Girlguides Hersham sew Boomerang Bags

Brownies from Girlguiding Hersham sew Boomerang Bags

Sustainability

Our good news story comes from Surrey where the Thames Ditton Boomerang Bag (BB) community has just broken its record and produced over 3,200 reusable Boomerang Bags replacing plastic bags on its High Street.

Tricia Bland (BB Thames Ditton organiser and local councillor) was interviewed by LLE.“We want to cut out all single use plastic bags from our High Street by having local volunteers make reusable high quality bags.

“We use fabric from unwanted clothing, and sewing machines that are no longer needed by their owners.

“Boomerang Bags is a global community initiative started in Australia and Thames Ditton is the first UK High Street to install it with 8 shops signed up and more to follow!

Shopkeepers Thames Ditton with Boomerang Bags

Shopkeepers Thames Ditton with Boomerang Bags

“These shops stock no plastic bags and give out free BBs to all their customers.“On average a BB is used 700 times in its life whereas the average plastic bag is used for only 12 minutes and takes 1,000 years to biodegrade.

Pupils Thames Ditton Junior School

Pupils at Thames Ditton Junior School learn new skills and help their community. (Hinchley Wood School help as well)

Shoppers & the Food Bank use Boomerang Bags

Shoppers & the Food Bank use Boomerang Bags

“The community has benefited and been brought together by this initiative. They have battled on through Covid and words such as…
good spirits, feeling useful and being needed, helping each other, educating people and learning new skills
…are how the volunteers express their gratitude for the in initiative.”

Boomerang Bags Thames Ditton Team

Boomerang Bags Thames Ditton Team

Energy

‘Low Carbon Farming’ is building two super-renewable energy sourced green houses in Norfolk and Suffolk. The 70 acres of greenhouses will be capable of producing 12% of the UK’s tomatoes with a 75% reduction in carbon footprint.We will follow up this initiative in future

Low Carbon Farming Green House

Low Carbon Farming Green House

Education

Pupils and students will all be back in school in September. But there’s a lot of organisation teachers and staff need to get in place and young people and parents will have to play their part too.


*Staggered journey and school opening times to prevent congestion & crowding
*Protective ‘bubbles’ around classes in primary and year groups in secondary schools
*Class rooms reorganised for social distancing
*National curriculum focus core subjects
*All exams & tests to go ahead as normal
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/jul/02/back-to-school-what-can-pupils-in-england-expect-from-september

Puzzle of the week

The focus this week has been on World food and the energy we get from it. It’s reminded me that over 50% of our food energy comes from just 3 food types: rice, corn and wheat. AND there are just 4 companies that provide the seed for us: Bayer Monsanto (EU), Corteva Agriscience (US), Syngenta (China) & BASF (EU)

Thank you

Thank you for reading the LLE Weekly Roundup.

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E chris.burchill@letslearnenergy.co.uk            T: 07772 214460

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