Action Groups
Travel
We are a rural community with limited public transport, only one local shop, one Primary School, a Social Club and no discernable employment. This therefore has the impact of being a commuter community with most people relying on their own cars for all essential requirements. Our goal is to significantly increase the proportion of people that travel by walking, cycling and where possible use public transport. The benefits of this include improving local health and well being and making a cleaner environment.
Actions:
• We recognize the need for an improved public transport system, and the improvement and provision of safe cycle routes and walkways. To reduce emissions from conventional cars and encourage electric vehicles; to enable this look to install communal electric car charging points.
• Ensure that the existing footpaths and walkways in the parish are safe for pedestrians.
• Support the work of the Winchester City Council Carbon Neutral Plan.
• Try and work towards encouraging and promoting a car share scheme.
Biodiversity
Our mission is to promote a better understanding of biodiversity in all its forms in the village and wider environment of South Wonston so that the village and all who live in it can create and support a more biodiverse environment. We will do this by explaining what it is and why it matters; supported by practical activities, information talks and
publications using a “common sense” set of examples and headings.
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is concerned with all the different kinds of life you find in one place. Often, these work together to support each other. We can see this in our daily lives. For example:
• Places rich in different kinds of living things: gardens, lawns, woods, the air, the sea
• Places such as pavements, carpets or walls which will still have several different kinds of life in them
• Soil which is incredibly rich in living material
• We know that plants grow better when they live in “rich” biodiverse soil, important for food and farming
• We grow and feel better when we have other living things around us: our pets, other people, plants
• But we also need helpful bacteria, in and on our bodies, our gut and our skin
Actions:
We will offer suggestions and examples of where we can help make a more biodiverse world;
In our village by promoting the introduction and development of things which increase local biodiversity; for example
• Bug hotels
• Swift and bat boxes
• Wildlife and wildflower verges
• Better protection for hedgehogs
• More biodiverse gardens
• More “wild areas”
• Planting more trees in our recreational areas
More generally by promoting a wider understanding of factors which affect biodiversity; for example
• Recognising that climate change can significantly reduce biodiversity
• How we can help in the garden – for example creating more biodiverse lawns, flowers and ponds
• How we can attract birds, insects, mammals in our garden and community
• Giving examples of Biodiversity in the wider world - flower verges, rivers, the sea and shoreline, the air we breathe
• Looking at how our farmers are helping - ploughing methods, crop rotation, set aside and wildlife areas, trust the tractor
• Offering support to organisations which promote biodiversity
• Looking for web sites, books and organisations which help us learn and understand
• Encourage discussions about it
Food
The global food system is responsible for over a third of all greenhouse gas emissions.¹ However, as different food sources vary vastly in their environmental impact; the choices we make around what we eat are powerful.² This means that any positive changes to our eating habits can have a significant impact in relation to sustainability. If we all stop wasting food, we could cut greenhouse gas emissions by around 8 to 10 percent.³
We are learning about the connection between food production/waste and climate change.
Actions:
● Increasing awareness about following a climate friendly diet.
● Researching and sharing information about local producers and retailers of sustainable, seasonal, high welfare and local food.
● Supporting prioritising plant-based food, with less and better meat and dairy.
● Promoting the sharing of surplus food in the village.
● Encouraging a reduction of food waste.
● Highlighting the importance of reusable packaging and not using single use items/plastic.
● Liaising and learning from other, similar groups.
Longer term goals could include:
● Connecting with other groups in the village to see if we can work together to enable change.
● Finding opportunities for community food growing.
● Discovering whether there is a desire in the village for a community fridge or community composting.
● Investigating the possibility of holding a small market and inviting local
producers.
Further information:
Environmental Impacts of Food Production (ourworldindata.org)
The Planetary Health Diet - EAT (eatforum.org)
Surplus and Waste in the UK (wrap.org.uk)
Ending hunger | World Food Programme (wfp.org)
Goal 2 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs (un.org)
Eating patterns for health and environmental sustainability (bda.uk.com)
¹ https://ourworldindata.org/greenhouse-gas-emissions-food
Energy
At a global level, the Earth's climate is changing. No matter the cause, people's lives are being impacted – financially, socially, mentally and physically. Everyone has a responsibility to help reduce the consequences for future generations. The Energy Group aims to encourage our community’s resilience to climate change, particularly in relation to energy use.
Winchester City Council’s goal is to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030. We are supporting this goal by motivating and supporting residents to use energy as sustainably as possible. We do this by:
- Promoting understanding of the climate crisis.
- Connecting residents with useful resources to reduce their carbon-based energy use.
- Advising on domestic renewable energy.
- Facilitating community actions for larger-scale renewable energy sources.
Read more about these energy-related projects and initiatives for South Wonston's residents.
Circular Economy
What is Circular Economy?
The circular economy is a model of production and consumption, which involves reducing, reusing, repairing, refusing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of products is extended.
Actions:
• We aim to set up a Repair Café, a number of swap item availability and sharing options and a way for people to “whisk” and swap their unwanted items on maybe an active website or physical destination.
• Long term the vision is for South Wonston to have a thriving Circular Economy where it actively reduces, repairs and reuses. With the aforementioned being a regular occurrence and the norm for the village.