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Felixstowe's Citizen Science Group (FCSG) contribute data to support a local climate justice strategy

On 2 July 2022, Felixstowe's Community Nature Reserve (FCNR) organised the first climate justice march in the local area. They aimed to promote six climate justice solutions:

  1. Where possible, walk and/or cycle on short local journeys instead of driving everywhere.
  2. Use more public transport where possible.
  3. Re-cycle old and unused digital equipment through envirofone.com or similar organisations.
  4. Install PV panels on the roofs of local homes, businesses, schools and public buildings to reduce CO2 emissions.
  5. Eat less meat to reduce the demand for land needed to grow cattle feed and reduce deforestation.
  6. Encourage our family, friends and neighbours to do the same.

Since the march, further Climate Justice solutions have been added to this list. They include the encouragement to support Fairtrade products (and the Felixstowe Fairtrade Forum) and advocating for car sharing and using Electric or Hybrid cars for domestic use. 

A short film summarising the first six climate justice solutions. 

Solar Panels  

One of the initial solutions was to recommend installing PV panels. To support this, FCSG supplied data from a network of nine sets of PV panels that were installed in the Felixstowe area in July 2011. As a result, FCSG was able to supply convincing real-time data collected through Bluetooth Sunny Beam wireless recorders.      

The data showed that each panel had saved almost 68,000 lb (30.8 tonnes) of CO2 since being installed (as of 14 October 2022). It also showed that the average total revenue for each PV panel since 2011 was almost £19,000, demonstrating that they hold considerable environmental and financial incentives. 

In November 2022, Felixstowe's citizen scientists published a forecast of how financial income from local PV panels might grow over the next five years. The forecast reinforced the role PV panels can play in a climate justice strategy.  

A graph showing a forecast of average annual income for a household with PV panels using data from 2012-2022. The graph sows the existing data with income rising from £1750pa in 2021 to £2400 in 2020, dropping to £1800 in 2021 and beginning to rise again to £2100 in 2022. It shows a forecast of income rising from £2400 in 2023 up to £3450 in 2027.

Electric/Hybrid cars

The second stage of FCNR's climate justice work includes advocating for electric and hybrid cars for domestic use. For this case study, FCSG chose a vehicle to analyse in detail: the Hyundai Tuscon 1.6 TGDi Hybrid 230. They found that it can achieve 59 mpg (i.e. 20.88 km/l) and reach 65 mph (106.6 km/h) while running purely on the electric part of the hybrid engine. Felixstowe's citizen scientists continue to collect data to support the hybrid technology's role in local climate justice strategy. 

Smart meters

Another case study will set out to provide data to support the use of smart meters. FCSG have chosen the EOn smart meter for its clarity of data and ease of reading. However, data collection is still in the early stages and continues at the time of writing.  

These are just some ideas of how locally based citizen scientists can play a meaningful role in developing climate justice strategies and solutions, with opportunities for data collection, analysis and visualisation. These examples should inspire other citizen scientist groups to get involved with developing climate justice strategies in their local communities. 


 

Information on the work of Felixstowe's Citizen Science Group may be found on their Facebook page
Information on the work of Felixstowe's Community Nature Reserve may be found on their Facebook page
Other helpful links on the work of Felixstowe's Community Nature Reserve include the following: 
www.wildeast.co.uk/urban-greening-felixstowe-community-nature-reserve 
www.wildeast.co.uk/urban-greening-joined-up-gardening 

 

Red cage fungus Clathrus ruber

The 6th Suffolk record of this extraordinary species. Found in a garden by Aimee Dines-Davey

Red cage fungus growing on a gravelled area in a garden.

 

Bats and Arboriculture – Scoping surveys for arborists

Online | 27 June & 4 July 2022 (2 afternoons)

"Very good introduction to bats in relation to ecology, the law and tree use." Course participant, 2017

This Lantra-accredited course, developed by the Bat Conservation Trust and supported by the Arboricultural Association, will enable participants to carry out tree works with consideration for the potential effects on bats and their habitats.

This course is in line with the British Standard 8596 - Surveying for bats in trees and woodland.

More details...

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Online | 24 June 2022

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More details...

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10 years ago Plantlife called for action to turn the tide on the fate of our wildflower meadows. Alongside our conservation partners, we identified the best meadow in counties across the UK, harvested its seed and used it to create new meadows nearby. The Coronation Meadows project helped Plantlife develop a really effective way to create new meadows.

As we celebrate Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee, the legacy of Coronation Meadows lives on. The knowledge gained is now helping Plantlife to create and restore more meadows, with almost 5,000 hectares created and restored since 2013. Plantlife wants to restore another 10,000 hectares by 2030 to give today’s children a chance to experience what has been lost in just two generations. Can you help multiply meadows again?

Yes, I want to help multiply meadows