ECO CITY
stitching and pop-up sale by Sew Positive, a circular headwear workshop by The Junk Trunk and a clothing swap shop by Verte, among others, all listed on the Arcade’s website. “It’s a good opportunity to use our community influence for good,” states marketing manager Julie Kervadec. “As a shopping centre in a city centre location, we welcome people from all demographics every day. As hosts, we hope everyone can be inspired to live more sustainably.” Eco home help Another exciting initiative is the Open Eco Homes event (21 September to 20 October), offering free house tours online and in-person by eco-minded homeowners in Oakington, Histon, Willingham, Stapleford, Great Paxton, Hills Road, Dry Drayton and more. “Our Open Eco Homes tours and talks provide a great opportunity for anyone interested in these technologies to see them in action,” notes Fran Sutton, home energy officer at Cambridge Carbon Footprint (CCF). “There’s a real focus this year on the all-electric home – using ground source heat pumps, solar PV [photovoltaic] panels and home storage batteries – all of which help the homeowner to better balance their energy use. One of our participants, Paul Kershaw in Oakington, has set up his Nissan Leaf EV to power his home during peak hours, and supply the national grid with green energy, using the car as a storage battery. He has two in-person tour dates and an online talk, as well.” Booking is essential, so don’t miss out. There’s also a chance to hire one of CCF’s 14 thermal imaging cameras this winter to see how well-insulated your home is, with full training on how to use it and interpret the results. CCF also runs a city-wide Repair Cafe network, with dates listed on its website (there’s one at the Grand Arcade on 19 October) as well as community clothes swaps – a practical way for local communities to take part in the circular economy at a grassroots level. A clothes swap kit of rails, hangers and mirrors can be loaned out to local organisations wanting to address over-consumption and fast fashion in a fun community event. The annual Eco Festival at St John the Evangelist Church on Hills Road (12 October, 12pm to 3pm), is another excellent example of a community seizing the initiative on sustainability. The aim is to inspire visitors to reduce, re-use, repair and recycle, with stalls including a garden club, making natural soaps, carrying out
COMMUNITY SPIRITS Let’s Go Circular offers repair workshops (top) and pop-up sewing sales (bottom)
bike repairs, willow weaving, a pottery demonstration, book swap and even advice and guidance on bee-keeping. Reducing food waste Cambridge Sustainable Food is all about driving down food waste. This community interest company is a network of like- minded food organisations and volunteers working to build a fairer, more sustainable
food system, having recently won a Gold Award from Sustainable Food Places – only the third UK city to do so. Among a wide range of initiatives, it operates a zero-waste catering service, a directory of sustainable food producers, an open- access Holiday Lunch programme, eight community food hubs as well as Good Food neighbourhoods. Cambridge Cookery is a small, independent business with its own zero- waste credentials. “We had a massive effort about five years ago, focusing on the cafe business,” says director Tine Roche. “We found that better portion control meant we had fewer leftovers and less waste.
Our Open Eco Homes tours are an opportunity for anyone interested in the technology to see it in action
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