Sally is based in Richmond, North Yorkshire. She’s signed up for Greener Together through Abundant Earth, a community supported agriculture project based in Durham. Sally is a member of a local transition town group and it was through a fellow member of that group that she heard about Greener Together.

Sally was already interested in environmental issues, but decided to sign up to Greener Together to find out more about the practical things she could do and whether there was anything that she could pass onto her local community. She was already fairly knowledgeable about certain green issues, partly through her job as a gardener, and partly through the membership of the local transition town group. She’s signed up to ten pledges related to energy saving and transport.

Achievements & Successes
So far, the biggest success has been the installation of the energy meter. “The energy monitor was one of the suggestions and it’s been very useful in finding out where we waste energy. Things like switching off and unplugging devices, boiling less water in the kettle and making sure that when I’m using the oven, I’m fully using it rather than just for one dish. I know I do a lot of little things like that because of the meter which I didn’t do before. I’m thinking more in advance. It’s definitely been the most useful thing so far. It really makes you think about what you’re doing and it’s also a win win situation because you’re cutting down on your fuel bills while at the same time reducing the energy demand and therefore helping reduce emissions” she says.

Sally’s biggest achievement is being resistant to putting on the heating. “I’ve wanted to put it on but I’ve managed so far. That’s my greatest struggle”. The reduction in energy costs to the household has been another positive impact of the project. “We’re also growing more vegetables for ourselves and having the mindset of eating what’s available in the garden rather than thinking ‘I’m bored with that, I’ll go and get something else’” she says. “I’ve become more creative in my cooking as a result”. Sally’s also using information from the website, when she visits it, to add to the transition window that she has, which displays what’s going on and the themes they’re working on.

Impact of participating
Although Sally’s knowledge hasn’t expanded as much as she’d wanted from being part of Greener Together, she admits that she’s much more aware of a global energy problem than she was before. “Things being made a little more difficult for me also gives me a better understanding of what it must be like for people in other parts of the world. It’s made me think more globally by acting on a more local, personal level”. She also thinks that she’ll be more ready to ask questions than she was in the past when purchasing bigger items, such as a new fridge. The costs benefits of cutting down energy use have also been a positive impact. However, Sally also acknowledges that the financial returns on some of her efforts won’t be as immediate. “We’re putting photovoltaics on the roof and although we’ll get the feed-in tariff benefits immediately, the return on the panelling is going to be a few more years down the line. However, it will be a positive return in the end because it will have benefitted us, and it’ll also be good for the price of the house when we come to sell”. Sally admits that although the couple were going to get the panels anyway, it’s becoming part of Greener Together that has galvanised her to discuss it with her husband and do it sooner. “We’re discussing the issues far more and I don’t think I would have prompted things to happen as quickly before. I would have just waited for my husband to take the initiative. Being part of Greener Together has definitely accelerated some changes.”

Challenges
Sticking to the pledges has not come easily however. “Using public transport is really difficult here in the North Yorkshire Dales” she reports. “If you try regularly going anywhere by bus, you’re as likely to be late for a meeting because of a herd of sheep or cows going by. Or perhaps the bus hasn’t arrived at all, and it’s the only bus of the day”. Despite these obstacles, she’s still trying to use public transport, but admits that because of the unreliability of the buses, it’s had quite a negative impact, and she’s had to cancel meetings, setting work back by several weeks. As a result, she’s decided to only use buses for her own purposes but not if she needs to be somewhere else.

Other pledges have been abandoned altogether for the time being. “I found reducing the heat of the washing machine very difficult” Sally explains. “I just prefer a hotter temperature to get white things cleaner, but everything looked grubby. I might try it again, but I have to admit that I’m reluctant to”.

 Sally found turning down the thermostat and putting on an extra jumper to be another challenge. “I find it very difficult because I get cold if I sit for long and so I have to pile everything on. The temptation is in the evening when the warm day has chilled down, to put on immediate heat rather than dealing with it. I’m working very hard on that one”.

However, Sally has implemented some innovative strategies to help her with that particular challenge. “We’ve now got a winter bedroom and a summer bedroom and that makes quite a difference. My desk is wonderful in the summer because it’s lovely and warm but in the winter, it’s perishing cold in that location, so I’m going to move my desk upstairs to where there is a warmer patch of sun and I’m selling a family heirloom piece in order to get a more efficient desk to work there”.

One of the other challenges that Sally has faced is the fact that she was already doing a large number of the actions suggested by Greener Together. The couple were already growing some of their own food, had solar panels on the roof for hot water and Sally’s husband was already quite interested in saving energy. Sally has also yet to make full use of the Greener Together website. “My natural inclination is not to go onto community websites on the internet so I’m probably not making as much use of it as other people who are more used to going on those sorts of sites” she explains. “However, I do think that I could try to respond to people’s questions and suggestions more, and perhaps initiating something myself”.

Impact on friends and family
Sally’s not really publicised her pledges to her friends and family. “My family would probably look at me as though I had signed up to a new religion or something” she says. Instead she hopes to do the pledges quietly and then talk to people more intelligently, and subtly. “I’ve already got a number of people going to the library where they can hire out an energy meter as they would a book. They’re now doing that and they hadn’t thought of that before, so they are becoming a bit aware”.

What would she do differently?
“If I was starting out again, I’d like to have got in touch with the person who designed the questions and talked to them about giving me more flexibility” she says. “I was already doing quite a lot of things from each section and I found it too prescriptive. I would have questioned that at the beginning.”

Advice to others
To others starting on the Greener Together journey, Sally recommends working more with the other people in your group – and interacting more on the website. She suggests answering their questions and making suggestions and so on, right from the start, so that you’re working with each other.

At the time of interviewing, Sally was four weeks into her Greener Together pledges, which she plans to keep up even after the ten weeks has finished, trying to stick to as many as she can, for up to a year.

For Martin and Christine and their 11 year old daughter Emily were lucky enough to get one of the mini allotments at Kingston Lacy estate in Wimborne. As part of the Food Glorious Food campaign initiated by The National Trust and funded through DEFRA’s Eat into Greener Living initiative, 28 new allotments were created and snapped up by people on the waiting list for full-sized plots. They took over at the beginning of April and it’s amazing what has been achieved. It’s the first time the Sanders have had an allotment and they are completely new to vegetable growing. Yet as Emily will proudly tell you, they have grown 37 varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers. As she took me round the plot she reeled off the list: “potatoes, nasturtiums, onions, spring onions, leaks, garlic…….mint, chives, marigolds, sweet corn and butternut squash.” This is all a far cry from the children shown during Jamie Oliver’s food crusades not recognising the most common of vegetables. Emily, a pupil at St Michael’s Middle School in Colehill, has clearly loved having the allotment. “I’ve brought my friends up to see what we’ve been doing and they’ve been interested as well. It’s been fun watching the plants grow and the best bit is picking and eating them.” While Emily’s enthusiasm is infectious, it’s Martin and Christine who’ve been doing the labour intensive part of the growing. Christine said: “The watering has been hard work, especially during all the hot dry weather we’ve had. It takes about half an hour every day but when you see all the plants growing we know it’s been worth it.” As they have never grown vegetables before, it’s been a steep learning curve for the family. Christine explained: “We’ve grown some from seeds, some from tiny seedlings and had to learn how to time when to plant the different crops so everything isn’t ready at once.” There are 28 plots at the kitchen garden site and a sense of belonging has been very important to the gardeners – especially those new to growing. “Everyone is very friendly and willing to give advice and help to those of us who need it,” Christine added. Until they got this allotment Christine and Martin, who is a train driver, have not had enough garden space to grow food. However, they have enjoyed this mini allotment so much that they are desperate to have more room. “We’d like to grow fruit and winter vegetables as well so need twice this space,” Christine said. The National Trust wants to create 40 full-sized allotments for next year and the Sanders family will be waiting with spades and forks poised in the hope they will be lucky enough to get one. Liz Turner

Residents of Whitefriars Housing Group properties, as well as other properties in the areas will be offered a range of free products including a device to convert a single flush toilet into dual flush, a showerhead that mixes water with air, tap inserts, and a shower timer. Residents will also be offered an E.ON TV PowerDown to eliminate standby and a thermometer card that indicates whether a room is too hot or too cold.

Residents coming along to an EcoTeam meeting will meet new friends and neighbours, getting together for an hour once a month for five months to discuss the home visits they’ve had, how to save more water, gas and electricty, plus how to recycle more. Tap Into Savings will provide the venue, refreshments and freebies to take home and try.

Local project facilitator for Tap Into Savings, Kate Hunter, said ‘We are very pleased to bring Tap Into Savings to Coventry to help residents save water and energy, which will help reduce household bills and protect local water supplies, plants and wildlife for the future. The project shows how easy it is to make big savings and I encourage everyone to get involved.’

Coventry icon Lady Godiva attended the launch and spoke of her experience as part of an EcoTeam.

The project is delivered in partnership with Waterwise, Global Action Plan, Whitefriars Housing Group, Severn Trent Water, Coventry City Council and the Environment Agency.

Alfresco Chop & Chat session

Knightshayes is quite possibly home to one of the finest kitchen gardens within the National Trust.

Alfresco Chop & Chat sessions

With an abundance of tasty fruit and veg being farmed from the kitchen garden, the team were keen to teach visitors just how easy it is to cook delicious dishes with what you grow.

As a result funding has enabled them to develop an ongoing programme of ‘Chop & Chat’ sessions. The property chef visits the kitchen garden with visitors, harvests produce with them and then gives outdoor cooking demonstations. Fortunately the great weather we’ve enjoyed this summer has allowed for a really comprehensive timetable of these events.

Giant Bee Panel tells the story of the importance of bees in the food system

Gibside Food Larder sells local produce

Gibside Estate (Northumberland) is developing an exceptional profile as a local food hero hub within the local community. Ahead of the project Gibside had become a Farmer’s Market location, in June it the team launched the Gibside Food Cooperative.

Greener Living funding has enabled the property team to develop a wonderful mix of food related experiences at the property.

Food Trail

Gibside has a great food story to tell. This is being told in a truly interactive way with the launch of the Gibside Food Trail. Visitors are given a trail book which takes them around the Estate. En route they visit the kitchen garden taking in the observation bee hives, compost corner, growing spaces, old ice house, farm and stables – which play host to the newly arrived chickens and lifesize milking cow. The trail launched during the May school holidays. The combination of fun activities, education and exercise are proving a winning formula for visitors.

Gibside Larder

Visitors can purchase fresh local seasonal produce at the Gibside larder.

Like many of the properties participating in the Greener Living project Blickling are offering visitors a wide range of  ‘Grow Your Own’ and other food related activities.

Mrs Wadlow’s Cookery School is launched

One part of their project which is proving popular with younger visitors is the launch of Mrs Wadlow’s cookery school. Flo Wadlow was a cook at Blicking back in the 1930s. During her time at Blickling she created an extensive collection of recipes.

The project has enabled Blickling to start a children’s cookery school. Staff and volunteers dress in themed costume of the 1930s kitchen staff, and teach children how to bake Mrs Wadlow’s recipes using locally sourced ingredients wherever possible.

Children get to take home what they’ve baked on the day and are also given recipe cards to try at home with their parents / carers.

The ‘Season’s Eating’s’ giant board game has been created as part of the National Trust’s Green Living project.

We felt it important to teach children (and parents) which fruit and veg is in season for each month of the year. To do this we’ve developed a giant (1m x 1m 20) magnetic board game. The game comes with 24 magnetic fruit and veg cards. It’s been rolled out to almost 30 properties, and is proving a great hit with family visitors. The children love learning which month each piece of fruit or veg is in season and sticking them on to the magnetic board.

Growing community success story

Lytes Cary Manor in Somerset create 40 new allotments at the entrance to the property grounds.  Lytes Cary allotments site in Somerset has helped to bring a local community together, reconnected them with the land and given them a sense of involvement and ownership of Lytes Cary Manor, helping to develop this historic National Trust property as a multi-functional community resource.

Learning together

A huge range of community events take place through the year to help people learn new skills, get to know each other and have fun. Jo Wragg, Allotments Association Treasurer, said “Learning about growing is an on-going process. You can have a look around at other people’s plots and get new ideas. It’s a very social experience – very much dig for five minutes and talk for ten!” Specific workshops take place through the spring and summer on topics from water conservation to practical cookery.

A scarecrow competition taking place over the summer will be judged by Lytes Cary visitors. A hedgerow harvesting event and even a hogroast are also planned and a regular newsletter keeps everyone up to date with what’s happening. On show The 40 allotments are located prominently next to the main entrance to Lytes Cary which has many advantages. They are open all the time for visitors to explore and learn as well as plotholders – and as an added bonus there are now 40 extra pairs of eyes keeping a watch on the Lytes Cary grounds.

Connecting communities

This project has linked together hundreds of local people from all social backgrounds from neighbouring villages. 35 of the 40 plots are let to the local people with 5 set aside for community groups. A group of young people from Swanmead Secondary School have really taken ownership of the project at Lytes Cary. Simon Larkins, the Head Gardener at Lytes Cary said “This group are not academic and initially it was difficult to get them interested. Now, a few months into the project they work well on the garden. After work they clean their tools, tidy up and leave their overalls by the washing machine, and even have a cup of tea ready for me when I come in! For 90% of the kids on the project this is their first ever experience of growing anything. They love it.” Changing perceptions Many people, including Treasurer Jo Wragg were not aware that the Trust were involved in allotments. Jo said “I commuted past Lytes Cary every day for two and a half years and I’d never been in. It feels far more accessible to me now because I’ve got a part in it. Since Pete and I have been involved in the allotments project my parents bought us joint National Trust membership for Christmas”. This project has received funding through the ‘Eat into Green Living’ project funded by Defra, as well as the Big Lottery Fund and South Somerset District Council.

Piggy Tales…

Two piglets were introduced to Attingham. Their mission was to clear the ground of part of the kitchen garden ready for the next stage of its regeneration. Family visitors are really enjoying meeting and feeding the pigs, and learning about the importance of high standards of animal welfare when rearing animals for the food chain.

Great growing activities

Attingham has run a great calendar of activities to teach families how to grow their own. There have been ongoing seed growing workshops. Pumpkin Day saw visitors planting the property’s pumpkin seeds. Visitors are encouraged back to check on progress. Lots of children sized watering cans have been provided, with signs encouraging children to join in the watering activities.

England team “veg-heads” kick off home grown competition

A unique sculpture of the England football team made from onions and other home-grown produce is launching a new competition to help keep families occupied this summer. 

Called “veg-heads”, and organised by the National Trust as part of its Food Glorious Food campaign, families are being challenged to create a sculpture from produce grown either in their back garden, on a windowsill or from their allotment.

For creative types harvesting veg with unique characteristics, there is a ‘celebrity look-alike category’; and the competition has kicked off with a specially commissioned sculpture of the England team.

Jenny Sansom, local food co-ordinator at the National Trust said: “It’s a crying shame that England are out of the world cup – so we hope we’ll be able to bring a smile back to people’s faces with the veg heads competition.

“We want everyone to get creative and have fun with their home-grown produce. 

“Anyone who grows veg at home will inevitably at some point have a gnarly, quirky or oversized vegetable that makes them smile, and may even remind them of someone, and we wanted to find a way of sharing such finds. 

“We hope to inspire people over the summer to open their minds to create characterful veg that can be captured on camera for all to see.”

The closing date for entries is 30 September 2010.  Winners of the adult competition will receive a years supply of fruit and veg from Riverford Organic, while the winner of the under 16s will receive a children’s kit for growing fruit and veg and a wormery.

For more information, to enter the competition, and to see view entries on-line, visit http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/vegheads