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Local charity, Dorset Mind, has expanded its ecotherapy group support, Eco in Mind, to three new sites across Dorset from 17 April.The new groups are targeted at specific groups: carers, families and friends of people living with dementia, NHS and Blue Light workers, and patients at a GP surgery.
Delivered in partnership with trusted organisations, the new locations are at Ferndown with the Growing Compassionate Communities initiative; Shillingstone with The Big Yellow Bus Project; and Shaftesbury, based at Abbey View GP Surgery in connection with Shaftesbury in Bloom and the Blackmore Vale surgeries. The local charity champions a whole-community effort and all produce grown at the new allotments will go to local foodbanks or communities. Residents at Moretons Abbeyfield Wessex Care Home are assisting the local project by planting seeds and nurturing seedlings, ready for growing at the Ferndown Dementia Friendly allotments. Ecotherapy is known to support better wellbeing. Gardening just twice a week improves wellbeing and relieves stress according to BBC’s Science Focus. National Mind describes ecotherapy as a ‘formal type of therapeutic treatment which involves doing outdoor activities in nature,’ something the Dorset branch of Mind delivers on its allotments. The charity has seen positive outcomes from work on its established allotments in Dorchester and Weymouth, supporting local adults and young people: 100% of participants’ mood were improved or maintained over sessions (81 sessions delivered in 2021/22) and 100% people would recommend Eco in Mind’s support. Activities are centred around the evidence-based Five Ways to Wellbeing – proven steps to increase wellbeing including getting active, connecting, taking notice, learning, and giving back. Dr Andy Mayers, Dorset Mind Patron and Principal Academic at Bournemouth University said: “I am delighted to see the expansion of Eco in Mind. The benefits of using nature to boost mental wellbeing are clear, but this is also an opportunity to teach environmentally friendly methods to grow produce. Everyone’s a winner.” To find out more about Eco in Mind, follow this link, or email [email protected] To find out more about the support, education and training Dorset Mind offers, visit Dorset Mind’s website.
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8,000 disposable barbecues to be dismantled and recycled in Dorset after devastating heathland fires20/4/2023 8,000 disposable barbecues, that were removed from sale following last year's devastating heathland fires, are to be dismantled and recycled in Dorset.
Litter Free Dorset is hosting the event today (20 April) and the component parts will be recycled by W&S, the recycling contractor for Dorset and BCP Councils. The six tonnes of charcoal will be transported to Swanage Railway to be used in the Steam Train. Emma Teasdale, Litter Free Dorset Coordinator said: "Disposable Barbecues pose a grave danger to Dorset’s natural environment and wildlife; they are also single-use and incredibly wasteful. Of course we want people to enjoy their summer and make the most of our beautiful county, but this should not be at the cost of the environment. "We are asking people to make the change by avoiding single-use items including disposable barbecues, and to look for reusable alternatives." Southern Co-op has permanently removed disposable barbecues from sale. Mark Smith, Chief Executive of Southern Co-op said: "Sadly we have witnessed the devastating impact that disposable barbecues can have to both people and wildlife if they are not disposed of responsibly. Removing them from sale was an important move to protect our local wildlife and ecosystems as part of our longstanding commitment to reduce our impact on the environment." The summer of 2022 was one of the hottest on record, and the driest since 1976, and Dorset & Wiltshire Fire Service attended 123 heathland fires across the county during last year. They're fitted with pollution-reducing Living Walls which consume carbon and produce oxygen.
'Green' vending machines have been installed at Bournemouth train station as part of a world-leading, innovative trial. SWR has partnered with Christchurch-based Decorum Vending, who have worked with Regency Design and phs Greenleaf to design the world’s first living walls that can be attached to the sides of vending machines. The living walls - which are small, self-sufficient, vertical gardens - have been developed to thrive in all locations, whether sunlight, shady or covered, and if the trial at Bournemouth is successful, they will be making an appearance on machines at other locations on the SWR network. It is also said to use 54% less electricity than previous versions and has a smaller environmental impact through the use of upgraded refrigerants. Annually, each wall consumes nearly 5kg of carbon and produces 2.4kg of oxygen while combatting air pollution and increasing biodiversity. The walls’ structures are made from recycled coffee grounds and all removed plants are recycled back into biomass. Living walls have been proven to effectively reduce harmful nitrogen oxides while providing a boost to biodiversity, by providing accessible habitats for insects and other wildlife. The new vending machines join other innovations in Bournemouth including station benches made from recycled plastic bottles and a plastic-free dispenser for both still and sparkling water. The green hydrogen project will produce 120,000kg of the clean energy carrier per year. Image: Ethical Power.
The 5MW Whites Pit solar farm in Wimborne, Dorset, has been commissioned by renewable energy Ethical Power to provide power to the Dorset Green Hydrogen project. The solar project has been commissioned on behalf of Canford Renewable Energy, an operator and developer of energy infrastructure, to power its first green hydrogen project – a 0.9MW electrolyser. Whites Pit solar farm consists of 12,430 solar modules that have been installed across a 26-acre landfill site. This had been energised in October 2022. The green energy produced via the solar farm will provide green energy to the electrolyser throughout its design lifetime of 30 years. The green hydrogen produced at the site, which could reach up to 120,000kg per year, will be compressed, stored and sold for local and regional use as a carbon free fuel. This will help decarbonise large vehicle fleets in Dorset. Ethical Power was the EPC contractor for the Whites Pit solar park built on a closed former landfill owned by Canford Renewable Energy. The scope of works by Ethical Power Group companies also included development consultancy and due diligence, civils and reinstatement works and technical due diligence throughout the construction phase. A pipeline from an oilfield that leaked into a harbour has been sealed, the harbour's commissioners have said.
About 200 barrels of oily water escaped from the pipeline, operated by Perenco, into Poole Harbour on 26 March. Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) said 30 "slightly oiled" birds had now been spotted but added there had been no serious casualties. The RSPB previously reported 15 birds with oil smudges had been spotted in the bay the day after the leak. These included black-headed gulls, Mediterranean gulls, shelduck and mute swans. PHC said 140,000 litres of oily water has so far been recovered along with five tonnes of polluted beach and soil material. The operation of 11 booms to contain the flow was "proving successful", it added. It said clean-up work was continuing "non-stop" in Ower Bay and also along the Goathorn and Arne peninsulas. The leak came from Wytch Farm, an oil field and processing facility that produces about 14,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. The public have been urged to continue to avoid using the harbour. |
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