Tree Planting

The Gatehouse Carbon Action Team are working with the South West Community Woodlands Trust and have organised two tree planting days in November and December. Fruit and berry trees will be planted in Cally woods and Garries park on the 30th of November and the 4th of December. Both planting days will begin in the morning and volunteers will meet at the Kiosk (opposite Spar) at 10 am. We are asking residents and businesses to make a donation of £15 per tree which will go towards the cost of the tree and stakes/guards. Donations can be made out to the 'Gatehouse Development Initiative' and given into the Kiosk or 51 High Street.

Please join us on the days and help plant your tree

South West Community Woodlands Trust aim to plant fruit and nut trees in D and G so that we can eat more local food, be healthy enhance biodiversity and reduce carbon emissions. Over the past few decades orchards have disappeared from the UK in a wake of imported fruit that is often tasteless and stored for months in energy intensive chillers. The UK is only 16 percent self sufficient in indigenous fruit.
The orchard and wild harvest project, in collaboration with the Crichton Carbon Centre aims to help reduce the carbon footprint of the residents in Dumfries and Galloway. The project will help to reduce carbon emissions by:
Encouraging the purchase of local and seasonal fruit and vegetables - this reduces the need for imports and heated greenhouses.

 Promoting green tourism - reduces car use.
 Encouraging the reduction of food waste, recycling and composting
 Demonstrating energy efficient storing methods
 Cultivating a low carbon lifestyle through volunteering, planting trees and attending local events and festivals.

Community Centre grand opening

Gatehouse Of Fleet Community Centre held its grand opening day on Saturday the 16th of October. The opening day follows a long period of construction and decorating works to the centre. The Gatehouse Carbon Action Team attended the opening day and set up an exhibition covering climate change and renewable energy technologies. The Community Centre has had extensive works carried out over the past few months; the building has been fitted with air-to-air source heat pumps and 22 solar panels. Since the installation of the solar panels in March the electricity generated has saved over one tonne of carbon dioxide as electrical power has been generated on site and not imported from the grid. Many Gatehouse residents turned out for the event and the Community Centre can now be used in a productive and sustainable way.

Cubs event at Cream o' Galloway

An event was held at Cream o’ Galloway (ice cream factory just outside of Gatehouse, which emphasises use of alternative energy and other environmental considerations) on the 26th of September. The event was highly successful; various cub groups from across the region (including Gatehouse Cubs) attended the event. The Gatehouse Carbon Team had been asked by the management of Cream o’ Galloway if they would be able to attend the event in support of the cubs outdoor badge buster day. Approximately 100 cubs attended the event. Cream o’ Galloway is a sustainable business which uses renewable energy to power and heat the site. The Gatehouse Team ran two events with the cubs, James Hutchinson and Antony Berretti ran an energy workshop with a range of technologies on display for the children to work with. There was also a Fresnel Lens on display, the lens concentrates the suns energy onto a focal point and can ignite paper and wood in a matter of seconds. The lens demonstrates the power of the suns energy, fortunately it was excellent weather on the day! The lens proved very popular with the children. Denise Brownlee ran a waste exercise with the children. Using a range of waste items the children had to work out the types of individuals the waste belonged to and what kind of lifestyle they had. It was an excellent day and the children were really engaged. Holding the badge buster day at Cream o’ Galloway was very much in keeping with the image of the business. The event featured excellent press in the Galloway News with a photograph of a child on the energy bike and a section on Gatehouse Carbon Action.

Renewable Energy Exhibition

A renewable energy exhibition was also held this month at the YMCA Drop-in-Centre. The event was held on the 9th of September and ran from 11 am until 7pm. The event had been advertised in the Galloway News and with full poster coverage around the town. A wide range of renewable energy technologies were on display, Antony Beretti from Glentrool Microenergetics also helped deliver the event and set up a range of kit including low energy light bulbs and an energy bike. The bike is an old exercise bike that has been modified to include an electrical generator. The bike proved very popular, especially with the children. The event saw a turnout of approximately 30 people with about half being tourists from outside the area. The Gatehouse residents that did attend the event had already had a carbon survey but were nonetheless educated further regarding the use of renewable energy technologies and low energy appliances and lighting systems.

Gatehouse of Fleet Gala 2010

One of the most attended events of the year was the Gatehouse Gala which ran from the 1st to the 8th of August. Gala Day was held on the 7th of August and was a great success for the carbon project. The carbon team entered a float in the form of a Giant green foot. The foot was constructed using largely recycled materials and was painted using eco friendly green paint. The weather on Gala Day was excellent and this meant that over one thousand people lined the streets to see the float parade move through the town.
The carbon team had previously worked with the Gala committee and had introduced a carbon challenge which encouraged float builders to use recycled/eco friendly materials. The carbon team acted as judges and awarded points based on the level of recycled components, the eco friendliness of the towing vehicle and how the components would be used once the float was dismantled. Most float builders had made a good effort to be eco conscious. The winning float used a regular road trailer covered in hedge trimmings, this was very simple and carbon friendly.
The green foot was towed using an electric moped which was charged using renewable energy. The foot was towed through the town with ‘Gatehouse Carbon Action’ clearly visible on the ankle section. Many hundreds of people saw the float and it was an excellent way of increasing the visibility of the project and it was good to be seen being involved with the community. It is likely that any member of the community who was not aware of the project before is now aware that the project exists and what it aims to achieve.

Float Construction:
The float was made using ~ 70% recycled materials, the chassis was constructed from an old pine kitchen unit, the rear wheels were from a 40 year old caravan, the front wheels were from an old trolley, the rear axle was from an old weights set and the front axle was constructed using an old roof rack. The wood used to make the frame was scrap/off cuts. The curves for the toes and ankle were made from off cuts of plastic central heating pipe, the mesh is chicken wire (this part of the float was new) the covering was made using papier mache using old newspapers and eco friendly glue. The foot is painted using an eco friendly paint with natural oils and dyes.

The second half of Gala Day was spent exhibiting in Garries Park, the floats gathered in the park along with various stalls and gazebos. The Gatehouse team set up a gazebo and displayed all the kit the project has to offer including a solar PV array, wind turbine and rainwater harvesting kit. The electric scooter was also out on display, this proved very popular especially with the younger age groups.

Gatehouse Carbon Action at the Wickerman 2010

The Gatehouse Carbon Team have just spent the past few days attending the Wickerman Festival. It was one of the biggest events of the carbon project to date. Working with the Dalbeattie Carbon Team and the Microenergetics team, we established a mobile carbon centre at the Wickerman Festival. On display were a wide range of gadgets and renewable energy technologies, including a solar photovoltaic array, a wind turbine, a static bicycle generator and solar cookers. Using the excellent weather on Friday we cooked quiche for the team using a copper solar cooker! We spoke with around 80 people during the festival and discussed the use of mobile renewable energy technologies with traders on the site who were lighting their tents using diesel generators. The mobile carbon centre was powered by 100% renewable energy generated from the solar PV array and the bicycle generator! The Wickerman Festival sees visitors from across the UK and we hope we made a positive impact at the festival and inspired people to see the major benefits of doing things in a more environmentally friendly way.

Eco Driving Simulator

The Gatehouse Carbon Team are pleased to announce the latest event to be held in the town; on the 1st of July, the Energy Saving Trust will be letting us loose with their Eco Driving Simulator, the event will be held in the Drop-in-Centre from 7 pm onwards. The simulator will test your driving skills and we will be awarding prizes to those who can drive the most efficiently so do come along and have a go!

We will also be holding a quiz during the event where we will be giving away some exciting prizes including solar powered mobile phone and camera chargers!

All are welcome, entry is free and drinks and nibbles will be provided free to all who attend.

We hope to see you there!

Gatehouse Carbon Action