Day in the life of a smart home
In this short talk PACT director Richard Waller discusses the key components of a "smart home energy" system that comprises solar PV, energy storage and devices that divert any surplus solar to an electric vehicle and hot water production thereby maximising self sufficiency. The talk demonstrates how the different components worked together throughout the course of a day in March 2022 to provide a cost saving of over 90%.
Richard's previous talk: Using solar PV to reduce your carbon footprint.
Zero Carbon Cumbria - Doing our bit!
Action on Plastic
PACT has begun a campaign to reduce single-use plastic in and around Penrith, thanks to funding from Cumbria Council's Waste Prevention Fund.
- We've started a Refill Penrith/Cumbria scheme to let you refill a water bottle wherever you are
- And now we'd like you to make some pledges to reduce your use of plastic
Keep Penrith Tidy - Love where you Live
- Penrith Repair Café open 10am-1pm Saturday 9th December.
- The Penrith Community Gardeners meet on Tuesday mornings at 10am at the Salvation Army at Hunter Lane for couple of hours around town of 'green gym' and 'vocal chord' exercise not forgetting smiles and laughter!
Electric Bike Charging Points in The Lake District, Cumbria
Climate & Ecological Emergency declared by EDC
Resources
Recycle your inkjet cartridges to help us
- Report on Prof Mike Hambrey's talk on glaciers and climate change
- Fellside Forager recipes
- Plant something in the Garden of Eden
- Why not ask for some asparagus kale seeds or damson tree suckers.
- Or Grow some pea shoots for salad
- Cumbria Organic Gardeners and Farmers
Repair Cafés are running in Eden District in Penrith and Alston. If you've got a broken toaster, a jumper with a hole in or a bike that needs fixing, please bring it along and hopefully get it fixed for free.
If you are handy with a screwdriver, a spanner, a sewing machine, or anything else and want to share your skills then get in touch with us. Read Chris' account of the first Penrith cafe and watch some films.
PACT and Freegle are keen to encourage people to grow-your-own communally, in your own back garden or on your window sill.
We’re members of a partnership of more than seventy organisations working towards the shared goal of a zero-carbon Cumbria by 2037. The National Lottery's Climate Action Fund is funding the Zero Carbon Cumbria project for five years from 2021 - thanks!
For PACT, it means we can greatly expand on the popular events we run in Eden - from repair cafes to Freegle Give and Takes - and it’ll allow us to explore some exciting new ones, too.
Appleby Edibles
Our resident Apple Expert, Hilary Wilson, has given demonstrations of pruning and more at St. Annes Almshouses with fellow Orchardist Chris Braithwaite. A small tree nursery, including apple rootstock for grafting next year is growing well.
Community Apple Juicing with a stall from Garden Organic and tool care by Kingsharp went well in October, with help from The North Cumbria Orchard Group.
We are still working towards full accessibility and signage so that people can find us, but have new members without looking and more welcome, hoping to put together a team who can work together to recover the polytunnel this Winter. Please get in touch if you, or anyone that you know can help with this.
Winter Re-planting of Heritage Apple Cordon along the Railway fence. Saturday December 18th 10-3. Please bring a spade if you have one. Vegetable soup provided.
Regular work days, Tuesdays 10am-12noon.
Environmental action in Eden District
PACT aims to increase our ability in Penrith & the Eden Valley to cope with the challenges of peak oil, climate change and economic sustainability. PACT is an environmental group started in Cumbria in 2008, and is part of the growing transition town network in the UK and around the world. PACT is made up of a group of like-minded and enthusiastic volunteers, committed to making a real difference in the local community.
Penrith Community Gardeners update
We are gardening (when weather permits) in the raised beds and peace garden at the Salvation Army in Hunter Lane on Tuesdays from 10am. We'll be gardening there and around town in our other planters for an hour and then meet back at the SA for group coffee at 11am.
Anyone is welcome to join in and help to make our town look even better. Also a chance to grow fruit and veg and be supported by folks who know how to do it! Find us on Facebook
More info on community gardening in Eden
Look what we've done
Films and reports
- Photo report for Raised Beds for Food bank at Salvation Army in Penrith.
- Penrith wins trophies and accolades at Cumbria in Bloom 2012 due to our Greening and Garden of Eden projects.
- Pride in Penrith - see the Big Spring Clean film.