The Environment Group, set up by the Civic Society in April 2016, is a 200-strong group of villagers committed to the green agenda
We aim to raise awareness about urgent environmental issues within the village and, through our very active volunteer group, take action to protect and enhance the natural environment of the village and surrounding countryside, reduce our carbon footprint and reduce waste
Wildlife friendly Addingham
After almost four years of recording since our formation in 2016 we are beginning to gain some understanding of our village wildlife populations. We have ongoing projects on hedgehogs, birds, butterflies, bees, wildflowers and trees, and plan to start monitoring bat populations.
We are especially interested in raising awareness about the loss of pollinators and the importance of maintaining and restoring wildflower populations and hedgerows throughout the village. We grow native wildflowers from seed in pots and plant them out in our village green spaces. Our aim is not only to restore wildflowers and wildflower habitat but also to create a mosaic of closely-spaced wildflower patches that provide nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies and other pollinators
Sustainable water
Our work on water in Addingham focuses on our 4Becks project, so called because we have four principal becks running through the parish. They all suffer from pollution. Town Beck in particular is in poor condition. We monitor the becks using our team of beck stewards who clear litter, report pollution events and record wildflower and bird populations
Flooding is also a problem caused by water flowing off the fields around the edges of the village, by rising groundwater in basements and by over-topping of the beck in the lower parts of the village close to its confluence with the Wharfe. We work to help residents prepare for flooding and we promote environmentally friendly flood protection schemes that reduce flood risk and at the same time help to improve water quality and freshwater life
Zero Carbon Addingham
The starting point for us in Addingham as a community was to measure our carbon footprint using an online calculator. In 2019 we asked residents to use the calculator and send in their personal data so we could calculate a village average. Values ranged from 6.7 tonnes per year to 17.4 with an average of 11.7. Judging from these figures, we are not doing especially well!
We raise awareness about climate change and the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by promoting energy efficiency measures, adopting renewable sources of energy, flying less, modifying diets and sequestering carbon by tree planting
Zero Waste Addingham
Our local authority tells us that our recycling rate by household is 31% by weight. Our aim is to increase that to 50%, by increasing participation rates and improving the understanding of residents about what can and can’t be recycled.
We also take part in the "Refill" scheme for drinking water, we have various Terracycle schemes for recycling items not otherwise recyclable, we have a shop selling detergents in re-usable containers and we are encouraging businesses in the village to eliminate single-use plastic.