Assessment Blog Two - How Sustainable is my Community

I have never really thought about how sustainable where I live is. I live in a village called Flackwell Heath which is a large village on the outskirts of High Wycombe and has a population of around 6000 people. Flackwell Heath falls in the Super Output Area Wycombe 018.

According to DEFRA, a sustainable community should be:

·         Active, Inclusive and Safe

·         Well Run

·         Environmentally Sensitive

·         Well Designed and Built

·         Well Connected

·         Thriving

·         Fair for everyone

(http://www.defra.gov.uk/sustainable/government/what/priority/sustainable-communities/what-makes.htm)

High Wycombe and the surrounding villages (including Flackwell) are quite popular for people who commute into London to work. High Wycombe is just 29 miles from Charing Cross. Because of this there are quite a lot of cars moving around the village. There are also 3 schools, so during rush hour the village can get very congested. This doesn’t make the village very sustainable.

There is also no major supermarket in the village. The nearest supermarket is in the next village, roughly a 5-10 minute drive away. There is a local Budgens located at the centre of the village, but as the village is so large, many people choose to drive to it rather than walk, particularly in cold weather. Again, not a very sustainable way of life.

However, one thing I can think of that is sustainable has to do with one of the primary schools. In July 2005, Carrington Junior School unveiled its new addition to the school, a wind turbine. The new wind turbine takes pride of place on the school field, and generates one third of the schools energy

According to 2001 census data, Flackwell Heath/SAO Wycombe 018 had a population of 5874 and a total area of 435 hectares. These figures meant that the area has a population density of 13.51.

(http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=280887&c=HP10+9DW&d=140&e=16&g=425148&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&p=1&q=1&r=0&s=1290105689195&enc=1&dsFamilyId=789)

On the Office National Statistics website, there is a tool you can use to look at postcode specific statistics within your Super Output Area. There is a tab showing details for: People, Health, Business, Work, Education, Crime and Environment and a summary, showing your neighbourhoods rank of total deprivation.  I used this tool for my postcode. It came back showing the total deprivation at 18064th out of all 32428 neighbourhoods in England (the most deprived coming in at 1). [taken from indices of deprivation 2007]

(http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/NeighbourhoodSummary.do?width=1366&a=3&i=1001&m=0&s=1290105632820&enc=1&profileSearchText=HP10+9dw)

The neighbourhood statistics show the table below with the consumption of energy for my postcode. As you can see the consumption figures in my area is higher than both Wycombe’s and England’s, suggesting that people are not using energy in a sustainable manner.

Domestic energy consumption, 2008

Your area Wycombe England Average consumption of ordinary domestic electricity K/watt hours 4,779 4,468 3,800 Average consumption of economy 7 domestic electricity K/watt hours 7,935 7,070 5,789 Average consumption of domestic gas K/watt hours 22,492 19,603 16,799

On the other hand, according to the data, there are no empty homes (2008). Another good aspect of the village is from April 05-May 06 there were no serious reported crimes in the SOA Wycombe 018.

I definitely feel that Flackwell Heath could definitely be more sustainable. The wind turbine was certainly a step in the right direction, however as far as I’m aware there hasn’t been any more progress to become a more sustainable community. Since the end of 2009/beginning of 2010, some new houses have been built on a plot of land where a pub used to be. The plans for these could have incorporated some ideas like solar panels to help better the villages image as a sustainable community.  

Assessment Blog One - How Sustainable am I?

"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”  World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future (1987).

I feel that everybody would like to think of their lifestyle as being sustainable. I certainly would like to believe that I was doing my bit to help save the planet. If somebody was to ask me in the street if I felt I was leading a sustainable lifestyle, my initial answer would probably be yes. However, upon further reflection I would have to say that my life is probably not as sustainable as I would like it to be. I now recycle most materials that can be, thanks to all of the recycling boxes and bins introduced by the government. However I would say that most of the things I do that I would say help make me more sustainable are small acts that are more common sense than me thinking about the environment. For example, showering rather than taking baths, only using a washing machine and dishwasher when they are full, turning off lights behind me when I leave the room and not leaving things on stand-by. 

          

  I do own a car, and honestly, I use my car as my main mode of transport. During university term time, I live in a small village, and commute to university daily, which takes  around  20-25 minutes. I know that I should opt for public transport, however buses are very infrequent (Maybe one bus an hour) and would have to then swap buses around 3 times just to get to either campus. So I drive to university, and to most other places, out of convenience.

The department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA, 2009) states that “The past 20 years have seen a growing realisation that the current model of development is unsustainable. In other words, we are living beyond our means. From the loss of biodiversity with the felling of rainforests or over fishing to the negative effect our consumption patterns are having on the environment and the climate. Our way of life is placing an increasing burden on the planet.”  It is the understanding of a statement like this that has urged people to do something to help on an international scale spanning right down to an individual one. One of the main themes of the London 2012 Olympics is ‘Sustainability’ - http://www.london2012.com/making-it-happen/sustainability/index.php

Defra also has a complete website completely devoted to sustainable development, http://www.defra.gov.uk/sustainable/government/ . The website includes a page on what sustainable development is, and what you can do to make your own life more sustainable. This, I feel plays a vital role in helping the public understand the ideas behind sustainable development, and how they can alter their own lives to become more sustainable.

On reflection of everything I have said above, under the circumstances surrounding my lifestyle, I feel that I am doing as much as I can, nonetheless I would still like to be able to say I am doing more.