Welcome to the Spring issue of “Sustainable Shores”. A newsletter brought to you by Exmouth Town Council, with seasonal updates on what we’re doing locally to tackle the climate and ecological emergency.

This year, we’ll be focusing on helping Exmouth individuals, groups and local businesses work out their carbon footprint. And we’ll be explaining how to “tread more lightly” by providing training and making some adjustments in these key areas: Waste, The Natural Environment, Food, Energy and Transport. If you’d like to find out more, check out our Climate Action Plan

WASTE

• In May, Samudra the Sea Serpent will be back at Sideshore to encourage recycling of single-use plastics.
• We’ll be heavily promoting the Exmouth Cup scheme to encourage people to borrow an Exmouth reusable cup. Find out about the scheme here.
• We’re supporting Plastic Free Exmouth’s campaign to persuade smokers to properly dispose of their cigarette butts! Look out for a cigarette ballot bin, coming soon to a popular Exmouth venue. For more information, check out Plastic Free’s Facebook Page.
• We’re supporting the launch of a Reusable Nappy Scheme in Exmouth (with Bosom Buddies) and are encouraging reusable period products at Exmouth Community College.
• ETC staff and councillors went on a tour of the Exeter Energy from Waste Facility in April and we’ll be posting on our socials about what you can (and can’t!) recycle.

THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

• We’re installing two more water butts in Exmouth in May, one near the Sensory Garden to help Exmouth In Bloom out with their watering and the other outside the Town Hall. And we’ll be encouraging rainwater harvesting throughout Exmouth. Look out for a campaign to consider what you’re flushing down the sink and loo. And what pesticides or herbicides you’re using in the garden.
• We’ll be promoting Devon Wildlife Trust’s Wildlife Garden scheme and encouraging all gardeners to: rewild a section of their garden; plant trees; choose hedges over fences; put in hedgehog highways, bird boxes, insect houses and bee bricks; install water butts, improve surface drainage on their property and reduce run-off.
• We have established a Tree Forum of local and district experts, Councillors, Trusts and landowners and will be making sure in Exmouth we are not only planting more trees and hedgerows but are maintaining and protecting the trees and hedgerows we already have!

MAGPIES – A THRIFTY FESTIVAL

In March this year our Climate Change Officer teamed up with our Arts Manager and Nicky Nicholls from Sideshore Community and organised a week of thrifty activities and events to encourage people to rethink, refuse, reuse, repair and recycle. From a Tech Recycling Robot at Exmouth Community College, jewellery-making and sewing sessions, to a Charity Shop Fashion Show and plant-based café, we had something for everyone! Look out for more of these thrifty activities throughout the year, including making a mile of bunting for the Exmouth Festival and putting out Magpie Tables on the first Sunday of every month.

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Sideshore Community was launched in February 2024, with a vibrant new Hub where “curious people can converge”. The Hub will host workshops, talks, events and seminars, and share insights on renewable energy, waste reduction and sustainable practices. Drop in if you’d like to chat about carbon footprints, active travel, circular economies, the magic of upcycling – or simply to find out a bit more about climate change and how we are collectively tackling it in Exmouth. And please share your ideas! The Hub is your space …

Check out the Hub schedule to find out who’s in the Hub and when. Our Climate Officer Zoey Cooper will be there a couple of afternoons a week so come and say hello – find out more about our Climate Action Plan – and how you might get involved.

FOOD

We’re going to be demonstrating how cutting some meat and dairy from your diet will improve your health and wellbeing – and help protect the planet. We’ve a plant-based Bring & Share launch event on the 20th May at Open Door. Look out for regular plant-based bring & share meals and fun events throughout 2024, to learn how to shop and cook without meat and on a budget.

ENERGY

We teamed up with Devon Communities Together at the tail end of 2023 and start of 2024 to provide free advice and warm kits to help Exmouth residents stay warm and save money. We’re going to continue working with national and local energy experts and community groups to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and lower our collective carbon footprint.

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