Charlbury Green Drinks

Sat 21 Apr 2018, 11:47

I originate from Hampshire, and in the past I have had occasion to serve Hampshire's national drink, Watercress Soup, to the good people of Charlbury. It has always seemed to go down well, and it is not just green ... it is *very* green. :-)

Sat 21 Apr 2018, 10:29

Universal basic income. hackernoon.com/googles-chief-futurists-says-basic-income-will-spread-worldwide-by-the-2030s

Fri 20 Apr 2018, 17:18

I've heard houses made out of plywood could be quite cheap.

Thu 19 Apr 2018, 09:10

That's a better idea than a green coloured drink. We live in one of those concrete houses with fake limestone that fools no-one. Fake over function. Unlike Hans we had neither the skills nor the strength to do all the work. So we had to pay others to make our house warm in winter and cool in summer and condensation free and we insulated it from the inside which is not so effective and so we didn't get away with £500. Let's face it most of the existing poor housing stock in Charlbury is occupied by people who may find laying insulated floors a little challenging both physically and financially. As for the new housing stock - why have we abandoned the Zero Carbon Homes Policy? It would be so much less expensive for the residents who would be able to spend more on their local 'green' drinks whilst joining the Yack & Yarn group to knit good warm jumpers.

Wed 18 Apr 2018, 20:36

Perhaps in a twist to the wonderful green discussions we could also consume a few 'green drinks'. There are a number of organic and very sustainable choices available - what do our local hostelries stock?

Wed 18 Apr 2018, 13:18

A lot can be done to the existing housing stock. The majority of houses were built before central heating, with fireplaces in every room. They had to be draughty for the fires to work. Our house is 1830s with majority single glazing, but at 75 kWh per year and m2 I am well below passiv haus standard (level 5 is 46 kWh per year and m2.) Pre 1945 houses is expected to consume 250 kWh per year and m2. I put draught seals in all sash windows and external doors, insulated loft and under the floor on the ground floor. In all I have probably spent £ 500 - and a lot of my time. When insulation is discussed the industry talks about u values (the heat transfer W per m2 and degrees K) which is rather meaningless for the building as an envelope. I'm also a heating engineer by trade.
Further, I'm Swedish so I can confirm the housing stock isn't all that great there as we tend to imagine, with the average house about 80 years old.

Wed 18 Apr 2018, 12:38

Exactly. If our houses were well built we would be in a better position to decide whether to open the window to reduce the temperature to 16C or whether we needed a minimal top up of heat to increase it to 22C. Similarly, in student accommodation which gets switched on and off on a certain date - if that were properly built very little top up heating would be needed in the depth of winter. We shouldn't be penalising individuals for their differences in body temperature regulation. The fantastic advantage of living in the 21stC is that the technology is available for people to live comfortably without spending a fortune on gas/oil. I would guess there is a majority in favour of increasing the building regulations to make property comfortable to live in - which means bringing back the Zero Carbon Homes Policy. With regard to retrofit of existing concrete buildings - I read an Oxford University study about 10 years ago which recommended knocking them all down. Personally, I think the external insulation option is a better one and if it looks nice and snug instead of a Cotswold stone house, then that's good.

Tue 17 Apr 2018, 22:24

What happens if you go hypothermic at below 21c ambient like I do? The concrete construction of our neighbourhood - fake limestone that fools no-one - has almost nil insulation qualities like a tent. Only solution is to spray them with 6" polyurethane and paint them pretty colours. But bet the planners won't support that.

Tue 17 Apr 2018, 18:01

Indeed - we all have different levels of comfort. I'm a northern type too Harriet - and I like my homes to be very well built so I don't get too hot in the summer. Fuel poverty is defined as a household that spends more than 10% of its household income on energy. Apparently the Queen meets that definition - I can't imagine it's much above 16C in Balmoral. You also raise a good point about shared heating systems. Nothing suits everyone all the time ...

Tue 17 Apr 2018, 12:26

Alice, fuel poverty as you put it is partially caused by people overheating their houses. My annual fuel bills, gas and electric combined, is £300. My house isn't massively heated, it's about 16c, and it doesn't have all kinds of fancy insulation like Liz's does. My daughter has gone off to uni where her room is hotter than our house so she has the heating off and the windows open and the other students she lives with tell her her room's cold. So a lot of it is all about people's perception of cold and the need to heat buildings unnecessarily.

Tue 17 Apr 2018, 11:41

How about a discussion around ... 'Household fuel poverty and ill health through damp, mouldy housing would be solved by building homes to the same standard as our Northern European neighbours have adopted. But our Government chose to axe the Zero Carbon Homes Policy in the UK in July 2015 and instead focus on price controls on the cost of fuel.' Is there anything we can do to influence this misguided policy?

Mon 16 Apr 2018, 17:55

I appreciated your post, Liz!

Mon 16 Apr 2018, 10:07

There is also the brazilian national drink caipirinha

Mon 16 Apr 2018, 09:51

Used to drink Green Goddess it was horrible!

Mon 16 Apr 2018, 07:03

Have you ever seen an Irishman put a special powder into his Guinness on St Patrick's day which turns the Guinness green? Or is it only in Uganda that they do it?

Sun 15 Apr 2018, 22:17

I thought it was green chartreuse.

Sun 15 Apr 2018, 22:07

So nothing to do with absinthe?

Sun 15 Apr 2018, 12:50 (last edited on Sun 15 Apr 2018, 18:48)

Green Drinks is a movement that has sprung up in places all over the world in recent years. It consists of entirely autonomous, very informal local groups, not associated with any political party. The idea is to provide a space where people who have 'green' concerns can meet and talk to like-minded people and perhaps listen to a talk from someone with relevant knowledge or expertise.

Although our first speaker in Charlbury is a former leader of the Green Party, her topic, a Universal Basic Income, is one that is now being widely discussed by people of different political affiliations or none. It is already being tried out in various parts of the world as a possible means of assuring a decent life for all in a world that is becoming ever more unequal and where the availability of traditional employment is expected to change drastically as a result of the revolution in artificial intelligence.

If you are keen to foster exciting new thinking and discussion in Charlbury and its hinterland, we'd love you to propose and organise new Green Drinks ideas. Do get in touch.