Climate Explorer: Jane Pendlenton

HI I'm Jane, I've been wokring with ClimateXchange on the website, and also work at Lewknor (South Oxfordshire) on a church environmental project, which you can read about in my blogs.

Lewknor Chiltern Gateway Project UPdate

We had a good time on Sunday (3rd June) for Environment Sunday, up at Aston Rowant Nature Reserve, and later with much tea and many cakes in the churchyard, followed by an indoor service themed on 'stewards of creation'. There was a lovely atmosphere and it was great for many people to get together- over 100 at Lewknor Church. Pictures at: http://www.sageoxford.org.uk/envsun2007.htm The day after we had a special Nature Club session- taking the children up to the Reserve where they hunted for 'minibeasts' (alternative to creepy crawlies) and also did a wild flower hunt in two different habitat areas- woodland and chalk grassland. We were amazed to find an 'elephant hawk moth', which the Reserve officer Jenny Crook had never seen before! The next event coming up is an Open Day and BBQ at Adwell House, a beautiful house and garden in the tiny village of Adwell, just down the road from Lewknor. There will be a BBQ, beer and wine tent, guided Earth Walk and a labyrinth, and also an outdoor service aimed at children and again thinking about the environment and our place within it. (More on the events calendar). My next project is to work with the School and get the 'Ecoschools' programme established.

Local and seasonal diet

My friend recently shocked me by saying that he had given up meat 'on ecological grounds'. A new wave of eco-vegetarians might be starting... I decided that I might try to eat only local & seasonal foods for a day, or a week, and see what a difference it makes. I am not usually very strict but do try. At the moment, rhubarb crumble is a good option, which seems good to me!

Where is this blog going?

I'm just testing where this blog will end up.

Lewknor Chiltern Gateway Project

I am working part time here at the Climate-X-Change, but I also have another job, working on an environmental church partnership project based in Lewknor, South Oxfordshire. The project hopes to bring new life to the community through exploring our relationship with our natural environment, through practical action and reflection from a Christian perspective. It is the second project of the christian conservation charity A Rocha..www.arocha.org. The project relates to the nearby Aston Rowant Nature reserve, bisected by the M40 motorway and so probably the most visited yet least known about reserve in Britain! This is a beautiful place to feel in touch with creation and contemplate our place within it. I'll post some more info on how we are progressing soon...

An update on our project in South Oxfordshire....April 19th Just a brief update- things are going well. We have a 'civic launch' planned for May 11th, 7pm at St. Margaret's Chruch in Lewknor. Email me if you would like to come, or want to find out more- jane.pendlenton@arocha.org. We're planning to have local food and so I am trying to find out what will be in season- rhubarb is apparently the only fruit meant to be growing naturally in England at this time, although I'd welcome correction! We're also starting our 'Eco/Nature' club at Lewknor CofE Primary school on Monday, which is very exciting. And we are hoping to start off the Ecoschools programme there. The school is already doing quite a lot of ecologically good things, so we hope it will be motivation to do more and also be recognised for what is happening already. PS: I took a walk through the East side of the Aston Rowant Nature reserve on Tuesday, with Jenny Crook of Natural England, who is helping with our project in many ways. With her help, we identified out in flower: -wood sorrel -bluebells -greater stitchwort -ground ivy -wood anemone -blackthorn (a bush) -celandines -dog violet -primroses ... probably a few more I've forgotten! The woods were really beautiful and I'm really looking forward to seeing how they change through the season. The chalk grassland forms another beautiful habitat, and apparently will soon be covered with wildflowers..

Read pendlenton's entire blog.