Find out below about where our local water comes from – and the cost to the Environment
Water flows readily from our taps and, on a rainy day, it’s hard to appreciate that there is any problem in using as much as we want. But behind the scenes there are ever increasing environmental costs to this apparently free-flowing resource.

Water facts for our area.
East Anglia is one of the driest areas in the country. In fact there is less rainfall per person than in Syria and Sudan. Our region is already densely populated, and numbers are growing all the time because the government has set a target of over 500,000 new homes in the region by 2021. The amount and location of development is not restrained because of lack of water in the region. In fact Essex is already an importer of water from outside the county.
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Following up on the Say NO to Plastic Bags campaign, Park Street Stores has decided to stop providing plastic carrier bags altogether. Customers who arrive without their own re-usable bags will be offered a cardboard box to take away their groceries - and this serves another purpose - it cuts down the amount of cardboard rubbish that the shop has to chuck out each day! (more…)

The ‘Say No to Plastics’ scheme was launched at our General Meeting in March. One thousand organic cotton bags were given out, printed with the Village Green Teams logo on one side and our sponsor’s, Dedham Vale AONB and Stour Valley Project Sustainable Development Fund, on the other. Inside the bags were information leaflets to persuade people to give up plastic bags. The campaign was a great success, thanks to the efforts of the participating shops and farms: Park Street Stores & Post Office in Stoke by Nayland, Lower Dairy Farm in Little Horkesley, Scotland Place Farm in Stoke by Nayland, Polstead Community Shop, Assington Farm Shop, and Brewery Farm Shop, Polstead Tye, and to Stoke by Nayland CEVC Primary school and our local churches, who also gave out bags.

The shops also switched to compostable cornstarch bags for a month, and reported that use of disposable bags had fallen considerably. The campaign was reported in the Suffolk Free Press and got a mention on Radio Suffolk.

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Early in 2007 it became clear that our two local post offices were at risk of closure.  The Village Green Teams therefore launched a campaign, collecting  the views of more than 500 local people.  With the support of our local MP Tim Yeo, a meeting was set up for three representatives from the villages to talk to Mr. Jim Fitzpatrick, the then Minister responsible for Post Office policy.  As well as the heartfelt comments of local people we provided him with examples of 6 government (more…)