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Eco house is a winner
• MORE than 200 people have been to see the Camden eco house at St Augustine’s Road since it was finished in July.
That shows how much interest there is in low carbon exemplars and how right we were to create this one. It’s a real shame therefore Mike Wells is so determined to be negative about it (House is an eco-friendly way to blow public cash, August 28). What’s more many of his claims are plain wrong. For example, no Camden money was spent on the eco measures. Our extremely imaginative housing officers brought in outside funds to pay for the eco work. In my opinion the Camden eco house is a huge success story. It proves that installing something as simple as insulation can bring massive gains in terms of reduced carbon emissions. The administration is now working on measures to insulate all council homes and to encourage owner occupiers and private landlords to install insulation.
Personally I’d like to see an eco house in every ward so that residents can see what’s possible. In due course we’ll be opening a Camden eco centre to showcase things we can do to reduce our impact on the environment. In the meantime I encourage as many of you as possible to go along to St Augustine’s Road. It’s open every Sunday from 2-5pm until October.
As for Jonny Bucknell, writing in the same edition (Letters – Rich crop of eco-follies) such as local food growing proposed by the all-party Camden Council sustainability task force, all I can say is that he needs to get out more and talk to residents.
The waiting list for allotments in Camden is now 12 years. I have been inundated with emails and calls from residents either wanting to grow food or supporting our proposals.
With food prices rising because we’ve reached the end of the era of cheap oil it makes sense for us all to try to grow some of our own food and cut our bills. It also makes sense in terms of combating climate change.
But then Mr Bucknell doesn’t believe in manmade climate change – he thinks the world is heating up because of sunspots.
CLLR ALEXIS ROWELL
Chair, Camden Sustainability Task Force
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