Teesdale u3a

This month we discussed the possibility of our group getting together with others to organise a community screening of the recent public information film - "The People's Emergency Briefing for Climate and Nature". Its emphasis is on building awareness and understanding of what the climate and nature crisis will mean for ordinary people over the… Read more

This month, as we sweltered in the heat, we shared our ideas for ways of keeping cool at night. Thirty degree days with high humidity can feel really uncomfortable in the North Pennines and few buildings are adapted to keep hot air out in summer.  In countries with a longer history of extreme heat, residents organise… Read more

Our aim, to report positive environmental news and to inform Teesdale members about ways they can contribute to nature recovery, continues unabated.  This month we began to gather information about local recycling facilities, to supplement the advice provided on the Durham CC website.  If you have any tips to add, e.g. locations where unwanted electrical goods can… Read more

Last year Britain used only as much coal as it did in 1600, when Elizabeth I was Queen. UK emissions are now 44% lower than Germany's, which has a similar sized population. The German-owned supermarket Lidl and British-owned Iceland hope to put plug-in solar panels on sale in the UK in 2026.  In Amsterdam's streets… Read more

We focused this month on the environmental impacts of data centres, the huge warehouses that house equipment for internet (cloud) storage and artificial intelligence (AI) queries. In August 2025, a BBC news report estimated that there were 477 data centres in the UK; planning research suggests almost 100 more will be built in the next… Read more