- Mussel Farming Is Healing the UK’s Coastal Food Chain, reasonstobecheerful.world (Dec 22, 2022)
- More flowers, fewer cars: the rewilders turning parking spaces into parks, The Guardian (Jun 22, 2022) — Across the UK and Europe, the ‘parklet’ movement is gaining pace, transforming dead spaces where cars used to be into pockets of green
Devon ( DEV-ən, also historically known as Devonshire DEV-ən-sheer, -shər) is a ceremonial, non-metropolitan, and historic county in South West England. Devon is coastal with a variety of cliffs and sandy beaches. It has the largest open space in southern England, Dartmoor National Park. A predominately rural county, Devon has a relatively low population density for a county in England. Its most populous settlement is the City of Plymouth. The county town of Devon, the City of Exeter, is the second most populous settlement. The county is bordered by Somerset to the north east, Dorset to the east, and Cornwall to the west. Its economy is heavily orientated around the tourism and agriculture industries.
Devon is administratively split into the non-metropolitan districts of East Devon, Mid Devon, North Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge, Torridge, West Devon, Exeter, and two unitary authority areas of Plymouth, and Torbay. Combined as a ceremonial county, Devon's area is 6,707 km2 (2,590 square miles) and its population is about 1.2 million.
The county derives its name from Dumnonia (the shift from m to v is a typical Celtic consonant shift). During the British Iron Age, Roman Britain and the early Middle Ages, this was the homeland of the Dumnonii Brittonic Celts. The Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain resulted in the partial assimilation of Dumnonia into the Kingdom of Wessex during the eighth and ninth centuries. The western boundary with Cornwall was set at the River Tamar by King Æthelstan in 936. Devon was later constituted as a shire of the Kingdom of England.
Networks and sustainability initiatives[edit | edit source]
- Bideford Sustainability Group
- Buck the Trend
- Chagford Hub
- North Devon UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
- PL:21, Ivybridge
- Sustainable Crediton
- Sustainable South Brent
- Transition Exmouth
- Transition Tavistock
Climate action[edit | edit source]
- Devon Climate Emergency, see also: List of climate assemblies#Devon
- Action on Climate in Teignbridge, added 14:14, 6 October 2020 (UTC)
- Dartmoor Circle
- Bovey Climate Action
Biodiversity[edit | edit source]
Devon Wildlife Trust is aided by around 800 registered volunteers which help with running 12 local groups and habitat management work on the charity's nature reserves.[1] - Wembury Marine Centre
Trees, woodland and forest[edit | edit source]
Broadhempston Community Woodland, located in Teignbridge, South Devon.
Community involvement[edit | edit source]
- Torbay Together, helping you find and share activities in Torbay, added 13:49, 23 December 2021 (UTC)
- Exeter Community Initiatives, charity working in Exeter and across Devon, helping people facing poverty, inequality and homelessness to get their lives back on track by involving them in community projects to improve their mental, emotional and physical wellbeing, increase their sense of belonging and provide skills to help them succeed in life. added 13:29, 12 November 2021 (UTC)
- Torridge Common Ground, non-party-political platform that puts the shared values and practical vision of the community at the heart of local governance, empowering communities across Torridge to transform their local economies and wellbeing for the benefit of all
Community currencies activism[edit | edit source]
Community energy[edit | edit source]
- Teign Energy Communities, "Our vision: To achieve the widest possible community engagement with energy use and energy generation. We want people in the local area to become more aware of, and engaged with their use of energy, so that energy becomes as familiar as money." added 14:36, 6 October 2020 (UTC)
- exeter community energy
Education for sustainability[edit | edit source]
Embercombe - Growing Devon Schools - Okehampton College, Energy Efficiency
Ethical consumerism[edit | edit source]
Plastic bag ban: In April 2007 local traders in Modbury, Devon declared that for environmental reasons, they would no longer give customers plastic bags. This initiative led to other communities across the UK pursuing similar enterprises.[2]
Food activism[edit | edit source]
Rising temperatures have led to Devon becoming the first place in modern Britain to cultivate olives commercially.[3]
Barnstaple Pannier Market - Bovey Community Garden - Home Grown Community Owned - Landmatters Co-operative Permaculture Project - Real Food Store, Exeter's first community owned food store
Health and wellbeing[edit | edit source]
Neighbourhood Health Watch, connecting trusted community support for health
Localism[edit | edit source]
Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle[edit | edit source]
Devon Community Composting Network - Devon Community Recycling Network - Proper Job, Chagford - Recycle Devon
Rural sustainability[edit | edit source]
Social inclusion[edit | edit source]
- Be Buckfastleigh, make good things happen. Community project aiming to address health, social and economic inequalities. added 16:28, 23 July 2021 (UTC)
Towards sustainable economies[edit | edit source]
- Local Spark Torbay, Community Supported Enterprise CIC, added 17:35, 9 August 2022 (UTC)
- Devon Doughnut, Exploring Doughnut Economics in Devon, added 09:55, 8 October 2021 (UTC)
- New Prosperity Devon, Towards secure livelihoods and wellbeing for all, added 16:58, 7 May 2020 (UTC)
Resources[edit | edit source]
Visions[edit | edit source]
Learning[edit | edit source]
- Bioregional Learning Centre UK, Community Interest Company (CIC) founded in 2017 to serve the people and place of South Devon.
Community resources[edit | edit source]
- Torbay Community Development Trust
- Broadhempston Community Land Trust, Community Interest Company set up in 2012 to enable local people, in housing need, to develop affordable eco-housing.
Citizens data inititiative[edit | edit source]
- Devon Doughnut, Collective asking, "Could a dashboard of some kind help to provide a picture of how Devon is faring ecologically and economically? Would this be useful to people living and working here? If so, how, and to do what?". added 09:39, 8 October 2021 (UTC)
Past events[edit | edit source]
2016
August 11 - 14 Off Grid Festival
February 23 - April 3 Save Stewart Wood, Wray Valley
News and comment[edit | edit source]
2021
Doughnuts are popular in Devon: Kate Raworth's sustainable vision flourishes in the South West of England, Sep 15[4]
2020
New Government Proposals impose 1532 houses a year on Teignbridge, Summary of our concerns, Sep 22[5]
2017
Tree Trail aims to highlight village's unique species, Jul 18[6]
2016
Devon County Council wins public sector sustainability award, Dec 7[7]
Electric bike scheme first to be launched in the UK, Oct 13[8]
Landmatters eco-community in Devon wins fight to remain, Jul 27[9]
Exeter cycle network approved, Jun 12[10]
2015
Calling all rural pubs in Devon for diversification, September 29[11]
How does the Exeter Pound build fairness? September 25
Exeter Pound launched with plea to support city's independent businesses, September 1[12]
Near you[edit | edit source]
External links[edit | edit source]
Wikipedia: Devon
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ wikipedia:Devon Wildlife Trust
- ↑ wikipedia:Modbury#Plastic bag ban
- ↑ wikipedia:Devon#Ecology
- ↑ thealternative.org.uk/dailyalternative
- ↑ actionclimateteignbridge.org
- ↑ totnes-today.co.uk
- ↑ creditoncouriernewspaper.co.uk
- ↑ BBC News
- ↑ BBC News
- ↑ The Exeter Daily
- ↑ pubisthehub.org.uk
- ↑ Exeter Express and Echo