Sustainable Herefordshire Week

It almost seems as if Herefordshire has a split personality. On the one hand, the County Council are busily building a shopping centre no-one seems to want, shutting libraries and public toilets and chopping trees down against the wishes of the inhabitants - and on the other, events like h.Arts and h.Energy are being organised.
h.Energy, or Sustainable Herefordshire Week, is happening from 12th to 20th October, so there's an overlap with the Walking Festival (presumably why one of the walks in the Festival is on a sustainability theme). It's the fourth h.Energy week, and this year the theme is water.
So there are open houses all over the county, powered by solar energy and other alternative technology.
Cartridge World appeals to everyone to give their printer a second chance - they might be able to revive it, and if they can't, they can strip it down to its recyclable parts to save it from landfill. They can also recycle printer cartridges.
There are events promoting walking, cycling and bus travel, a Camera Obscura, art and apple juicing. Lots of events are organised by The Big Apple, www.bigapple.org.uk
There's storytelling at Hereford Library and the Rocket Cafe in Hereford.
There's green woodcraft, metal working workshops and stone carving. There's a fungus foray and foraging fun, and information about veggie boxes and organic food. Arkstone Mill organic smallholding in Kingstone is open for a day, where they pack vegetable boxes for customers around Hereford. The Cafe at All Saints is providing a locally sourced menu.
There are pub quizzes - Wye Valley Brewery is one of the sponsors of the event - and an open day at the brewery.
The Courtyard is hosting a day of events aimed at local businesses which want to reduce their energy bills and increase energy efficiency. There's also planning guidance for people who want to build ecologically friendly buildings at Hereford Library and a tour of an anaerobic digester at Barrett's Mill, Ludlow.
There's also a tour of the hydro-electric generation scheme on the River Arrow in Kington, and a walk around the sixteenth century water management scheme in Vowchurch.
There are workshops on "upcycling" garments and there's a giant water-powered cuckoo clock in Pembridge!
Repair Cafes are popping up across the county, providing tools and materials - and help - to repair clothes, household goods and bikes.
The Quakers are looking at the concept of simplicity at the Friends' Meeting House in Hereford.
There are films - Trashed with Jeremy Irons, and Chasing Ice with James Balog, a photographer for National Geographic.
There are village markets at Bredwardine, Dilwyn and Stoke Lacy.
There's music - a ceilidh at Canon Frome Court and a Greenpeace gig at the Steiner Academy at Much Dewchurch.
Nearly all these events are free, too!
I picked up the leaflet giving details of the week's events from Hereford Library, and the events are co-ordinated by New Leaf, who can be found at www.herefordshirenewleaf.org.uk