{"id":10264,"date":"2021-09-18T00:05:41","date_gmt":"2021-09-17T23:05:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=10264"},"modified":"2021-09-18T00:08:06","modified_gmt":"2021-09-17T23:08:06","slug":"its-not-just-a-walk-in-the-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=10264","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Not Just A Walk In The Park."},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt; color: #008000;\">WENVOE FORUM<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;\">CONSIDERING TODAY AND TOMORROW<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;\">A breath of fresh air, it\u2019s not just a walk in the park.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>During the periods of lockdown we experienced over the past eighteen months we were only too delighted to get out of the house for one of the few permitted reasons and take a stroll round the village. A breath of fresh air to blow the cobwebs away! Fortunately one effect of lockdown was to reduce vehicle use and engine emissions considerably and for a while air pollution was reduced so the air was fresher. Now, however the pollution is returning.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"10224\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?attachment_id=10224\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Picture1.jpg?fit=500%2C375\" data-orig-size=\"500,375\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Picture1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Picture1.jpg?fit=300%2C225\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Picture1.jpg?fit=500%2C375\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-10224\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Picture1.jpg?resize=300%2C225\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Picture1.jpg?resize=300%2C225 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Picture1.jpg?w=500 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The air around here looks good; we don\u2019t see the smoky clouds or thick looking air of big cities in India and according to Air Quality Wales https:\/\/airquality.gov.wales\/ the whole of Wales is in the green band. However the UK adopted EU standards on air pollution which, in the case of fine air particulates, allows 4 times as much as the World Health Organisation recommendations. In truth no levels of air pollution are safe, it\u2019s more a matter of less harm and damage done might not be evident for some years, seemingly unproblematic air may be storing up problems for the future.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Air Quality Wales website the 2 types of pollutants cause the biggest public health concern:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Particulate matter <\/strong>(known as PM10 and PM2.5), that easily penetrate the lungs. They are created primarily by vehicle emissions, tyre and brake wear and industry and construction. These are so small that they are drawn down into the lungs and heart and can even enter the blood stream. They are implicated in a whole host of health conditions including kidney, liver and brain damage alongside the more obvious impact on the lungs and heart. Children are more at risk than adults because of their quicker breathing rates and more active lives, though anyone with additional conditions may be affected.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nitrogen Dioxide, Sulphur Dioxide and Ozone<\/strong>. These are primarily created by road traffic, energy generation and industry. They particularly affect those with lung conditions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Links are made between air pollution and cancer, cognitive decline in later life and according to Sustainable Wales (https:\/\/www.sustainablewales. org. uk\/air-pollution)<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<em>poor air quality contributes to brain-related health problems in children, including cognitive decline. One recent study found that exposure to air pollutants in very early life was linked to a worse change in IQ between the ages of 11 and 70.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>BUT\u2026 DON\u2019T PANIC! <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are things we can all do to improve air quality in Wenvoe. Broadly, we need less vehicle use,<\/p>\n<p><strong>shorter times with running engines<\/strong>, remembering that though much less polluting, electric vehicles do contribute to air pollution. Next month we\u2019ll suggest some strategies that we can all adopt. We can make a difference.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong> This will also cut carbon emissions so we\u2019ll be doing our bit for climate change and supporting VoG Project Zero at the same time. <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The Forum is always open to fresh suggestions, creative ideas and especially to new members and contributors.<\/p>\n<p>To join our Facebook group, please \u2018friend up\u2019 with the Gwen Fo account @ https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gwen.fo.1<\/p>\n<p>You can also follow us on Twitter @ForumGwenfo. For information on our activities, link with us on social media:-<\/p>\n<p>Facebook: Gwen Fo @ https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gwen.fo.1\/ and Wenvoe Forum @ https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/635369267864402<\/p>\n<p>twitter @ForumGwenfo<\/p>\n<p>For further information and updates, our new blog site is available at https:\/\/wenvoeforum.wordpress.com\/<\/p>\n<p>Any Wenvoe community member is welcome to join the Forum meetings, via Zoom, which from September will be held at 19.00 on the second Thursday of each month. E-mail gwenfo.forum@gmail.com if you wish to join.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WENVOE FORUM CONSIDERING TODAY AND TOMORROW A breath of fresh air, it\u2019s not just a walk in the park. During the periods of lockdown we experienced over the past eighteen months we were only too delighted to get out of the house for one of the few permitted reasons and take a stroll round the village. A breath of fresh [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[334],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-2Fy","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10472,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=10472","url_meta":{"origin":10264,"position":0},"title":"Reducing Air Pollution","author":"Alan Williams","date":"14th October 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 WENVOE FORUM CONSIDERING TODAY AND TOMORROW Reducing Air Pollution and Carbon Emissions Last month we wrote about harmful pollutants that may be hiding in the Wenvoe air. Much of the time roads through the village are quiet but at peak hours traffic pressures combine with HGVs and vans with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Interest Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13712,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=13712","url_meta":{"origin":10264,"position":1},"title":"Wales\u2019 20-Mph Default Speed Limit","author":"Alan Williams","date":"31st October 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"WENVOE FORUM Considering tomorrow today Wales\u2019 20-Mph Default Speed Limit Forum Member Gareth Stone gives his view of the 20mph discussion. Wales\u2019 20-mph default speed limit\u2026 On 17\/9\/23, Welsh Government legislation reduced the default national speed limit from 30-mph to 20-mph. A week later, I drove to Northampton for our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Wenvoe Forum&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Wenvoe Forum","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=384"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10322,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=10322","url_meta":{"origin":10264,"position":2},"title":"When is it time to say STOP?","author":"Alan Williams","date":"19th September 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Vale Communities Unite Vale Communities Unite is a community group set up by local people in the Vale of Glamorgan during 2020. Its aim is to give residents a voice and to protect the local environment from unwanted development. Wenvoe is fortunate to be protected as a conservation area.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Interest Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9950,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=9950","url_meta":{"origin":10264,"position":3},"title":"Stress Buster Strollers","author":"Alan Williams","date":"12th July 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"STRESS BUSTER STROLLERS From July Valeways will offer a new walk: the Stress Buster Strollers. Everyone can experience stress, resulting from an array of anxieties, for ex-ample, about family, work, money, health, retire-ment, lack of sleep, bereavement. Stress can make people feel frustrated, upset, angry or nervous and can lead\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Event Notices&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Event Notices","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=237"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Picture21.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Picture21.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Picture21.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Picture21.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7542,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=7542","url_meta":{"origin":10264,"position":4},"title":"Footsteps &#8211; Margam Park","author":"Alan Williams","date":"3rd May 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Margam Park Margam Park - We are going back to February for this month\u2019s walk, just a week after storm Dennis. The weather forecast was 40-45mph winds with rain later. This was enough for some of us to think that maybe we should be cancelling but we decided to give\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Footsteps&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P1000351-10.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P1000351-10.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P1000351-10.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/P1000351-10.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13030,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=13030","url_meta":{"origin":10264,"position":5},"title":"Geothermal Energy From Mines","author":"Alan Williams","date":"14th March 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"WENVOE FORUM Considering tomorrow today Geothermal Energy From Mines During lockdown I signed up for Senedd updates on Covid statistics. As the crisis receded, I discovered a wealth of other information available at the click of a button, all freely accessible via this portal. One of the available links -\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Wenvoe Forum&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Wenvoe Forum","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=384"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/coalMap.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10264"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10264"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10264\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10269,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10264\/revisions\/10269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}