[news.independent.co.uk]

In gently rolling countryside, not far from a tranquil lake, Chew Magna is the quintessential Somerset village. It has a well-kept cricket pitch, tidy gardens, three churches, two pubs and a row of quaint shops. A picturesque stream meanders by ancient houses – some of them mentioned in The Domesday Book – and a down-at-heel watermill. You could be forgiven for believing that Chew Magna was just another quiet corner of conservative rural England. But a flier stuck to a telegraph pole tells a different story. “Find out everything you’ve always wanted to know about domestic solar water-heating,” it says, advertising a village talk. “Invest in energy-saving home improvements, save more money and significantly reduce your carbon dioxide emissions”. The meeting is the latest in a string of discussions, proposals and projects that are rapidly turning Chew Magna into one of the greenest places in the UK.

A growing number of the village’s 1,100 residents have committed themselves to minimising the impact they have on the environment. While most of us throw away about half a tonne of rubbish a year, many here have pledged to produce as little waste as possible.

Chew Magna’s campaign, called Go Zero, is one of many zero-waste projects starting up across the world, from California to Canberra. A resident of Kamikatsu, the first town in Japan to commit to zero waste, recently e-mailed a message of support to the Somerset village. “We feel much sympathy with Chew Magna and we hope we can strive for zero waste together,” it said.

… more at [news.independent.co.uk]