Ideas to be worked on
Energy
UoR have installed Solar PV and a Geothermal heat pump at their Whiteknights campus. Why not put alternative energy in at Hall Farm and use it to provide heat for polytunnels? That way they could grow fruit and vegetables without having to worry so much about our highly variable weather.
Green Burial Site
Burial space is at a premium in the wider area and "green" burial is growing in poularity. Less energy lost, lower carbon footprint, burial in a biodegradable casket such as one woven from willow. No headstone, just a tree or some wild flowers. Net Zero burial space could fit with the old Church Yard very well.
Community Farm
Lots of examples out there of how a "mixed economy" of sustainable agriculture, agroforestry, biodynamics and permaculture are not just buzz words, they really can make a difference to farm productivity. Then there are all the social, therapuetic and educational benefits that can be gained.
What else could we do?
We want YOUR ideas! Pagan wedding ceremonies? A "living history" reconstruction of the Iron Age village of Aeberfeld. Links to the UoR run Museum of English Rural Life, with working examples of bodging, weaving, throwing, firing, dying, cooking and fermenting that visitors can participate in and learn more about. School vists supported by the Universities Education Department. Research supported by Environmental Science students. A new lake stocked with fish. Goats running wild being milked for cheeses. Chickens for eggs. A farm to fork restaurant. Bring back the paper mill or use the sites potential for hydropower to keep the lights on in the hand crafts gift shop.
Etc... :-)