A WORD FROM THE MAYOR – ROAD SAFETY
For the safety of the people living along the road, and to reduce noise and pollution, we have moved our village sign to the entrance of Eguelshardt territory in the north, at the boundary with Stockbronn. The sign has been moved just over 1 km. I am told that until the 1960s the sign stood roughly at this spot already.
Many of us tend to drive fast, and ever faster. It is a habit of modern life. But road safety is priceless. Which of us does not know a friend or relative who has been more or less seriously injured on the road? I calculated that driving at 50 km/h instead of 70 over the distance by which our sign was moved “costs” the driver 22 seconds. What will those 22 seconds weigh on the day we look back on our lives?
For the same reasons of safety, noise and pollution, we have installed 2 speed indicator signs on the road through the village. The residents along the road have reacted positively, and I thank them.
ENOUGH VIOLENCE AT SCHOOL!
During the past school year, a father showed me that his 9-year-old son had several bruises on his legs from being kicked by a classmate. In June 2013 I saw the same child again with a split lip from a punch. The boy’s father is threatening to take his 4 children out of our school, feeling they are not properly supervised. During the same school year, a mother told me that her son was constantly being mocked and bullied. She confided that her child was suffering so much that he could not sleep and had nightmares. I know that about 13 years ago, a young person from our village was bullied at school to the point of becoming depressed and feeling unsafe and afraid of the school. His parents had no choice but to send him to a class in Bitche. When this child was introduced to the head teacher of his new school, at registration, he asked her how teachers here react when a pupil is beaten or bullied by classmates, and the teacher reassured him: “Here there is no violence, because we tackle it at the root.”
Children letting off steam a little is only natural; I don’t mean to make them feel guilty beyond what is reasonable. They need to be calmed down skilfully, with enough tact and authority, and with small sanctions if necessary. In any case, it is up to the teacher to keep order in the school, to get the children to respect one another, and to teach them friendship, non-violence and how to live together.
Of course, if there is a problem, parents should not respond with violence in turn; but they can report it.
For my part, I am determined to keep a very close eye on the situation from the start of the new school year.
Emile Eitel
BE CAREFUL UNDER POWER LINES: KEEP YOUR DISTANCE!
ERDF repeats its safety advice for people working or playing near power lines. Even without direct contact, an electric arc can form, with a risk of electrocution. For this reason, you should never get too close to a power line.
ERDF reminds the public of the following advice:
- avoid getting close to power lines and stay alert near them;
- never try to retrieve an object caught on a line;
- carry pipes and fishing rods horizontally and away from lines;
- never operate tall machinery under lines on your own.
THE “ENERGY-POSITIVE FAMILIES” COMPETITION
Would you like lower energy bills without necessarily investing in major insulation works or changing your heating system? It’s possible: take part in the Energy-Positive Families competition – it works!
What is the Energy-Positive Families competition? The idea is simple: teams of about ten households get together to represent their village, neighbourhood or company. Each team has a team leader who advises, trains and supports the families so they save as much energy as possible on heating, hot water and household appliances. The team leaders are themselves trained and supported by a professional: the INFO->ÉNERGIE adviser for your area.
The shared goal is to save at least 8% energy in each household compared with the previous winter. It doesn’t matter where you start from – what counts is making progress together! In previous editions, participants cut their energy use by 12% on average. In Lorraine, the winning team of the 2012/2013 edition saved 39%!
The competition is national, organised by region and then by area. At the end of 2012/start of 2013 it was held for the first time with the INFO->ÉNERGIE Moselle Est centre for the Forbach urban area and the Sarreguemines district. 6 teams took part, 55 families in all: single-person households, families with children, low-income households, already virtuous households… In the Sarreguemines district, 3 teams competed: “Les Souris Vertes” (Sarreguemines), “Rive droite” (Sarreguemines) and “Bitcherland” (Pays de Bitche). On 3 June the participating families met to review the 2012/2013 challenge and were given presents as a reward for their exemplary behaviour.
Simple actions that save energy. Switching off standby, putting a lid on the saucepan, turning off radiators before airing a room, adjusting the temperature to the room… these are the main actions the families adopted. But each family can choose, from the 100 eco-actions listed in a guide given to participants, those that suit them.
How does it work? Families who want to take part register with the INFO->ÉNERGIE adviser. They form teams, appoint a team leader and choose a team name. At the start of the competition, the families enter their baseline data on the competition website (last year’s consumption, information on their type of home…). Then, from 1 December to 30 April, they record their energy consumption regularly (at least monthly, preferably weekly): this takes a few minutes each time, reading the electricity or gas meter or watching the woodpile go down.
Each family receives an “eco-box” containing a thermometer, a switched power strip… and other tools. The INFO->ÉNERGIE centre can also lend measuring equipment if needed (Dialogie calculation, solarimeter, indoor humidity and air quality meters, wattmeters…). Throughout the challenge, families can ask their team leader for advice suited to their situation. Each team works as the families wish and the team leader suggests; the leader may support families individually or bring them together for meetings.
Contact your INFO->ÉNERGIE Moselle Est adviser: by e-mail at moselleest@eie-lorraine.fr, or by phone on 03 87 28 97 45 (Monday-Tuesday) or 03 97 13 13 71 (Wednesday-Friday).
Don’t hesitate to sign up for the next, 2013/2014, edition of the Energy-Positive Families competition by contacting your INFO->ÉNERGIE Moselle Est adviser.
A MEMORY OF EGUELSHARDT
The harvest in the post-war years. Today the land is covered by conifer forest. The people in the photo are, from left to right: Marcelle Koelsch, Gabrielle Reichardt (wife of René Letzelter) and Jean-Pierre Letzelter.
Photo taken at the top of the Pfaffenberg, on the left after crossing the pass.