Can Community Action Really Make a Difference?
After visiting Stretton Climate Care’s event last Saturday, I will answer yes. A packed hall listened to Artists Project Earth advisor Mark Lynas give a presentation based on his book Six Degrees - Our Future on a Hotter Planet.
Mark explained how he still has faith in the power of communities to make a difference, not just at the local level, but on a national and international scale too. As individuals in communities like Mark’s own village of Wolvercote in Oxford join together, our voice become stronger and our message clearer. Thanks to funding from Artists Project Earth, we’ll be hosting a national grass roots event for low carbon communities later this year. Because, while governments and big business may talk about the need to adapt to a changing climate and address the economic and business practices which rely on cheap energy, we are running out of time to make significant decisions. Only if we can send a clear message to decision makers about the need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and to make significant investment in renewable energy can we hope to address the threats future generations will face.
Sharing a glass of local wine, residents of Church Stretton shared their hopes for a low carbon future, a charming man spoke to me about his electric vehicle business and one lady told me how she has been putting together a website of information and advice for reducing our impact on the environment. It was also nice to catch up with Dave Green from Light Foot Enterprises in Bishops Castle and congratulate him on reaching the NESTA Big Green Challenge shortlist.
Stretton Climate Care came to last year’s conference for low carbon communities and I hope they’ll attend again this year, you can read about some of the services they offer to the community on their website
Add comment April 23rd, 2008
