Warwickshire communities are working together to reduce carbon emissions
Efforts across Warwickshire to fight climate change and increase biodiversity are being given a boost by community groups working alongside local town and parish councils.
The benefits from this co-operation, and examples of how it is working in practice, are discussed in the latest edition of the Sustainable Warwickshire podcast.
Titled “Community Action”, the discussion includes Bob Sherman, Co-founder and Chair of the Low Carbon Warwickshire Network as well as the Co-founder and President of the Harbury Energy Initiative, and Andrew Maliphant, Environmental and Sustainability Advisor to the Society of Local Council Clerks, reflecting on the importance of working together to find solutions to reduce carbon emissions.
In the discussion, available on Spotify and Apple, the guests agreed that town and parish councils will almost always welcome additional support from local volunteers to take forward actions to reduce emissions. They reflected that there is often untapped expertise within communities that can be used to drive forward local projects. This has been the case for the Harbury Energy Initiative, which aims to save energy, reduce household costs and to cut carbon from their communities, with recent successes including the installation of solar panels on the local school and internal wall insultation into the community library.
Steve Smith, Warwickshire County Council’s Director of Strategic Infrastructure and Climate Change, and the host of the Sustainable Warwickshire podcast, explains: “Climate change can feel like it’s a challenge that’s just too big to solve, and with so much information available, it can be hard to know where to start. But across Warwickshire, we’re seeing local community groups working closely with town and parish councils to deliver projects that are benefiting residents. Our guests on the podcast were adamant that you don’t have to save the world all by yourself – just one thing is enough, and the best thing you can do is to just start somewhere.”
The Sustainable Warwickshire podcast series is for those people living and working in Warwickshire who care about climate change. It features conversations with people from across the county who are taking action to reduce carbon emissions and support biodiversity. It covers subjects such as energy, waste and recycling, transport, infrastructure and the green economy, whilst also giving Warwickshire residents ideas on how to get involved and play their part.
You can find the Sustainable Warwickshire podcast on Spotify or Apple by searching for “Sustainable Warwickshire”. All episodes are also available at: https://sustainablewarwickshire.podbean.com/
For more information on climate change, visit https://www.sustainablewarwickshire.co.uk