Action on Climate in Teignbridge’s November Newsletter.
ACT members have been busy!
ACT‘s sub-groups have submitted a wide range of policies for the Teignbridge Local Plan Review – with Fuad and Jules making especially important inputs to the Built Environment areas, where the 2019 Amended Climate Act is changing carbon targets for the better. Our Group is now working closely with the Council on a range of different subjects and we are very happy to be forming this close relationship.
Sub-groups: If there is an ACT sub-group that you would like to join, then do let us know by clicking on update your preferences. We currently have these six sub-groups: Built Environment, Food, Farming and Forestry (3Fs), Ecology, Procurement, Public Engagement and Transport. If getting to meetings is difficult, don’t worry, we have several members who email comments when we send the agendas round – we really value your input!
ACT‘s new website is going to be up and running very soon! Enormous thanks to Jules for his hard work and expertise – we think it is going to be a great asset.
Dartmoor National Park: Nearly one third of our Teignbridge Parishes are within, or partly within, Dartmoor National Park. So, a group of us will be meeting their Chief Executive, Kevin Bishop, very soon to discuss the best ways of working together on the Dartmoor Climate and Ecological Emergency. We are also working with groups that have been formed on the Moor.
Councils who have declared a Climate Emergency – or who are thinking of it – are asking for advice and presentations to help them write Climate Action Plans. ACT has been putting together a Parish Pack, with a wide range of information, from Declaring a Climate Emergency to setting up a Community Fridge or a Community Garden. There is also an increasing demand for ACT’s interactive Climate Change talks around the District – with particular interest in what we can all do in our own lives. Get in touch if you or your Council would like more information.
Funding: We have gone from having just a few pounds in the pot to having £500! Cllr Richard Keeling (Chair of Teignbridge District Council) and Cllr Lorraine Evans have each given us £250 from their Councillors ‘pot’ that they can give to organisations that help their local communities. We’re very grateful!
Forthcoming Events:
Thursday 5th December: Now that we know who our candidates are, we’re inviting them all (Newton Abbot and Central Devon) to a Local Candidates Climate Change Question Time at Coombeshead Theatre. As soon as we have their responses, we will be sending out invitations to ACT members and members of local climate change organisations (not to the general public). When you book your place, you can also submit a question. We will select a representative set of questions that we can ask them on the night.
A Climate Forum for Councillors: this will be in the New Year and will be an opportunity for our District, Town and Parish Councillors to ‘get up to speed’ on climate issues. It will also be a great opportunity for everyone to share ideas and find out which are working best!
And finally:
We need to talk about Christmas…
In our imagination we see happy friends and families cuddled up together on the sofa, sharing a delicious meal or walking across a snowy hillside. No wonder we look forward to our mid-winter festival!
But the reality is different – with stressed parents dashing around trying to achieve this impossible dream, while avoiding borrowing too much more money; anxious grandparents trying to buy the right gift tokens for their grandchildren. Everyone doing their best to work out what everyone wants for the festive season.
So, what do we want for Christmas and the New Year? What better present could we give to our young people than hope for the future of their world?
So, why don’t we put more of our efforts into fighting climate change? Is it because advertising has ‘programmed’ us to shop? Is it because shopping gives us a quick ‘high’ – followed by some nasty doubts when we get home? Is it because we can make shopping decisions on our own – but to tackle climate change effectively, we need to work together?
Whatever the reason, could a simple Christmas with tiny, plastic-free presents and moderate amounts of local food make us happier?
Just think of the TIME we’d save – time to be together.
Think of the MONEY we’d save – no loans to repay.
Think how much less FOOD would be wasted – and how much less STUFF would be binned.
Less ships carrying plastics around the world, less intensive food production, less CO2 emissions.
Surely we could try!