
Event on the Water Quality in Teignbridge We had a successful event on Monday the 26th of June, the speakers were great and the audience asked very good questions. Our speakers were: Anna Seal (West Country Rivers Trusts), David Leach and Rachel Land (Peatland Restoration Project), Emma Magee (Environment Agency), Louise Davies (River Teign Restoration Project) wasn’t… Read More…











Electricity should be renewable and as local as possible This post considers the proposition that most energy could be generated from renewables near to where it is needed. This article starts with a brief history of the electricity network, which reminds us that its origins were local in nature, and of how the grid evolved. History of the electricity… Read More…














ACT’s response to Part 3 of the Local Plan consultation Teignbridge District Council’s current Local Plan, which runs from 2013-2033, is being revised and extended to cover the period 2020-2040. Part 1, which specifies the policies associated with new developments including renewable energy, was consulted on in 2020. The result of the consultation and any changes coming out of it are… Read More…

















Why are climate and nature getting the short straw with government spending? 6. Further reading Banks really are magic money trees – an article by Positive Money TED talk by Stephanie Kelton – on deficits not being a problem under MMT Power of the Pound – a video explaining the concept of MMT for the UK Government debt and Covid 19 -… Read More…
Wildlife Warden Podcast Episode 6 Read or listen to Emily Marbaix’s latest podcast, in which she talks about how to create a wildflower meadow, the future for beavers in England, and what we can do individually to combat climate change and species loss. Read More…



ACT Responds to the Local Plan ACT has produced a response to the local plan in two parts. We have looked at carbon emissions arising as a consequence of the sites proposed, here the principles relate to the plan in general. Climate related aspects of the plan Our wildlife wardens have been busy gathering information about… Read More…
Wildlife Warden Podcast Episode 5 Emily Marbaix is back with another podcast (which you can also read) in which she talks about her latest wild camping trip, orienteering training with Emma Cunis (aka Dartmoor’s Daughter), and notes that 68 wildlife wardens across 34 parishes and wards have received introductory training. There is also: An update… Read More…









Site options for the Teignbridge local plan to be consulted on A meeting of the council executive on 1st June passed a motion to run a public consultation on site options for the local plan from 14th June to 9th August. Executive Committee meeting You can watch the proceedings of the executive committee here , this gives access to a recording… Read More…
Fast Access tool for planning applications We have written a tool which enables you to see details of all active planning applications on a single interactive page. This enables applications to be filtered by date range, parish, ward or Wildlife Warden area, type, decision level. Text search on address, proposal and document description and title is… Read More…


Wildlife Warden Podcast Episode 3 In the latest Devon Wildlife Warden Podcast, Emily Marbaix brings you details about Churches Count for Nature Week (between 5th and 13th of June) and of a quiz she has put together to quantify how well you are managing your garden for wildlife. There is also: An interview with Flavio,… Read More…





Wildlife Warden Podcast Episode 2 In Episode 2 of the Devon Wildlife Warden Podcast, Emily Marbaix takes a look at the wide range of conservation schemes in our area and draws attention to the new National Grassroots Campaign Map. She also discusses: The value of churchyards for conservation efforts. A summary of what our local wildlife… Read More…

Wildlife Warden podcast Emily Marbaix, a Wildlife Warden for Abbotskerswell, has created a podcast about the Wildlife Warden scheme. You can listen to the first episode here, as well as on Spotify and on Apple Podcasts. Emily talks about local wildlife/reserves, some of the things that Wildlife Wardens have been up to and explains why she got… Read More…
Wildlife Warden March newsletter Spring is here! The emergence of life after the long dreary winter months is what makes this my favourite time of the year. It is always uplifting to see the first celandine flowers emerge, followed closely by pollinators, such as the early bumblebee. Soon, the swallows, swifts and house martins… Read More…


ACT needs your help Dear fellow climate champions ACT is planning its strategy over the next 6 months and could really do with some help. We are looking for a few extra people to help out for perhaps an hour or two a week with either committee or hands-on work. You don’t have to… Read More…
Wildlife Warden February Newsletter Thanks to all wardens for the hard work you have put into the scheme during these difficult times. The scheme is constantly growing and moving in the right direction. We have created a subdomain on the ACT website for the Wildlife Warden Scheme. It is still in development, but it already contains… Read More…


Teignbridge progress with the climate and ecological emergency Cllr. Jackie Hook, executive member for Climate Change, Flooding and Coastal Defence reported to Teignbridge District Council’s (TDC) Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 9th February 2021. Here is a video clip of her report https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp8Ka1VJ-_8&t=1h46m30s She reported on TDC’s work on Climate change and the Ecological Emergency: TDC appointed William… Read More…
Green homes grant not fit for purpose The green homes grant scheme caught my attention as soon as it was launched in September 2020. It looked worth investigating, but my attempt to use it soon came up against obstacles. It proved difficult to find either independent advice on the most important and appropriate improvements to my home,… Read More…
Members’ Forum on climate and ecological issues 10:30am – 12:00pm 27 March 2021 As the first in what we hope will be a series, we are running the above online Zoom event to cover some of the issues, relating to the climate and ecological emergencies, which are important to our members. We want to attract as many members as possible and to get… Read More…
Heat pump pros and cons I remember as a student putting a shilling (2.5p) in the meter to run one bar of an electric fire for an hour to heat my single room. The heat was soon lost again due to poor insulation. I now live in a large house heated to a steady 21C… Read More…

December 2020 Wildlife Warden Newsletter In a year that has been difficult for everyone, it has been immensely uplifting to see so many people enthusiastic about helping nature bounce back. Thanks to all of you for the time and energy that you have put into this scheme. At the time of writing, we have almost 50 Wildlife… Read More…






October 2020 newsletter Our latest newsletter is now available including information on a number of topics including the start of our Wildlife Warden scheme, the new Economy & Business group, Retrofitting and Teignbridge District Council’s Ecological Emergency declaration. If you are a signed up member and didn’t receive a copy let Paul know… Read More…




July 2020 Newsletter Our latest Newsletter is now available, covering the showing of the film 2040, the Regenerate Devon summit and our current work with local councils, our carbon calculator and lobbying our MPs. Read More…


May 2020 Newsletter Our latest Newsletter is now available, covering current work, our new Economy & Business group and thoughts on a post-virus Green recovery. Read More…





Decarbonising Transport setting the Challenge DfT has launched Decarbonising Transport setting the Challenge. This recognises that current and planned policies will not result in net zero by 2050. This consultation plans to produce a Transport Decarbonisation Plan within 7 months. Read More…
Teignbridge District Council Local Plan Review On 23rd March Teignbridge District Council announced the Local Plan 2020-2040 Review. The review survey runs until 15th June 2020, and ACT will be publishing a response towards the end of April. Read More…
Transport Documents Updated Transport related documents have been updated to reflect comments received. These are the Parish Pack, Transport Policy and the TECs Electric Vehicles review. Read More…
ACT launches resources pack for town and parish councillors Action on Climate in Teignbridge (ACT) works to support district, town and parish councils in the locality that are considering declaring or have already declared a climate and /or ecological emergency. Twenty councils In Teignbridge, including the district council, have made such a declaration, while others are considering doing so. Read More…
Plant that tree, but make sure it’s the right tree in the right place Tree planting is fast becoming a national mania as research shows that trees are a key ally in our efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Planting without due care and attention won’t get us far though. It is all about planting the right tree in the right place for the right… Read More…
Heathfield Power Station application unanimously rejected by Teignbridge planning committee This morning Teignbridge District Council unanimously rejected application 19/01342/FUL for a gas fired power plant at Heathfield. Read More…
Stop the Heathfield Power Plant Following Teignbridge District Council’s declaration of a climate emergency in April 2019, in July application 19/01342/FUL was received by Teignbridge District Council for a 2.5MW gas-fired peaking power plant at Heathfield. This application has received over 300 objections. Read More…
Subjectivity and Climate Change In her 2016 PhD thesis, Gillian Westcott examined the part played by subjective attitudes to climate change in determining the policy and actions of local authorities in South West England. Read More…
What you can learn from Energy Performance Certificates All domestic and commercial buildings in the UK available to rent or buy must have an Energy Performance Certificate. The Certificate provides details on the energy efficiency of a building, gives it a rating from A (very efficient) to G (inefficient), and tells you what you can do to improve… Read More…
Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) An Energy Performance Certificate is required for properties when constructed, sold or let. The Energy Performance Certificate provides details on the energy performance of the property and what you can do to improve it. This estimates primary energy consumption and associated emissions for only certain elements of a property, so… Read More…
Climate Workshop for Councillors and Clerks Calling District, Town, Parish Councillors and Clerks throughout Teignbridge. You are invited to attend a forum on climate action to share knowledge and ideas. Choose a date and venue below and sign up. Read More…
Britain’s first zero emissions street A heavily-polluted road which is partially enclosed will become Britain’s first zero-emissions street where all petrol and diesel cars will be banned. Read More…
Climate Emergency Question Time well attended The event at Coombeshead Academy last thursday was well attended. Here is a video of some of the answers. For most questions only one of the candidate’s answers is shown, in the hustings each candidate was given equal time to answer. Read More…
November 2019 Newletter Action on Climate in Teignbridge’s November Newsletter. ACT’s sub-groups have submitted a wide range of policies for the Teignbridge Local Plan Review. We have a web site. Read More…
Climate Emergency Question Time Deciding how to vote has never been so difficult, and climate change and the environment aren’t getting as much cover as they deserve. So, ACTion on Climate in Teignbridge has invited all of the candidates standing for the Central Devon and Newton Abbot constituencies to our Climate Emergency Question Time. Read More…
TDC formally accept our support proposal ACT has met Jackie Hook, TDC climate emergency portfolio holder and David Eaton, climate emergency lead officer, on several occasions, to discuss a joint approach for delivering on the TDC declaration. We have also gathered over 150 proposals for possible action from members of the community, which has been passed… Read More…
September 2019 Newsletter Welcome to the first of what will become a quarterly newsletter. Firstly, and somewhat belatedly a massive THANK YOU to all who attended our Climate Summit meeting. Especially for all the great suggestions you’ve given us, we’ve already used those in our work discussions the district council. So, what’s… Read More…
Teignbridge declares a climate emergency April 2019 The following Notice of Motion was submitted by Councillor J Hook and supported by Councillors Connett, Dewhirst, Hayes, G Hook, Nutley, Parker and Wrigley. Background Council Notes: Humans have already caused irreversible climate change, the impacts of which are being felt around the world. Global temperatures have already increased by… Read More…
August 2019 Newletter This email is to update you on what has been happening since the meeting on 4th July. We’ve been busy organising the next stage of Teignbridge Climate Emergency Action Group’s (TCEAG’s) work, and collating all the suggestions made at the meeting. One of the first tasks is to set up… Read More…