Transition Town: Taking giant leap towards sustainability
Bear of Hebden Bridge Transition Town
By this time next week Calderdale should have taken a giant leap forwards on the road to a sustainable future.
On January 9, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet decided to recommend that the council adopts a new strategy for reducing carbon emissions, and next week the council makes its decision.
Calderdale’s Energy Future Strategy sets out a framework for how Calderdale Council can achieve a 40 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2020 from a 2005 baseline, creating a resilient low carbon economy in the process. This ambitious target will be achieved by working together with organisations, businesses and households, and addresses all aspects of life across the whole of Calderdale.
It recognises the need for a major shift in attitudes and intends to achieve many radical changes, such as:
l developing a strong, local, low carbon economy, and ensuring that local business and communities gain the necessary skills to work in it.
l increasing the energy efficiency of buildings.
l encouraging communities to develop renewable energy.
l creating access to growing space for people to grow their own food.
l creating less carbon intensive transport systems.
l reducing the need to travel.
l improving access to cycling and walking infrastructure.
l managing woodlands to produce fuel.
l increasing understanding in the community about where our energy and food comes from.
When the Transition Town group began work in Hebden Bridge, one of our key aims was to produce an “energy descent plan” for the area and try and get it adopted by the council.
Clearly this is a massive task, and it did not take us long to realise just how difficult a job it would be. Now the council itself is taking on that role. Next Wednesday, February 15, the recommendation that Calderdale’s Energy Future be adopted as council policy will be considered at a full council meeting. If they accept the recommendation it will come into effect on April 1.
Calderdale’s commitment to mitigating the effects of climate change is clear, and as part of Hebden Bridge Transition Town group, I could not be more pleased about it.
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Weather for Halifax
Thursday 20 June 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 11 C to 16 C
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Light rain
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