From Antonia Baird
Jane and I attended the Comrie Development Trust’s Conference for communities meeting the Climate Change Challenge - and they are doing so in a number of inspiring ways. Essentially the methods are much the same: establish a base line (electricity bill readings; car mileage read-outs; number of bin-bags a week) and make a concerted effort over a measured period to reduce energy usage/ petrol usage,/ rubbish. Then measure and evaluate the mid-period and final results/collect your winnings (delete as appropriate).
There were nearly 200 delegates – many in employment as “Powerdown Officers” or similar; there were eco-zealots; pragmatists and all the shades in between. There were speeches to inspire and practical demonstrations at workshops, demonstrating that progress is a combination of the abstract and the here and now.
The one salient fact though, was the ability to achieve startling results in community with others. The combination of self with others creates much more than the sum of the many parts – a facet we have often seen here in Ardfern.
To make a real contribution to the lowering of CO2, on this peninsula, is a simple matter of deciding whether to concentrate on waste, transport or domestic energy and make a group measurement – it’s not hard – but finding the will to act as a community once more may be the hardest, but most worthwhile part of the challenge.
If you have the motivational or marketing skills and want to contribute to enabling a group effort, call Antonia or Paul on 731/235
antonia@collaig.co.uk /
paulwasmyth@hotmail.com
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Topic: Climate Change Challenge (Read 557 times)
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