Environment
Jonathan Todd, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Westmorland and Lonsdale, is calling for action from South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) to mark the “Kendal in a Low Carbon World Open Meeting”, taking place this evening.
Mr. Todd said:
“Local community groups are doing great things to rise to the climate change challenge, but they are being let down by SLDC’s failure to provide real local leadership and to sign up to the 10:10 campaign.”
South Lakes Action on Climate Change (SLACC) – Towards Transition is holding an open meeting at 7:15pm this evening at the Shakespeare Centre, Kendal. After an Introduction to the Transition Movement, which works with communities to reduce their reliance on carbon, there will be a discussion on reducing South Lakeland’s carbon footprint.
Mr. Todd wants SLDC to match the ambition of SLACC Towards Transition by joining him in signing up to the 10:10 campaign, which aims to achieve a 10 percent cut in the UK’s carbon emissions in 2010.
Mr. Todd also wants SLDC to track progress on reducing South Lakeland’s carbon footprint by publishing annually its size and composition. He believes this information will be a catalyst to people coming together to live greener lives.
Mr. Todd explained this by saying:
“As a country, we are committed to reducing carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2020. Why don’t we work together to achieve a 10 percent cut this year? I’ve signed up to the campaign, as have 140 councils. SLDC should catch up.
“Information often inspires change. For example, if the size and composition of South Lakeland’s carbon footprint were published annually, this would be a great help to community groups like SLACC Towards Transition. It would allow them to focus their activities in ways that will quantifiably have greatest impact and to measure our success against other district councils.
“Something akin to this is already happening in Casterton, near Kirkby Lonsdale. I congratulate this community on competing in the British Gas green streets community energy challenge to be recognised as Britain’s most innovative green community.
“I want the whole of South Lakeland to follow the exciting example of Casterton and work together to live greener lives, but this will be far more likely to happen if SLDC provides South Lakeland with a better understanding of our carbon footprint.”
Mr. Todd has written to Cllr Brendan Jameson, Leader of SLDC, and SLACC Towards Transition to make these points.
10:10 is an ambitious project to unite every sector of British society behind one simple idea: that by working together we can achieve a 10% cut in the UK’s carbon emissions in 2010.
10:10 was conceived by the team behind climate blockbuster The Age of Stupid and is run by a small independent team, supported by an army of volunteers and a dream team of partner organisations including ActionAid, Comic Relief, the Energy Saving Trust, the Carbon Trust, the Public Interest Research Centre and many more.
It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of a huge problem like climate change, but by bringing individual actions together under one banner, 10:10 enables everyone to make a meaningful difference. Launched in September 2009, the campaign has, to date, garnered the support of over 60,000 individuals and 2,000 businesses, including household names such as Sony, Adidas and Starbucks, and celebrities ranging from Delia Smith to Mark Ronson. 10:10 has been making waves in both central and local Government, counting many MP’s and Government departments in its ranks as well as one in three UK councils.
Each month 10:10 will focus on different ways to reduce your carbon emissions, offering expert advice on everything from insulation to recycling.
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