Shropshire Climate Action: Active Travel Active travel Short Journeys: walking and cycling To make walking or cycling the first choice for short journeys we need safe roads, cycle paths and footpaths so people of all ages can enjoy using them. Nationally, transport spending currently favours cars over all other forms of transport, including active travel (walking and cycling) so policy changes and investment are required to encourage the transition to active travel. Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan Shropshire Council commissioned a Loca l Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) focusing on seven market towns during 2022/23. Proposals include a network of segregated cycle lanes, improved road and paving surfaces, reduced speed limits and safer crossings at road junctions and roundabouts. Implementation takes place over 10 years. Actions you can take Try using public transport, walking or cycling once a week to replace shorter journeys Share transport as much as possible Consider joining or starting a car or lift-share club Sustrans is a charity which aims to make it easier for peo ple to walk and cycle. They are the custodian of the National Cycle Network – the UK-wide network of over 12,000 miles of signed paths and routes for walking, wheeling, cycling and exploring outdoors. And they have lots of tips for getting active by using a bike or walking Shropshire Cycle Hub is a community charity focused on improving access to healthy sustainable transport across Shropshire. Find out about the services they offer including bike servicing, rickshaws and how you can get involved. Actions schools can take DfT School Streets programme in Shropshire helps schools to create an active travel plan. See link for more details about the wider initiative. Not all schools are eligible. The programme is being trialled by 6 schools across the county Bikeability is a national cycle training offer for schools supported by Shropshire Council Living Streets is the UK charity for everyday walking. Their Walk to School Outreach project, is working with Shropshire Council and Active Travel England (ATE) to encourage more primary school children and their families to walk to school. Their WOW challenge has increased walking rates by an average of 23% in the first 5 weeks. With funding from ATE, schools across Shropshire are being offered the WOW challenge for free (usual cost £500). See if your primary school is eligible here . Living Streets also offers support to communities and workplaces to make walking a natural choice for all. See the website for information about their walk leader training and their project work. Sustrans organises: Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel the UK's biggest school cycling, walking and scooting event Cycle to School Week Sustrans School Streets is a test programme to address congestion, poor air quality and road safety concerns that many schools experience during drop-off and pick-up times. This project is being delivered in association with Playing Out Big Street Survey is a free curriculum resource enabling pupils to investigate the area around their school and create a manifesto on how to make their streets safer and greener

Shropshire Climate Action: Food Food Actions you can take for a healthy diet which also reduces carbon emissions: Aim to be food waste free Eat more plant-based foods Eat less, but bu y better quality local meat and d airy Buy local, seasonal and organic produce Support farmers markets and local box schemes Use local independent retailers Choose Fairtrade-certifi ed products Select fish only from sustainable sources Eat a healthy balanced diet and less processed food Grow your own or join a community garden or food Co-op What is the carbon footprint of your diet? Use the BBC's online interactive climate change food calculator to calculate the carbon footprint of your diet on the climate. Assess the sustainability of your food shop 23% of your carbon footprint comes from the products you buy at the supermarket Impact Score® Shopping is an app you can use when shopping or at home to scan the barcodes on food products and find out how ethical and sustainable they are. It will tell you if they have a low, medium of high carbon footprint. It will also suggest ‘more sustainable’ alternatives for products. Grow your own food Grow your own food – reduce the carbon miles of your meals Find out more about having an allotment at All About Allotments Apply to your local council for an allotment: www.gov.uk/apply-allotment World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) : volunteer with organic farmers and growers in Shropshire and beyond to gain skills and understanding about growing food in exchange for your labour. How to get involved locally Find out more about the expanding local food network in Shropshire Shropshire Good Food Partnership works with different stakeholders across Shropshire to: provide individuals and groups with support to set up and manage community-based food growing, cooking and shar ing initiatives support land-based enterprises and food businesses with innovation and create opportunities to access local markets and develop the local food economy bring together stakeholders including Local Government to engage on policy and planning and deliver goods and services Working groups include: Grow Local, Sustainable Food Economy, Wise Land Stewardship, Nature Connection, Reducing Food Waste, Healthy Food For All Contact for more information: hello@shropshiregoodfood.org Slow Food Ludlow Marches organises events such as themed meals, tastings, producer visits, markets, talks and demonstrations. The group describes its aim as “supporting local, small scale, sustainable food production” and has recently had a particular emphasis on supporting and preserving local endangered foods. The Slow Food Movement is a global, grassroots movement that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment. Join campaigns for more sustainable agriculture Join campaigns for more sustainable agriculture: The Soil Association campaign s for healthy, humane and sustainable food, farming and land use The Sustainable Food Trust explores solutions for a food and farming production system that causes the least possible harm to humans and the planet

Shropshire Climate Action: Trains & Planes Trains & planes The climate impact of flying Air travel can offer unparalleled speed and global connectivity, but comes with a hefty carbon cost. According to Flight Free UK aviation is responsible for 7% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. Even a short flight can emit hundreds of kilograms of CO2 per passenger. You can assess a flight's carbon emissions using My Climate's online CO2 flight calculator which will help you to work out how to offset the emissions. The aviation industry is making the problem worse by promoting frequent flyer incentives, airport expansion and increasing private jets. National campaigns are encouraging individuals to explore eco-friendly alternatives to flying. Possible’s campaign calls for UK flights to be cut by a third to help reduce carbon emissions and reach our climate targets. Graph credit: Flightfree.co.uk Take to the rails instead... Trains offer a great alternative to flying and driving. They are more energy-efficient: producing far fewer carbon emissions with each mile travelled. International travel by train Travelling abroad by train has never been easier! Th e Man in Seat 61 offers lots of information about using trains abroad. It provides travellers with: up-to-date information on train routes journey planners practical tips for a smooth journey. Train travel in the UK The UK rail industry is actively working towards more sustainable practices. Transport for Wales is investing in energy-efficient technologies and infrastructure upgrades to red uce carbon emissions. Using train apps to measure carbon savings Apps such as th e Trainline app and Train Pal app offer user-friendly platforms which makes it easier to plan journeys across the UK by train and bus to reduce your carbon footprint. When booking tickets, users receive information on the carbon impact and carbon savings of their journeys (see image on the right). Supporting greener business travel Trainline Business sells tickets from 270 carriers across 45 countries, covering 80% of all routes in Europe and provides businesses with cost efficiencies and controls over their travel spend. Read more here Actions you can take... Use a carbon footprint calculator to find out how much the types of transport you use contribute towards your carbon footprint. Sign up to Flight Free UK’s flight free challenge and check out their website for tips on alternative ways to travel abroad. Ask your employer to sign up to Climate Perks, a new employee benefit scheme where employers help staff to choose slower, cleaner, travel by giving them paid ‘journey days’ on top of their annual leave entitlement. Support Possible’s frequent flyer levy campaign : the more someone flies in any given year, the more tax they pay on their flights. Keep up to date with local initiatives that prioritise sustainability. See Shropshire Council’s website .

< Back Net Zero Progress - How are we doing in Shropshire? - not well - a NWRR update Nancy Stewart 1 Mar 2025 How the North West Relief Road for Shrewsbury jeopardises Shropshire's climate commitments Shropshire Council risks tearing up its climate commitments as it continues to push for the construction of the proposed North West Relief Road (NWRR). Following a recent recalculation of the carbon emissions associated with the road, the planning officer has admitted this project will undermine the council's 2030 net zero targets. Building the NWRR contradicts the meaning of ‘emergency’ in the climate crisis. In recommending the NWRR be approved by the planning committee, the planning officer sought to downplay its impact by stating that although the additional emissions would burst through Shropshire’s carbon budget, compared to global emissions it would be a relatively small amount. The Council could shift to 2050 as a target for net zero, he said. The proposed NWRR scheme remains controversial ahead of May’s elections, with different candidates in favour or opposing it. Why not ask your prospective councillors what their views are? Market Drayton Climate Action has recently responded to a few of the arguments made in favour of the NWRR in response to the group raising these issues: Pro: ‘For Market Drayton residents using the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, the NWRR will provide a much quicker option than that offered at present. This would be particularly important during a medical emergency.’ Response: We would like to make an equally emotional appeal: that by hugely weakening our response to the climate emergency, we are going to be facing more medical emergencies in Market Drayton. Pro: To offset the carbon emissions of the NWRR ‘we are committing to the equivalent increase in carbon offsetting’. Response: Carbon offsets have a very dubious record and should never be used as an excuse for increasing dangerous emissions levels. Better Shrewsbury Transport comments: ‘We estimate that to absorb these emissions within ten years the council would need to plant around 1.4 million extra trees – and keep them alive.’ Pro: The NWRR will ‘deliver major reductions in traffic, congestion and air pollution in Shrewsbury and many surrounding villages, boost public transport, cycling and walking, and attract new jobs and investment into the county.’ Response: This is highly contestable: The UK Climate Change Committee says ‘“investment in roads should be contingent on analysis justifying how they contribute to the UK’s pathway to Net Zero” – not to investment in the economy. Shropshire Council’s own modelling shows the road would have a limited effect on congestion in the town centre – while some roads might see peak flow reductions of 1 in 4 cars, many town centre roads will see no improvement. Meanwhile, traffic will increase on other roads servicing the new route. There is well established evidence that, rather than reduce congestion, new roads actually create more traffic and fail to deliver the economic benefits claimed (e.g. CPRE, 2017). Shropshire Council has not fully investigated the potential to reduce congestion by supporting walking, cycling and public transport. The Big Town Plan Masterplan for Shrewsbury has outlined exactly how these alternative measures could work but Shropshire Council has not included this in its traffic modelling. The original planning application for this road received a record-breaking 5400 objections, with only 220 people supporting it. Shrewsbury Town Council opposes the project. The revised carbon figures point firmly to the right course of action – immediate abandonment of plans for the NWRR.You can read Shropshire Climate Action's original review of the proposed road here . Our position that Shropshire can't meet its climate commitments if the road is built remains unchanged Previous Next

< Back New sustainable fashion initiative in Oswestry Lizzie Dibble 1 Dec 2024 Borrow clothes from Oswestry Library Based in Oswestry, With Love From ... is on a mission to reduce the environmental and ethical impact of fashion. We are encouraging people to slow down in their shopping habits, repair, re-wear, share and care for the clothing that already exists. Currently, With Love From... is a community project but we are in the process of registering as a CIC. There is enough clothing on the planet to dress the next six generations. We started by creating a shared wardrobe in the town, encouraging people to donate items in exchange for points which can be spent within the shared wardrobe. On average, British women hoard £285 worth of unused clothing - this equates to over £34 million worth of unused purchases in Shropshire alone. Our shared wardrobe already holds more than 600 items. Since November we have started a very exciting collaborative project with Oswestry Library where library card holders will be able to borrow an outfit from our shared wardrobe, in the same way you might borrow a book! You can find out more on our website, or pop in to the library and you can pledge your support on our SpaceHive page . Previous Next

Shropshire Climate Action: Community actions What can you do as a community? Climate Fresk at Ludlow Quaker Meeting House Book a Climate Fresk workshop: learn about the climate crisis and what you can do to help Climate Fresk is a 3 hour facilitated workshop where you can get to grips with climate change in small groups in a safe, non-judgemental space, learn how to take action and enjoy some thought-provoking discussions. The workshops explore key drivers, mechanisms, and impacts of climate change, and map out where we are today and where we could be headed if we join forces. Previous participants have said: ‘I knew a fair bit about climate change but I learned so much new stuff. It was incredibly powerful sharing ideas in the group and understanding how everything is connected. We discussed next steps we could take and I left feeling focused and upbeat’. If you are a community group or group of friends living in Shropshire or Telford & Wrekin and want to book a half day Climate Fresk workshops which includes all the materials, find out more via the BizEd Projects website or email climate@bizedprojects.com Sign up to a Biodiversity Collage workshop "The global rate of species extinction is already at least tens to hundreds of times higher than the average rate over the past 10 million years and is accelerating. " IPBES, 2019 Join a biodiversity collage workshop to explore the pressing issue of biodiversity loss. Despite its critical importance, biodiversity receives far less attention than climate change, yet both are intertwined and pose significant threats to humanity. Based on the IPBES report, our interactive workshop offers a fun, collaborative, and visual exploration of biodiversity challenges. Here's what we'll cover: Starters: Work in groups to recreate ecosystems and uncover the impacts of human disturbance. Organise the collage: Connect the dots between 39 cards to understand biodiversity's significance, how it supports human life and how it is being degraded. Transform your collage into art: Decorate and title your creation Debrief and action planning: Reflect on insights gained and collectively develop action plans to halt biodiversity loss. Find out more via the BizEd Projects website or email climate@bizedprojects.com Set up a Carbon Watchers group The Carbon Watchers Project (CW) is loosely based on the philosophy of Weight Watchers: encouragement, no blame or shame, sharing ideas to reduce our personal carbon footprint. It encourages members of both formal and informal groups (friends, neighbours, clubs) to work towards reducing their carbon footprints, using any of the tools suggested on this website. Click here for a toolkit on how to set up a Carbon Watchers group. The Great Collaboration is an online Toolkit which contains 60 different carbon reducing actions you can take rated by cost and carbon impact. This includes a section on how you can join with other people to use your voice to call for change. Start a climate conversation We are Possible recommends talking about the climate crisis to our friends, family, colleagues and neighbours, which can help empower others to understand the crisis we face and take action. Inspiring local actions are already happening, and we can strengthen these and generate further impetus by sharing our experience and knowledge. To get you started here are some questions to start the conversation …. What’s the best thing your group/organisation/ school has done in the last year to help cut greenhouse gas emissions or loss of natural habitat? What’s the most important thing you want to do next? What will help you do that? … and here are some ideas to consider for your community or group. Contact us to find out more. Read the Action Learning Report on decarbonising Shropshire communities South Shropshire Climate Action received a grant from Shropshire Council in December 2023 to explore how communities in Shropshire can achieve Net Zero by 2030. Four community groups participated in the project including: a school - St George's CE Academy, Clun a small rural parish council - Llanfair Waterdine a local faith group - Ludlow Quaker Meeting House a project run by a local charity - Community Climate Connectors Project (Marches Energy Agency). The final report reveals which which strategies are most effective in encouraging participation in activities designed to reduce carbon emissions at a community level and what barriers and challenges lay in the way of the groups making progress. Read the report

Shropshire Climate Action: Make a Donation Make a Donation As a registered charity, we greatly rely on our wonderful network of volunteers and supporters who donate their time and resources to help us achieve our goals. If you have a little spare and you’re able to make a donation to us today, we’d be tremendously grateful – every little helps us to spread the word, host events, continue campaigning and build the resources we need to reduce the impact of climate change on our wonderful county. You can make a donation via our fundraising page on Just Giving here Thank you. We really appreciate your support.

Move to Renewable Energy Make the move to using energy from sources that don't produce carbon emissions. Buy energy from a renewables tariff - it can be cheaper. Consider a tariff with off-peak periods and shift your energy use. The proportion of energy generated from renewable is usually higher during off-peak periods. Many appliances can be timed. Charge an EV during off-peak. Home batteries can be charged during off-peak. Change your heating system to one that uses renewable energy. Probably a heat pump or electric heating. But insulate your property first. Install solar panels - if your property is suitable. Renewable energy tariffs This is a paragraph. Use this area to add any information you want to share with users. Just click "Edit Text" or double click here to change the text and make it your own. You can also adjust the paragraph's font, size and color so it fits your website’s theme. This is a great place to tell users a story about your website and let them know more about what you offer. You may want to share information about your company's background, your team, or the services you provide. Be sure to keep the tone and voice consistent throughout the site so users become familiar with your brand. Off-peak tariffs and time shifting Many suppliers offer tariffs with a lower-cost, off-peak period, although the day-time cost is often higher than a flat-rate tariff. As well as reducing costs, you will usually reduce the net carbon emissions you create if you time-shift your electricity usage into an off-peak period. This is because, on average, renewables contribute a larger proportion of energy generation during off-peak periods. Use the timers on home appliances, such as dishwashers and washing machines. Tumble driers (except for heat-pump ones) can be a fire risk, so it may be best not to use them at night. Electric Vehicles can be charge overnight, using the car's timer or one in your charge point. Home batteries, with or without solar panels, can be charged off-peak and used to provide power during the day. Heat pumps This is a paragraph. Use this area to add any information you want to share with users. Just click "Edit Text" or double click here to change the text and make it your own. You can also adjust the paragraph's font, size and color so it fits your website’s theme. This is a great place to tell users a story about your website and let them know more about what you offer. You may want to share information about your company's background, your team, or the services you provide. Be sure to keep the tone and voice consistent throughout the site so users become familiar with your brand. Solar panels This is a paragraph. Use this area to add any information you want to share with users. Just click "Edit Text" or double click here to change the text and make it your own. You can also adjust the paragraph's font, size and color so it fits your website’s theme. This is a great place to tell users a story about your website and let them know more about what you offer. You may want to share information about your company's background, your team, or the services you provide. Be sure to keep the tone and voice consistent throughout the site so users become familiar with your brand.

< Back The story of how Bishop’s Castle’s Climate Action Plan has been achieved Mike Watkins 7 May 2024 Working together as a Town Council and community group The Bishop’s Castle Climate Action Group [CAG] had been developing a ‘Sustainability Plan’, drawn-up out of the community’s responses to the 2016 Town Plan survey. Then, in 2019, the group convinced Bishop’s Castle's Town Council to declare a Climate & Nature Emergency, and in return agreed to help produce a Climate Action Plan for the town. The Climate Action Plan was adopted by the Town Council in early 2020, serving as a template for an active partnership approach, containing actions for the Town Council and for the CAG, with some of the former’s actions – where the Town Council’s resources and knowledge were lacking - being undertaken for them by the CAG. For example, the town’s carbon footprint measurement. A Town Councillor has been allocated the Environment portfolio, and works closely with the CAG, including attending its monthly meetings. The group encourages the Town Council to have an environment item on its agenda quarterly, in line with the quarterly Climate Action Plan audit reports which the CAG submits. An important lesson learned by our small group, was to avoid including too much detail in the CAP, instead having a focussed and manageable Action Plan section. We have put our more detailed ideas in a separate Part 2 document which will be updated in slower time. A copy of the Bishop's Castle Climate and Nature Action Plan [Part 1] can be read on Light Foot’s website and we welcome other groups downloading and adapting it for their own areas as required. We are happy to help with any questions other groups may have on this subject. Please get in touch by e-mailing climateaction@lightfootenterprises.org Previous Next

Shropshire Climate Action: Home page   Read More Welcome! Shropshire Climate Action (SCA) is an action driven coalition of local people, organisations and businesses, all dedicated to helping Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin take climate action. SCA brings together the South Shropshire Climate Action, Zero Carbon Shropshire and Shropshire Green Exchange networks because a co-ordinated and collaborative response is needed to tackle the climate and Nature crises at a local level. This website is full of information about the actions we can take as individuals, communities, schools, town and parish councils and businesses to support Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin to reach net zero by 2030. See how you can get involved in the invaluable work that local organisations in our network are already doing to protect Nature, reduce our carbon emissions and improve our health and wellbeing across the topics of energy and housing, land and biodiversity (including food), transport and repair reuse-recycle initiatives. Together we can take action to lessen the impacts of the climate and Nature emergency. Read more about us here Read our Climate Action Reports What is the Climate Emergency? Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin's carbon emissions How to take action Explore our website to find practical advice and information on taking climate and nature action across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and how you can get involved with local organisations. Energy & Buildings Land & Biodiversity Transport Reuse, Repair, Recycle Green Your Money Individual action Community action Councils Schools & Youth Groups Local Businesses Local Lobbying Eco anxiety Local climate groups How to get involved Help make Shropshire Climate Action an effective channel for accelerating climate action – we can do it with you, we can’t do it without you Please email us at: contact@shropshireclimateaction.org Or get in touch about any of the following activities using the form below. Contact us Sign up to our monthly newsletter here Volunteer with us or join our working groups & meetings Share your local news, actions & events with us Make a donation here Get in touch with us! First Name Last Name Email Message Send Please see our Privacy Policy. Thank you for your message we will respond as soon as possible!

Shropshire Climate Action: Eco anxiety Dealing with eco anxiety What is eco anxiety? E co anxiety (also known as ‘eco distress’ and ‘eco grief’) describes the wide range of negative thoughts and emotions people may expe rience when they hear about the global challenges our planet is facing. It can include an overwhelming sense of hopelesness and doom. The Royal College of Psychiatrists describe a range of emotions such as feeling anxious, worried, upset, scared, sad, angry, distressed, vulnerable, or unsure about the future. Research by Marks et al. 2021 showed the impact of eco anxiety among young people aged 16-25. Watch these short videos by psychotherapist Ro Randall on Coping with the Climate Crisis (2020) to help understand and accept these intense feelings. How to deal with eco anxiety First, it is important to acknowledge that these feelings are rational and show how much you care. Secondly, people should be allowed to express their distress about the climate crisis. It is important to listen to each other. Consider joining a climate café (see below), which offer safe, informal spaces for people to talk about their feelings, fears & uncertainties about the climate and ecological crises. In the words of We Are Possible, “The best remedy to climate despair is to take action, together.” Further actions Explore this website to make a difference in reducing carbon emissions and protecting Nature. You will be joining millions of others across the world.. Sign up to We Are Possible - a UK based organisation who “face our climate dread with a can-do attitude and sense of fun” for practical actions and approaches. The Climate Majority Project is enabling mass citizen-led climate action across the UK, connecting people across social, political and strategic boundaries, and building communities so that the climate majority can find their power and voice. “Most people sense that we’re in deep trouble with climate change, and they want to do something. We help projects to grow, get funding, and connect with as many willing hands as possible… Join us in creating the future you want, wherever you are, however you can, with all that you’ve got." Sign up to The Cool Down newsletter which provides lots of information on how to be green, save money and read good news stories about climate action. "How to live in a chaotic climate" Check out this book “How to Live in a Chaotic Climate: 10 Steps to Reconnect with Ourselves, Our Communities, and Our Planet” (2023) By Laura Schmidt, Aimee Lewis Reau, Chelsie Rivera “Eco-distress is real. How to Live in a Chaotic Climate is here to help you rediscover meaning, joy, and connection as the tumult around us increases. Based on the Good Grief Network’s acclaimed 10 Steps to Resilience and Empowerment in a Chaotic Climate program, this book unpacks the social, political, and spiritual nuances of the climate emergency, step by step" Listen to this 10 mins segment about Eco-grief and anxiety on BBC4 Women's Hour (broadcast 15/6/23) in which climate scientist turned campaigner Jen Newall from the Climate Majority Project talks about: how growing numbers of people are experiencing eco-grief and anxiety explores what exactly is the impact on people and how we can turn the tables and help people to feel more hopeful about the environment. Climate cafés: Joining with others to support one another Online Climate Cafés facilitate talking and listening to people who share your concerns and who want to take action. The Climate Psychology Alliance (of therapeutic practitioners, researchers, artists and others) hold regular climate cafés online each month. Follow this Eventbrite link to find a date that suits you. Consider starting a climate café in your area: Contact Climate Café® who have been running climate cafes across Scotland and in Solihull for seven years. They love to share ideas, support and guidance and can connect you with others to create a safe, welcoming and inclusive venue.

Shropshire Climate Action: Local retrofitted property examples Local examples Stories of local residents and their journeys to make their homes more energy efficient through the installation of insulation and renewable energy. Local example 1 Eco-friendly renovation of a medieval house Local example 2 Improving energy efficiency and insulation in a rural 1840s house nea r Clun Summary of the house and the work done to date Local example 3 Making a 1950’s ex-council house in Ludlow more energy efficie nt The full story Local example 4 Retrofitting a 19 60’s semi detached in a Conservation Area Local example 5 Watch the video tour of a local Shropshire couple's 1980's bungalow and how they made it more energy efficient The building Ditching the gas Six months on Domestic battery storage Cost & energy savings Local Example 6 Retrofitting a remote 1990’s house in the Shropshire Hills Local Example 7 Cost of installing renewables to a property (PV panels, battery & ground source heat pump) Local Example 8 Insulating a new build in Ludlow Local Example 9 Passivhaus New Build in Much Wenlock