Shropshire Climate Action: Taking action Taking action! The impacts of the climate crisis will affect everyone living on the planet The scale of action required can feel overwhelming. “Climate doom” is where we don’t take action because we think it’s a problem we can’t solve, compared with “climate denial”, where we don’t take action because we don’t think there is a problem. However, although politicians, businesses and other institutions have a critical role to play, it is important to realise that we can all take meaningful action. The more each of us does, the more impact it will have. This website shows what can be done at home and work, by individuals, communities and councils, to reduce carbon emissions and protect nature. Individual choices Green Your Money Community actions Town & Parish Councils Schools & Youth Groups Local businesses Local Lobbying Eco anxiety

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: Nature walks leaflets Shropshire Nature Walks leaflets South Shropshire Climate Action, in conjunction with local wildlife groups and libraries, produced a series of Nature Walks leaflets and posters for Shropshire towns, d esigned and illustrated by Sarah Jameson , a South Shropshire artist - we hope you like them! These leaflets can be downloaded below along with posters containing the same information. Bridgnorth Walk Download the Bridgnorth walk leaflet Download the Bridgnorth walk poster Ludlow Walk Download the Ludlow walk leaflet Download the Ludlow walk poster

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: 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 .

Shropshire Climate Action: Buses Buses South Shropshire Climate Action (SSCA) sent Shropshire Council "15 Transport Asks" . These are the four relating to public transport. 1. Transform bus services to maximise the shift from car trips to buses 2. Fund the transformation of all buses so that they are zero carbon 3. Introduce a “one ticket” public transport policy covering all buses regardless of operator and all local rail (see for example, Transport for Cornwall ). 4. Design and fund a best practice Park and Ride service for Ludlow and Bridgnorth served by electric buses. SSCA received a response from Shropshire Council. Click here to read their answers Every village, every hour campaign CPRE's "Every v illage, every hour" report (2021) sets out what a comprehensive bus network for England would look like, with services to every village every hour, and the scale of investment required. It would provide a bus service fit for the climate emergency and address the inequality and social exclusion caused by the dominance of cars in rural life. Shropshire-based campaign group BeST: Better Shrewsbury Transport BeST (Better Shrewsbury Transport) comprises a group of organisatio ns and individuals keen to engage positively with the council to promote active and sustainable solutions to the town’s transport challen ges. It is campaigning for urgent action to promote active and sustainable modes of transport.

Shropshire Climate Action: Land & Biodiversity Land & biodiversity Farmers are the wardens of our land. In their hands lies both great potential and great challenges – feeding a growing population whilst also restoring ecological health. Land use is crucial to achieve a net zero carbon future as the land represents a significant sink in which to store carbon. Many Shropshire farmers are pioneering new methods of agricultural production and the industry as a whole has committed to achieve a net zero carbon future. The climate crisis will test our food supply chains and there will be a need to build local food resilience and local food networks. SCA wants to lend support, share best practice and be an advocate for positive change. To join Shropshire Climate Action's Land and Biodiversity Working Group which meets regularly please email: contact@shropshireclimateaction.org We also do this in collaborative partnerships, as active members of: The Marches Nature Partnership The Shropshire Hills National Landscape Team (the new name for this designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) Partnership Board, and its Climate Group Shropshire Good Food Partnership South Shropshire Climate Action's Next Steps report identified a menu of opportunities for positive land use and a toolkit for change. Implementation of this menu rests with a range of collaborative partners and local initiatives. Land management Nature & biodiversity Food Water Gardening Nature walks

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Shropshire Climate Action: Reuse - Repair - Recycle Reuse-Repair-Recycle Our consu mer society and its environmental impacts We live in a consumer society and a culture that encourages us to buy more than we need. Almost everything we buy takes energy to produce, which is usually sourced from fossil fuels (electricity, gas, coal, oil), so our purchases also contain ‘embedded carbon’. If an item is thrown away and sent to landfill or an incinerator, this contributes to other greenhouse gas emissions, such as methane. Actions you can take Instead of buying new things, adopt the sustainability principles of: Refuse & reduce, Reuse & share, Repair, & repurpose, Rot and Recycle & refill. Refuse & reduce Reuse & share Repair & repurpose Rot (food waste) Recycle & refill

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: 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.