Our story
We knew that behaviour change was the most important ingredient in making change happen. We were determined in April 2021 to set up a charity, and by July had achieved charity status.
Meanwhile, we set up courses with the Carbon Literacy Project to help householders and Parish Town Councils understand what needed to change.
We launched these across Shropshire and found people welcomed the ideas, which centred on helping people to measure their carbon footprint and then take the required action (e.g. change diet, change energy source, improve insulation, change car, take more collective action).
We have also helped Parish Councillors and Clerks extend their thinking on engaging the community and putting a plan together to tackle climate change in their community. This approach through the education of Parish Councils was unique and we see it as transformative within our council.
We have also publicised our work through social media, and have now reached out to others beyond the county of Shropshire and in particular to the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) for whom we are delivering courses.
We have also linked up with the two local councils (Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin) to engage them in the education process. With a £10,000 grant from T&W, we have helped educate householders in taking action. We did this under the heading of "What is good for the planet is good for your pocket", demonstrating that people can save money by taking action on climate change. Behaviour change occurs when people understand the benefits of changing.
Local organisations like the voluntary sector, the Local Authority councils and the Shropshire Chamber of Commerce have all helped, and The Shropshire Association of Local Councils has also provided excellent specialist help.
Our advice
Behaviour change is arguably the most important barrier to making climate change happen. Parish and Town Councils are in a unique position to influence changes within their community, but probably constrain themselves to limited activity.
When we started we set up a householder course. It was very difficult to engage householders directly, so we then pioneered a Parish and Town Council course, to foster a cascade education process.
One of our Trustees is the vice chair of the Shropshire Association of Local Councils, so he has engaged with the local councils, and brought them on board. This has allowed climate eduction to be spread across Shropshire.
We have also been out to local fairs and events to engage people and have engaged with the SLCC (Society of Local Council Clerks) as a result of connections through our local council. We presented at their annual conference last November. We have also found it very useful to engage with VCSA (Shropshire Voluntary and Community Sector Assembly), which has connections with other voluntary organisations.
Education of the local council cabinet has also been very useful in extending our reach.
It is important to have a clear vision and plan and focus on that plan to make sure you are getting there. Luck will help, but you can also make your own luck!
Our Changeprint
Our Changeprint can be measured by the pledges people take to change their behaviours; the tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions saved; the money saved by taking action on climate change; and by the collective approach to tackling climate change across Shropshire.
