New partnership launched to speed up climate emergency response
Organisations across the Forest of Dean are being called on to join a new community-led partnership to speed up the response to the climate emergency.
Launched this week, the Forest of Dean Climate Action (FoDCA) partnership is actively seeking members from a wide range of sectors who can be at the forefront of helping the district reach its goal of becoming net-zero carbon by 2030.
By pooling knowledge and expertise and working together, FoDCA will provide a platform to share learning and environmental best practice to drive forward innovative solutions to the climate crisis.
Councillor Chris McFarling, Cabinet Member for the Climate Emergency at the Forest of Dean District Council, said: “Although in its infancy, we are very excited about the new partnership and the opportunities this now opens up. We want to encourage as many organisations as possible to get involved and to start collaborating, and to steer the direction of how we go about reducing carbon emissions in the district to add pace and vigour to what we need to achieve.
“By working together we can be much more effective. Our call to action today is for any organisation, community group or business which has a passion for the environment and which can share their ideas and support others in finding and implementing solutions to address the climate crisis, whether this be at a very grassroots level or district-wide, to come forward and get involved.
“While the District Council has a clear objective of reaching net-zero carbon in all council-managed operations by 2030, there is also the need for the district as a whole to get there too. The work of the partnership will be vital in helping meet this challenge.”
The new partnership has been kick started by the District Council and a small group of community volunteers. Going forward FoDCA will run independently from the local authority and will set and manage its own priorities.
Cllr McFarling continued: “While the initial focus is to increase the number of partner organisations, there will be opportunities for residents to get involved. One of the areas that FoDCA will be working on is the formation of local hubs throughout the district, giving members of the public the chance to contribute ideas and get involved in smaller projects running in their towns and villages that contribute directly to the wider partnership objectives.”
A new website has now gone live to promote the work that is being done. In addition to being able to sign up to become a partner organisation, visitors to www.forestofdeanclimateaction.org.uk can opt-in to receive updates and newsletters about the work of FoDCA as the project develops, and get further guidance on how to get involved locally. The site also has information about volunteering opportunities within the partnership for those with a few hours to spare each week and who may be able to assist with the initial set up of the local hubs and on-going promotions.
Forest of Dean Climate Action is open to any organisation - including parish and town councils, schools and colleges, utility companies, charities, housing providers, developers, public sector, community groups and businesses - interested in helping the district reach carbon neutrality by 2030.
To become a partner visit: www.forestofdeanclimateaction.org.uk/partner-signup
For more information call the sustainability team at the Forest of Dean District Council on 01594 810000 or email [email protected]