Councils Urged to Take a Step in the Right Direction
23 October 2008
Ecological Footprinting Conference and Exhibition - A Step in the Right Direction for Local Government
With householders facing the increasing pressures of the credit crunch and many having to make the decision this winter weather to eat or heat, senior council representatives attending the recent ‘Ecological Footprinting Conference and Exhibition - A Step in the Right Direction for Local Government have been urged to roll out a tried and tested project – the Community Eco-Challenge in their area to help householders.
The Community Eco-Challenge is the first community based ecological footprinting project to take place in Northern Ireland. The project worked closely with 100 householders (6 community groups) to help them reduce the impact their lifestyle has on the environment (their ecological footprint). Delegates attending the one day conference heard how Northern Ireland has the highest ecological footprint in the UK and if everyone lived as we do in Northern Ireland, we would need three planets worth of natural resources to sustain our lifestyles. However it was not all doom and gloom as the conference highlighted the role councils can play in supporting householders in their challenge to reduce their ecological footprint. Often the steps taken to live a more sustainable lifestyle will cost little or nothing but can save a householder a lot. In this current economic climate, these savings are warmly welcomed.
For example making environmental improvements such as installing energy efficient light bulbs, switching off standby, installing radiator foils and reducing their thermostats, walking or cycling journeys under 2 miles and growing their own organic produce, householders not only saved hundreds of pounds each year but they succeeded to reduce their ecological footprint by up to 25% and identified actions and initiatives to reduce it further by up to 33%. Many householders reported that through eating more fresh local produce and ditching the car in favour of walking or cycling, their health and well being significantly improved.
With local councils all having a duty to promote sustainable development in their area and reduce the waste they send to landfill, this project not only assists the councils to meet these objectives but offers householders a much needed framework of support to ride the credit crunch storm in the tough months that lie ahead. Environmental Services Officer, Elaine Smith from Larne Borough Council attended the conference and commented “This has been a very inspiring event demonstrating the role we as councils can play. Larne Borough Council would be delighted to get involved and be able to offer the Community Eco-Challenge to householders in our area. This is something we will be considering in the very near future”.
Laurence Moley from Menaware in Cullaville, Newry participated in the challenge and commented “The Community Eco-Challenge has helped our group establish a community garden in the village. We anticipate the garden will not only save us money but it will make fresh organic fruit and vegetables more accessible for many of our families. As a village we are more aware of the environment and how we impact on it and we are making significant steps in other areas such as our energy, waste and transport to improve.”
If local councils took up this challenge and rolled out a similar project to even ¼ of their households, the Community Eco-Challenge could save these householders a total of £15m on electricity bills, £38m on home heating bills and assist local councils to divert 32,000 tonnes of waste from landfill – approx 1.3 million wheelie bins, surely a win win situation for councils, households and the environment!
