On 19 November 2023 there was a public meeting in response to the climate emergency declared by Wymondham Town Council. This was the first of many future public meetings to gather views and ideas, as well as identify useful skills within our community.
It was organised by four residents and four councillors, who have set up a Community Interest Company (CIC) called Sustainable Wymondham. Their remit is to work with residents, local businesses, and community groups to set and co-produce a Climate Emergency Strategy, followed by an Action Plan.
Around 40 people gathered at Fairland Church Centre. Sustainable Wymondham gave presentations on social responsibility, climate change risks, the need for rapid actions, food security and examples of sustainable activities by other communities. They also shared videos about carbon footprints (aspects of living that emit climate-changing gases) and doughnut economics (a better system for prospering and thriving). Some of the presentations generated insightful conversations, such as a reminder that many actions will bring health benefits for individuals and communities.
After listening to the presentations, people discussed good examples of sustainability in Wymondham and ideas for doing things differently. To enable more in-depth discussions, this information was categorised into communications, energy, food, nature, transport, water and waste.
Within each category, there were enthusiastic conversations about various possibilities. Wymondham has people who know how to think outside the box and who care about the planet. Here’s a selection of some of the discussions:
~Communications - community skills swap “stall” at markets, more diverse voices, a youth council, a directory of local ‘green’ initiatives
~Energy - retrofit training, local renewable energy generation
~Food - garden sharing for growing food, a community fridge/ pantry, supporting people to cook seasonally
~Nature - evergreen trees for shading buildings, using South Norfolk mown spaces as community gardens
~Transport - greener and more accessible public transport, more cycle paths, enabling more car sharing, safer space for pedestrians
~Water - encouraging natural flood management, rainwater collection
~Waste - having a repair shop, better awareness on how littering harms nature, having an online portal for swapping/reusing green waste
At the end of the meeting, people shared their contact details and relevant skills that might help develop the ideas into realities. Sustainable Wymondham is considering the gathered information and developing further ways to engage. For example, there will be opportunities at the Spring Arts Festival (20th April to 6th May) and a series of events during the Great Big Green Week (8th to 16th June).
The public meeting marks the beginning of many projects that Wymondham can benefit from. A summary of the event is available online along with other useful resources, such as ways to improve your carbon footprint and calculate it: www.sustainablewymondham.org.uk. If you have any ideas, relevant knowledge or would like to get involved, please email info@sustainablewymondham.org.uk.
