Shropshire Star

Climate change and eco-talks being held in Newtown

Climate change and ecological living will be the a meeting in Newtown tomorrow .

Published
David Thorpe

David Thorpe, director of the One Planet Centre in Carmarthenshire, will explore the possibilities at a meeting at Newtown High School at 7.30pm on Thursday. Entry is free.

One Planet Centre is an independent body which supports regions and individuals to reduce their ecological footprint to protect standards of living and the environment with training.

David has researched what it would mean to be a One Planet community within urban settings, as well as rural ones and will talk about what it would mean for the people if of Newtown became a one planet town.

Community enterprise Open Newtown’s Open Energy project is hosting a series of talks in partnership with Newtown High School to help unravel the confusion around climate change.

In March, Dr Richard Kipling, of the Aberystwyth University Institute of Biology, Environmental and Rural Sciences, will talk about how different land use and management affects the amount of carbon stored.

Seeking

Further talks are being arranged throughout the spring and summer . The talks, which are free and open to anyone, are supported by ARWAIN, the Regional Development Plan for Powys administered by Powys County Council.

Newtown’s Open Energy project manager Jeremy Thorp explained that he is seeking to find opportunities for generating renewable energy or other ways of cutting carbon within the town, particularly within the green spaces that Open Newtown manages.

“I am looking to try and find opportunities for solar energy or helping people to make their homes more energy efficiency,” he said.

“I am really pleased to be engaging with students at Newtown High School and they have now set up their own eco committee. Hopefully, these young people will help us to engage with more people in Newtown.”

Open Newtown has launched a series of community projects in the town designed to benefit businesses, local people and the wider community. Plans to unlock the economic potential of the green spaces and river include creating opportunities for sports, recreation, events, well-being, tourism and the local economy and community.