Sustainable Dorset’s Green Living Project has been awarded £10,000 by the National Lottery Community Fund to launch a project that may potentially help up to 160 households around Dorset reduce their carbon footprint.
Groups of between 6-8 local households
will come together to work through the Dorset Green Living Guide. This manual is based on the guide developed by Transition Streets (formerly Transition Together) to give households the tools and information to help them minimise their carbon footprint and save money at the same time.
Each group will meet every 2 to 4 weeks to discuss each chapter and choose which lifestyle changes or minor home improvements to complete within the following month. The idea behind it is a group effort and run in a fair and organised way, so each group will agree at the beginning who will host each chapter and at which house, so that no one person feels overburdened with responsibility.
The chapters cover basic principles of green living such as
reducing energy and water consumption,
eating more plant-based foods that are local and organic,
reducing waste,
using greener means of transport and
community building.
The idea is that people will not only learn how to live in a more sustainable way but also make substantial savings. Implementing the tips in our new guide could help each household save 1.2t of carbon and £580 per year off their expenditure.
Building caring and sharing communities
is proven to have positive effects both on mental and physical well-being, whilst strong local communities are essential if we are to build a greener more localised economy and create the resilience necessary to cope with future challenges threatened by the climate crisis.
Ambassadors
Sustainable Dorset is looking for people to become ambassadors for this project. As an ambassador you will build your group of between 6-8 households. This may be because you already know your neighbours well or you know a group of like-minded people who are all looking at ways that they can help the planet or save money. Perhaps you don’t know your neighbours yet but would really like to, and feel that this project could bring you closer together. Once you have found enough people to start a group, you will step down from being an ambassador and the group will organise itself as a collective.
The project requires people to be dedicated and willing to meet at least once a month. Every group will have support from a member of Sustainable Dorset for their first meeting and we will always be at the end of the phone or email for the duration of the project to help you with whatever matters arise. As a charity, Sustainable Dorset is always looking for ways to build resilience in our communities and this is a perfect step in the right direction. If you are interested in getting involved, there’s more information here or please email Rachel Lamb, project coordinator at earthjamb@outlook.com
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