Villagers join fight to save the planet

RESIDENTS in Cleeve are aiming to enjoy a carbon-free future.They are being urged to join forces and work towards making the whole village carbon neutral in the fight to save the planet.Over 50 people attended a public meeting at Cleeve Village Hall, organised by Reverend Cathy Horder, of Holy Trinity Church, to talk about how the village can move forward towards a greener environment.Those attending included Cleeve villagers and councillors, residents from neighbouring villages, parish councillors from Yatton and Congresbury and North Somerset councillors Peter Kehoe and Wendy Griggs.Rev Horder decided to organise the gathering following a meeting with Ian Roderick, from the Go Zero project in Chew Magna, which has been working towards a goal of becoming a carbon-free village.Mr Roderick gave a presentation slide show to illustrate the ways in which his village is actively tackling the environmental and social impact of everyday actions, and provided suggestions for change towards a zero waste society. Rev Horder said; "I was so inspired by what the Go Zero project had achieved that I decided to hold the meeting. The response was positive and many ideas were put forward on how we can make a start in reducing our carbon emissions in Cleeve."Ideas put forward at the meeting included the introduction of a plastics recycling skip in the village, car sharing, community composting and buying goods locally to save on carbon miles. Cleeve Parish Council chairman, Jillian Battersby, said: "It was a very informative meeting, was well attended and generated a positive reaction."The council will continue to investigate how we can reduce carbon emissions and it will be discussed at our parish council meeting this month. We shall, of course, need to take costs into consideration.