We began last evening………..our small group’s exploration of understanding, choices and action on carbon reduction.
The participants aren’t all starting from the same place on this journey. Some people in the group know a lot, some know less, and for all of us terms like a low-carbon future or carbon footprint may be simple words, but what do they mean?
Yes, we’ve promised to be careful of jargon.
However there is no getting away from the fact that it’s useful to become more ‘carbon literate’, and engage with some new terminology, and some measurement (‘where are all those tonnes of C02?’) –without becoming carbon bores or confusing people.

Sketch of an earlier carbon conversation, by Alice Maggs

We asked ourselves the question: why do we bother? to act on sustainability and carbon-reduction in our lives.
Here are our responses, and no one needed to mention carbon at all in these personal and passionate comments:

• I feel more powerful and in control, rather than helpless
• It’s a crime not to
• I wish to look after the world
• I hate waste and with my ‘cheapskate tendencies’ I love to recycle
• I care about the future, and my children’s lives
• I believe doing positive things makes more positive things happen
• We are all at risk – people, countries, nature
• This is a global challenge, and I want to know what I can do

These comments show a range – maybe some are from the head and are about understanding and facts; maybe some are gut feelings from the heart; some are about taking action that’s hands-on.
We have a creative mix in the group for this series!

This session was designed to frame the whole series, and the next meetings are focused on separate practical topics. The second meeting is Tuesday 27th May, and you can still join the rest of the series then.
For more info, click here for the flyer.