ACAN Open Meeting 17 June – Feedback and actions

Nearly 100 people met at the Assembly Rooms in Alton on Monday 17 June

The newly formed ACAN (Alton Climate Action & Network) was holding an inaugural Open Meeting for concerned Altonians to share information and ideas for practical action to combat climate change.

Three speakers set the scene.  Eleanor Hill described the serious impacts of the climate crisis on our lives, now and in the future, and the urgency of reducing carbon emissions.  Gareth Hurd talked about the importance of green spaces and Jane Devlin from East Hampshire District Council explained the roles of the three levels of local government. Councillor Andrew Joy of the Hampshire County Council reported that during that very afternoon, the County Council Cabinet had recommended that the Council declare a climate emergency – a historic moment for the county indeed.

People then gathered in smaller groups, inside the Assembly Rooms and outside on the lawn in the evening sunshine, to discuss what might be done locally to tackle the climate crisis.  The groups developed ideas for local initiatives on the themes and topics of: less (new) stuff; green space; transport; energy; food; lobbying and campaigning; information and outreach; building standards; and other ideas.

The feedback from the groups and the list of actions developed can be found underneath the photo below

Groups meeting on the lawn outside the Assembly Rooms

A follow up meeting to discuss taking forward action plans is being held on Thursday 27th June at 7.30 pm in the Railway Arms (back room).