City Councillors Asked to ‘Lead by Example’

Winchester’s City Councillors have been encouraged to lead by example by making a New Year commitment to reducing the carbon footprints of their households.    Robert Hutchison, the Chairman of WinACC, has written to all 57 elected members of the City Council asking them to join Winchester Action on Climate Change (WinACC).    Membership of WinACC is open to all individuals, households and organisations in Winchester district that measure and report their carbon footprint and commit to reducing them.  

Mr Hutchison says ‘Climate change is everyone’s issue and there is no prospect of getting the necessary global agreement to reduce worldwide emissions of greenhouse gases unless people in wealthy countries take responsibility for their carbon footprints and take serious steps to reduce them.   It is the industrialised countries that are principally responsible for human caused climate change.   Elected politicians in wealthy countries need to give a strong lead’.  

In November, Winchester City Council’s Chief Executive, Simon Eden, became one of the first Winchester citizens to sign up and join WinACC – the district-wide organisation striving to reduce the carbon footprint of the area.    In December County and District Councillor Freddie Allgood, and Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Martin Tod, were among the dozens of individuals and households that published their carbon footprints on the WinACC website.   MP Mark Oaten, and Council leader George Beckett, have pledged to do so.    Simon Eden says ‘It’s important we all take responsibility for our impact on our environment.  This is a first step in my family and I doing what we can to play our role in facing the major global challenge of climate change’.  

In inviting people to join the organization, WinACC points out that there are many reasons why carbon footprints vary considerably from one household to another; and that at this stage WinACC is not primarily concerned with the size of its members’ carbon footprints; rather it wants to encourage individuals and organisations to take responsibility for their carbon footprints as a first and essential step towards doing what can be done – individually and collectively -  to minimise the risk of dangerous climate change.   

The ways to join WinACC, and to measure, publish and reduce your carbon footprint, are clearly laid out on the WinACC website www.winacc.org.uk.     There is no membership subscription and all members of WinACC will be invited to an annual party.
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Note for Editors:
1.  The principal aim of Winchester Action on Climate Change (WinACC) is to encourage, persuade and advise all households and public, private and voluntary organisations in Winchester district to reduce their carbon footprints.   In pursuing this aim Winchester Action on Climate Change will:

• Promote the many benefits of low carbon living;
• Work with and through existing networks and partnerships to set the highest possible standards in communicating about climate change; in particular it will work with the City and County Councils and the Winchester District Strategic Partnership to help achieve their climate change objectives;
• Act as a focal point for information about climate change and advice on measuring, monitoring and reducing carbon footprints;
• Initiate and support action groups trying to achieve these aims
• Make the achievement of all the aims as satisfying and enjoyable as possible.

2.    For further information about Winchester Action on Climate Change see www.winacc.org.uk  
3.    Robert Hutchison, the Chairman of WinACC can be contacted on 01962-870082