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Green challenge set for North East businesses

A North East group has thrown down the environmental gauntlet to the region’s businesses after warning more must be done to place the UK on a green road to recovery.

Climate Durham, a voluntary body set up on the back of the Copenhagen stale mate in December, has already recruited over 200 members to spread the low carbon message and has urged the region’s businesses to change their ways before it’s too late.

Janie Bickersteth, of Climate Durham, said: “Since Copenhagen there has been an enormous drop in people actually believing that climate change is human induced.

“We cannot afford to ignore the problems that are evolving at a national level. We in the industrialised west are responsible for high levels of CO2 in the atmosphere and many people think that we cannot make a difference, but with so many groups like ours emerging all over the world, we can create a powerful voice for change.”

Climate Durham aims to support the UK’s commitment to a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020 and believes the work they do can be an inspiration to other voluntary organisations throughout the country.

The group, made up from members of Durham University, Friends of the Earth and the City Council, has already undertaken a series of projects to raise awareness amongst businesses in the area and has plans to adopt carbon reduction targets.

Ms. Bickersteth added: “We were involved with a bag reduction campaign in Durham City, where we tried to influence supermarkets to reduce their single use plastic bags.

“We ended up having most success with local businesses who were keen to demonstrate that they cared about this issue.

“The UK could be put on a path to a green economy, with thousands of new green jobs created, but we need to show our politicians we want this to happen.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .