New council chairman adopts climate change awareness project

Some of Transition Stroud with Transition founder Rob Hopkins

Councillor Norman Kay, who was elected as Stroud District Council’s chairman last week, has nominated a local environmental organisation as his official charity.

On taking office, at Stroud District Council’s annual general meeting, Councillor Kay, who was elected as a Green Party councillor for the Nailsworth and Horsley area, in the recent district council elections, said: “I am exceedingly aware of this honour, and I thank council for the opportunity to be your chair.  Few will remember that I was chair of council for one enjoyable evening some years ago. I will do my best to serve council and the whole district for the next year. This is period of grave peril to all humankind through global warming and climate change. It will affect our country profoundly. Some areas will disappear underwater. Our productive agricultural land will be significantly affected. Therefore I want to promote the activities of the Transition towns and similar movements in the district, partly in raising some funds for them as the opportunity arises and partly by encouraging their educational activities.”

The Transition Towns movement currently has two groups in the district, in Stroud and in the Cam and Dursley area. For Stroud see: http://www.transitionstroud.org/ and for Cam and Dursley see: http://www.transitioncamdursley.org.uk/made-in-dursley/

Rob Hopkins in Stroud - see more here

Erik Wilkinson, one of the voluntary directors of Transition Stroud said: “Transition Stroud works for a positive future with more locally grown food, less waste, affordable sustainable energy, better transport and strong communities. All are welcome and everyone is needed to help reduce our carbon footprint.  We are excited and grateful that Norman Kay, as the new chair of Stroud District Council has decided to focus on this key issue. We divide our work into three parts – engagement activities such as our film evenings, learning activities such as our SkillsGain programme and action activities such as our Edible Stroud or Repair Cafe.  We are non political and seek to engage all the population in the issue of climate change.  For it is the only issue - in that it subsumes all others.”