South Tyneside Council will be reaffirming its commitment to a greener, cleaner future with a Climate Summit Week next month.
The council will be hosting a programme of events and activities for the community, businesses and schools from 1-5 November to tie in with COP-26 – annual climate change conference.
It will focus on actions the council is taking to meet its ambitious carbon reduction targets, as well as how residents and businesses can play their part in tackling climate change.
Throughout the week, there will be opportunities for people to get involved in events and activities including film screenings, litter picks, vegan food tasting, nature walks and whale watching. There will be displays in various venues highlighting the council’s innovative ocean projects, groundbreaking renewable energy networks and habitat restoration schemes.
Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council, said: “In 2019 we set ourselves the target of becoming a carbon neutral council by 2030 and our climate change strategy is now embedded in everything we do, from how we procure goods and services, to installing solar panels on schools or developing an ever-growing network of electric vehicle charging points.
“Our Climate Summit Week is an opportunity to highlight what the council is doing to deliver on our pledge – for example, our three highly innovative renewable energy networks which will collectively cut annual carbon emissions by thousands of tonnes.
“But we are also championing a carbon neutral future for the whole borough and it’s vital that residents come on that journey with us.
“There will be a whole host of events, activities, displays and challenges for people to get involved with. We’ll also be running a social media campaign with advice and tips on how residents can reduce their carbon footprint – small, realistic steps such as turning the tap off whilst brushing your teeth.”
This year will be the UN’s 26th global climate summit, called COPs, which stands for Conference of the Parties, and will be hosted in Glasgow.
The council has pledged to cut its emissions by 4,285 tonnes by March 2023 and is already two thirds of the way towards achieving that figure.
Cllr Dixon added: “Investing in the natural and built environment is one of our key priorities and the work we are doing to become greener and more sustainable is central to that.
“We’re already committed to planting 3,000 trees a year, and during Climate Summit Week, there will be an additional tree planted in every ward in the borough.
“We’ve already launched our climate change toolkit in schools, and we’ll be building on that by engaging children in a competition and other activities throughout the week.
“We’ve made good progress but there is more to be done, working in partnership with residents and businesses, to create a greener future for us all.”
For further information on South Tyneside Climate Summit Week, including events for businesses, visit https://www.southtyneside.gov.uk/article/73595/COP26-Climate-Summit-Week
