‘Positive start’ towards Eastbourne’s carbon zero goal – but ‘much work ahead’
12th February 2020
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Cabinet councillors on Wednesday 5 February welcomed initial steps towards making Eastbourne a carbon neutral town by 2030.
Work already undertaken by the council includes fitting energy efficient lights, boilers and controls to existing council homes; reducing the mileage of waste vehicles by changing disposal locations; and the reduction of single-use plastics.
The council hosted an event at the Welcome Building in Devonshire Quarter last month to launch the 10-year carbon neutral challenge and encourage community involvement, and this was attended by almost 1,000 people.
Councillor Jonathan Dow, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, said: “We have made a positive start towards becoming a carbon neutral town and the ECN2030 launch event was successful.
“However, there is much work ahead over the coming years. This is a big challenge but with everyone working together, we can achieve our goal.”
Next steps for the council include moving its offices to a green electricity tariff and working with other East Sussex councils to install electric vehicle chargepoints locally.
A strategic panel, comprising five councillors supported by council officers, that was set up to oversee the development of a Climate Change Strategy has held its first meeting. This detailed strategy and action plan is being worked upon and will be presented to Cabinet in July.
