Earth Day 2019

Earth Day might be new to some of you but it is an established date in the diary to focus our attention on worldwide climate and ecology issues. If you missed it, Earth Day was 22nd April and the first was back on 22nd April 1970 – so next year it is 50 years old! We all know that local authorities have a major role to play in addressing this agenda in a variety of ways but as is commonly the case, the individuals in each organisation, rather than the organisation itself, are the drivers of change. A lot of local authorities are tackling problems of air quality, single-use plastics, energy efficiency, cleaning up the green and blue estate and more. A smaller number are forging ahead by investing in technology and behaviour change to take their councils forward. However, there are some who are doing very little. There are many possible reasons for a lack of action and in some instances, individual officers and councillors who are less informed about this agenda than others is one of them. We all have a role to play within our own lives and as part of our local authorities – there is advice and support available for those who need it, not least from APSE Energy, and local communities and economies rely on their council to tackle many major environmental issues. We can’t afford to waste time waiting for someone else to act on climate change – local authorities have the powers, assets and responsibilities to make a difference locally but we need the individuals to help to make that step up.