Pembroke 21C's Sustainable Energy Sub-Group are celebrating the award of two significant grants towards a project that will look at how a small community can respond positively to the challenges of climate change.
Registered with Environment Wales, the project will aim to encourage the community to feel a sense of ownership of how their lifestyles and behaviour affect climate change. By adopting minor changes and developing small scale initiatives, people in Pembroke can make a difference.
With approval of grants of £5,000 from Awards for All Wales and £6,000 from the Waterloo Foundation, they plan to begin in the New Year with an audit of 10 per cent of the town to set a baseline from which to monitor the change that people make over three years.
The approach has been developed with post-graduate students from the Welsh School of Architecture Sustainable Energy and Environment course at Cardiff University. The students worked closely with the group to research the issues and write the questionnaire, visiting the town in November to give a presentation of their work.
In tandem with the audit, the group are planning a series of monthly messages to raise awareness of the project. They will involve and include local schools and groups, recruit environmental champions and present 'Oscars' at the end to those who have achieved the greatest change.
Rosey Mitchell, chair of the Sustainable Energy Sub-Group, said: "This is a very exciting project which will act as a significant catalyst for change towards sustainable lifestyles in Pembroke."