Selby's 'Zero Heroes' event: A Community-Driven Approach to Climate Action
Guest blog - A North Yorkshire Market Towns' Response to Climate Change
Last evening I attended a 'Zero Heroes' event in Selby about different aspects of recycling. After a warm welcome and refreshments, the event began with introductions and an invitation to share our climate change aspirations by answering “if you could wave a magic wand, what would you change about the environment?”.
People of all ages, from childhood to their late 80s, and from diverse backgrounds, shared their hopes: clean waterways, a renewed love for Earth, protecting wildlife, solar panels on every building, an end to fly-tipping and litter, and leaders who believe in science – a truly inspiring range of wishes.
We had a really interesting time at the event. The new Waste and Recycling Officer and Manager from the newly formed North Yorkshire Council gave us a fantastic presentation about what can and can't be recycled. We then applied our learning to make group decisions about recyclable materials using a fun, interactive paddle voting system.
A new tricky recycling map was shared, and we left feeling well-informed and ready to share what we learned with others. The Our Zero Selby team also provided updates on their projects and ways we can all get involved and have a say in the decision-making process.
On our way out, we used sticky dots to vote for topics we'd like to learn about at future events. It was a truly engaging experience!
'Zero Heroes' presentations are one response to Selby residents identifying their climate change needs.
Rather than a top-down approach, Selby is part of a national study that uses community participation to identify unique projects and solutions. By sharing this approach at the end of the two-year project, we hope to inspire other communities to capture their own residents' wisdom and develop bespoke solutions.
I'm a member of the Citizens' Governance Group, a group of eight residents who ensure that community voices remain central to the project as various initiatives are undertaken in this second phase. We meet with members of the Impact Group, a stakeholder group comprising representatives from North Yorkshire Council, Up for Yorkshire, Our Zero Selby, Groundwork - Selby, and other key organisations. The Impact Group helps us link the Our Zero Selby program to other projects, initiatives, and groups, and build upon existing community assets.
As members of different local communities with an interest in mitigating climate change, we regularly attend events and actively participate in the communities we're helping to nurture.
The types of events which Our Zero Selby have hosted and are planning emerge from ongoing listening and idea gathering. These include one-off and ongoing projects such as repair cafes (where residents and local businesses share skills in mending clothes, bikes, tools, and electronics), guided bike rides, Christmas jumper swaps, community composting, resource libraries, native tree and fruit tree planting, and seed collection.
I hope readers are enthused by reading this brief account of an organic, dynamic and respectful approach to what I see as the most important and pressing thing I can help do something about - climate change.
Visiting the links will give a much fuller idea of the scope and ambitions and achievements of the Our Zero Selby particular response so far. Responses in your communities can hopefully be bespoke too! I believe that communities can also develop their own unique and impactful responses to climate change. Here's to it being our 'collective drops in the ocean' as funds are committed to ensuring we understand climate change and how we can all respond in our towns and cities.