Dear Sustainable Merton members and supporters,
You will all be very aware of the unique events which took place in Paris at the climate conference and it would be good to talk a little about this and how it will impact on what we do.
Firstly, it was not a complete solution to the whole climate change threat and was never going to be. Those solutions will take years to unfold and there will be setbacks along the way.
But, the conference did achieve amazing things and the most important is that it drew almost every single nation on earth to accept and agree that this is a real threat to the wellbeing of the entire world’s population – this was unique.
Secondly, it saw agreement amongst every attendee that it is the responsibility of every nation and every citizen to be part of the solution.
This means that more than ever before, all over the world, grassroots organizations like ours have a key role to play in supporting our communities in their efforts to mitigate climate change.
Here in Merton we have worked hard to build a positive partnership environment where all sorts of groups and individuals do their best to support each other in their efforts to go green and next year will see a step change in this when we roll out our Community Champions programme.
In order for this to work as well as it can, we will need all the help and support you can all offer and with a bit of luck we will eventually make Merton an exemplar of how determined communities can do their bit to tackle climate change.
May we thank you for all you have done to support us this year and to wish you all a very happy Christmas and fruitful and busy New Year.
Best Wishes,
Tom Walsh
CEO, Sustainable Merton