EXTINCTION REBELLION held a socially-distanced ‘Planet Picnic’ in Conwy over the weekend.
Held at Bodlondeb Park, near the Conwy County Borough Council (CCBC) offices, on Sunday, the event saw the XR Conwy group present a letter to council leader Sam Rowlands.
The letter congratulated the Council on their achievements since being one of the first councils in Wales to declare a Climate Emergency.
Extinction Rebellion Conwy highlighted progress made by the CCBC, for example gaining the Green Dragon Environmental standard; replacing diesel vehicles with electric ones, including electric mowers, and replacing old street lighting with LED lighting.
XR Conwy then suggested over a dozen initiatives the Council could now implement, working towards their stated goal of zero carbon, building on their achievements so far.
Priority initiatives could include obtaining Welsh Government resources to fund retrofitting of homes, Council buildings and schools with insulation and heating from renewable energy.
Alongside Extinction Rebellion Conwy were supporters from Friends of the Earth Conwy, Incredible Edible Conwy, and members of the public.
Protests took place throughout the UK over the weekend, including on the A55 and in Caernarfon (both pictured below).
Councillors attending the Conwy picnic were; Cllr Aaron Wynne, Cllr Sam Rowlands, Cllr Greg Robbins, Cllr Emma Leighton-Jones and Cllr Harry Saville.
Tony Franks of Extinction Rebellion Conwy said; “The environment and sustainability need to be at the heart of every decision the Council makes.”
Alison Shaw of Extinction Rebellion Conwy said; “Climate change will affect everyone. Our best hope for a positive future is through cooperation. Members of XR are not necessarily experts, but we have some great creative ideas to help develop a sustainable future for all.”
Councillors were complimentary about the positive approach taken by Extinction Rebellion Conwy. Cllr Greg Robbins said that ideas are always useful because they lead to solutions.
He went on to say, “It was gratifying to receive XR’s positive letter that acknowledges the immense amount of work that CCBC is doing to achieve its target of being a Carbon Neutral by 2030.
“It is also very useful to receive ideas and different view points on aspects of improving the environment. These will be fed into our Green Programme Board and considered. Having this open and positive dialogue is a very positive thing and I look forward to it continuing.”
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