Roadshow helps us be more eco-aware (From Salisbury Journal)

Roadshow helps us be more eco-aware

10:45am Thursday 26th March 2009 in Going Green By Anne Morris

The Age of Stupid, the eco-themed docudrama was released on Friday. It stars Pete Postlethwaite as an elderly man living alone in a devastated and bleak world circa 2055. He looks back at archive footage from 2007 and asks the critical question: “Why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?”

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s Greener Living Roadshow held at Salisbury’s United Reformed Church on Saturday, March 14, had plenty of free information to give away from its advisors and stallholders detailing how families and individuals can do their bit to make a real difference in reducing their impact on the environment.

“Many people are realising that doing nothing about climate change is no longer an option,” said Emma Harrington, Environmental Action Project Officer for WWT.

What was so special about this roadshow, was its accessibility - there really was something for everyone to think about, with many local organisations on hand to provide solutions.

Representatives from COGS, the Cycling Opportunities Group in Salisbury, encouraged visitors to leave their cars at home and use their bikes more. During the summer months, a series of short, evening led rides are organised leaving at the Five Rivers Leisure Centre, and are a great way to start exploring the network of cycleways around Salisbury.

Individuals already running environmental groups locally were being encouraged to put themselves onto the Wiltshire Green Map in order to network efficiently. Wiltshire Real Nappy Network’s stall had a range of nappies for mums and mums to be to have a look at, children could look for mini-beasts at the compost stall, the Energy Saving Trust were inundated with enquiries about home insulation and the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust stall nearly ran out of their guides to SMART shopping.

Emma declared the roadshow in Salisbury was a huge success: “The event was fantastically attended and we found the public of Salisbury have a real hunger for learning how to live a more sustainable lifestyle. We delivered some really serious environmental messages, which seemed to be fully embraced by the public.

“Our thanks to everyone who attended the event, and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.”

Anyone not able to attend the roadshow can visit www.wiltshirewildlife.org/ReducingImpact/roadshow for more information.