the organisers

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All organisation was undertaken by volunteers. All speakers, session leaders and coordinators on the day are volunteers. Sponsorship and ticket sales covered the costs of room hire, technical support etc. 

The organising team are representatives of five local organisations.

Dorset CAN (Climate Action Network) is a network of community groups and individuals across Dorset working together for a shared vision of a clean, green, sustainable Dorset. It supports families, businesses and individuals across the county to work towards the common goal of a carbon-neutral and an environmentally diverse Dorset. 

Our major projects include: “the Great Dorset Hedge” project to map, plant, and join up sections of hedgerow across Dorset to promote biodiversity and help wildlife; The Dorset Deserves Better Campaign to persuade Dorset Council to rethink the Local plan by targeting affordable, social and low-cost rental housing and aligning all new dwellings with targets for emissions and sustainability; and the annual Dorset Greener homes Event in Sep/Oct to showcase ways of living and building with a lower carbon footprint.

Since 2004 Sustainable Dorset  (previously Agenda 21), has been connecting communities and nurturing resilience across the County. Through our new website we link people to events, organisations, businesses and activities as well as hosting The Eco Schools Network. Our textile hub is a resource for those seeking to invest in sustainable fashion or looking for repair services, rental or learning opportunities. The Green Living Guide, available free online, provides advice on reducing your carbon footprint and saving money, with a strong focus on community engagement.  

  Zero Carbon Dorset is a research and collaboration project that set out to identify the current level of emissions across the county of Dorset, develop a vision of what zero carbon county could look like (balancing environmental, ecological and social justice), consider the changes required to achieve this scenario by 2030 and track progress towards this goal. The results were published as Dorset 2030 in early 2022 and are being followed up with Annual Progress Reports; each calling for the community to be placed at the heart of decision making and for action to be supported from the ground up. It cannot, and does not seek to, provide all the answers but, by setting out a clear framework, seeks to engage the wider community to ensure there is a comprehensive understanding of the scale of the problem as well as the options and opportunities to address each issue. e. 

  East Dorset Friends of the Earth is part of the National Friends of the Earth environmental campaigning Group. Incredibly the local Group has been in place for about 40 years now covering the Bournemouth Christchurch & Poole conurbation campaigning on local and global issues. We were instrumental in getting Waste Recycling in the area and helped plan the first cycle Lanes. We work under the ethos of working with Local Councils and Organisation and challenging them when necessary. We currently hold monthly meetings via Zoom and all are welcome to join us.

This Living Place builds the relationships, networks and systems to ensure communities in south Somerset and north Dorset can come together and care for their places in resilient and creative ways.