Low carbon lifestyles: lovin' it

Published: 28 Sep 2008

Ricky Knight, SW Green MEP candidate, spoke yesterday about living a low carbon lifestyle to an attentive audience. He emphasised how we are already doing many positive things to help reduce our carbon footprints, but that it’s now time for politicians to catch up. The meeting was organised by Gloucestershire Friends of the Earth at the United Reform Church in Cheltenham.

Ricky and other panel members, Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood (LD), Tewkesbury MP Laurence Robertson (Con), Labour Party SW MEP Glyn Ford and key-note speaker, SW FoE regional co-ordinator Mike Birkin, debated the benefits of living a low carbon lifestyle and fielded questions from the audience after their presentations.

Ricky said: "This was a high profile regional meeting on this crucially urgent topic and Gloucestershire FoE are to be congratulated for co-ordinating the event. Other than the controversial divisive favourites Europe, nuclear and the Severn Barrage, there was a good deal of unanimity from all participants and some searching questions from the floor. All agreed that addressing CO2 emissions, reducing utility bills, incentivising the public to do their bit, either with the carrot or the stick and acting locally on an global problem were absolute priorities for all of us."

He added: "Buying locally is a big part of living a low carbon lifestyle, which is good news for local producers, businesses and communities. It is increasingly obvious that doing nothing is not an option – and that Governments must take the lead, nationally and at a European level."