Below is the Analysis of Climate Change Questionnaire filled in by the people of Halesworth October 2021 after seeing the exhibition in St Mary’s Church, organised by Jill Reece and Martin Dominic.
After people saw the exhibition we invited them to fill in a questionnaire to gather what people of Halesworth thought were our most essential actions in the light of Climate Emergency.
We asked three questions:
What THEY the Government/the IPCC/ could do
What WE the community of Halesworth could do
What I as an individual can do
The full results are printed in full below. The top ten comments are listed as percentages of the whole responses. Comments with very similar statements were grouped together. There will be some responses which we disagree with.
100 questionnaires were printed, 87 were taken away to be completed. 45 completed questionnaires were returned =51.7% Where only one person made a particular comment they are all recorded because if the person felt it important to make their comment, then we must think it important to record and note it.
What could THEY do?
Bring back public transport into public ownership and develop a comprehensive transport system for this rural area. provide comfortable electrically operated single decker buses. restore the direct Halesworth/Norwich bus service………………………………………..26%
Follow up on any compensation monies paid to poorer countries who are paid to stop doing climate changing activities (ie) deforestation……..20%
Mandatory rules that new developments must use eco friendly materials and install solar or ground source heating only……………………………………15.5%
Stop supporting fossil fuels and tax the companies that insist on
using them………………………………………………………………………15.5%
Government cannot be trusted to carry out any of the promises it will make at Cop26. and they will all fly to Glasgow …………………………………15.5%
Make a much better food waste disposal system for all residents..4.4%
Have a national waste disposal system do not send it all abroad….4.4%
All local authorities should have the same rules on recycling 4.4%
Government should not have cancelled the home insulation project 4,4%
Make companies use recycleable wrapping for goods………………….4.4%
Put environment issues on the nation curriculum
Teach local people to consume less
Fund clean energy
If we must have nuclear energy make them snall compact sites.
Stop manufacturing non recycleable goods
Cut down on foreign imports and encourage British goods
Tax aviation fuel much more till it hurts.
Protect wild areas and seas
Invest in local sustainable initiatives.
Develop Hydrogen motors rather than electric ones the outflow from Hdrogen is only water.
Stop relying on foreign unfriendly countries supplying our power facilities.
Keep a lid on illegal immigration
Halt the catastrophic decline in insect, bird, and flower life, due to farming chemicals.
We must become more self sufficient
Plant more tree
Keep as many green areas as possible
Subsidise electric car charging points
Reduce the world population
Incentives to make us change our behaviour
Take a holistic view of sustainability
Promote a circular economy that results in zero emissions
Do not deplete finite resources beyond what is recycleable
Learn to share capital equipment that is rarely used .
Targets already set must have a follow up action.
Sadly we have lost some initiatives already
Listen to scientists,ecologists and environmentalists they are the ones who really know and understand the issues.
Legislate against carbon energy, tax it heavily.
Stop Sizewell
Build more wind farms, solar farms tidal barrages.
Ensure a national network of electric charging points.
Fund sustainable energy research and development.
Value health and community initiatives.
Stop or severely limit global flights allow only essential transport.
Don’t allow huge cruise ships into our country
Have a national competition for the greenest town city etc.
Reduce business rates for firms offering local services from local reources.
Refuse to purchase anything wrapped in plastic
Enhance local services so we do not need to travel
Cut air pollution
Goods should be made to last longer, and be repaired
Establish a resident’s forum to envisage the long term future for local areas.
change priorities from growth to sustainability
Acknowledge the reality of climate change
Form a strong cross party coalition for action and legislation.
What can WE in Halesworth do?
Create more and varied oportunitites to recycle throughout
the town………………………………………………………………………………..22%
Ban single use plastic in all our shops., offices and the market………………………………………………………………………………….17,7%
Establish a local forum to discuss climate change and run workshops
to educate residents.to cope with changing green legislation…………15.5%
Develop and provide more comprehensive public transport
services………………………………………………………………………………….13.3%
Buy Locally, and use local products…………………………………………….11.11%
Refuse to buy plastic wrapped vegetables…………………………………….8.8%
Provide Local Electric charging points…………………………………………6.6%
Do not allow new properties to have gas boilers……………………………….6.6%
Grow much more of our own produce in our gardens ……………………6.6%
Town planners must think ahead not wait for rulings
Ensure that unoccupied property above shops are used for housing where possible
Establish a daily covered market for local producers to sell their wares.
Plant more trees
Look after our green spaces
Encourage a dry goods shop where people take their own containers to buy the goods
Use watering cans not hoses
Switch off TV stand by at night
Rewild the river upstream to stop flooding issues
Recycle anything not collected by ESC
Set a CO 2 target for the town
Don’t just tell us to change our habits tell us why, and what the results will be if we don’t.
Establish a community orchard and let residents take over verges to grow things if they wish. They will take responsibility for them.
Help the community to feel involved in the future.
Re instate the Halesworth to Norwich bus service.
Council decisions must reflect the climate change issues, particularly in planning.
No pesticides or chemicals allowed on public spaces
Stop treating our lovely market town like a city, do not build a 100 bedded old people’s home on our only sports ground.
Give us more varied sports facilities for all ages.
Embed climate change/ sustainability into all Council policies.
Look into the possibility of a town wide fuel supply source which we would all contribute to.
Make London Road a one way system thus creating a ring road round the town.
Pedestrianise the Thoroughfare completely don’t mess about with on and off times. Fine anyone who ignores the rules.
Find out why people leave Halesworth in their cars can we provide what they are looking for?
Do everything suggested in this exhibition
Examine the voting records of our MP and County Councillors on climate change issues.
Make developers use eco friendly materials
Make Farmers give up chemical interventions.
Avoid paving over front gardens
Avoid plastic grass at all costs, as it cannot be got rid off safely.
Make our gardens good places for pollinators.
Start a community movement to control Halesworth’s future environment.
What can I do?
Recycle much more………………………………………………………………22.22%
Shop locally and buy local produce…………………………………………..22.22%
Drive less………………………………………………………………………………17.7%
Cut down on plastic waste………………………………………………………..17%
Walk much more……………………………………………………………………..15.5%
Cycle more………………………………………………………………………………15.5%
Plan my shopping better and try to buy seasonal goods only………….15%
Grow more of my own food in the garden………………………………………12%
Eat less or possibly no red meat……………………………………………………10%
Buy better quality clothes that last longer………………………………………….8%
Shower instead of bathing
Change to eco friendly cosmetics
Consume less
Travel less
Create a wild area in the garden
Be aware of how far food purchases have travelled
I do all I can
Look at ground/air source heating systems
Would use public transport if we had any
Monitor my energy use.
Buy an electric car when they are affordable.
Do not do any long haul travel
Do not fly anywhere
I run workshops to help people cope with climate change anxieties (name and address supplied )
Do need to change some of the things I do but need guidance and information to see what needs to be done.
I have reduced my petrol consumption by half.
I would like to be informed of any future sustainability meetings and would help.
It is my duty to recycle .I do recycle but where does it go? I don’t believe we get rid of it sustainably.
Be aware of water resources.
Explore a more vegetable based diet.
Walk and cycle much more than I do at the moment.
Buy fewer clothes
Change my gas boiler when there is some help to do so.
Can’t carry shopping but I will buy a shopping trolley and walk to the shops.
Check for pesticides on fruit and vegetables.
Bring tetracycle back it was very good.
Support community transport
Insulate our homes.
Make public transport my first choice once there is some.
Reach out to concerned individuals like these people who put this exhibition on, help them to reach their climate targets in our town.
It is my responsibility to ensure that where I am at is where I want to be.
Embrace the reality of the situation
Buy durable stuff and get it mended if it fails later.
I want a list of do’s and don’t because information is so confusing at the moment. I want to know that I am doing it right!
There were five very complimentary comments about the exhibition itself.
Two statements stood out from the the rest as not directly relating:
“It is my responsibility make sure that where I am is where I want to be”
“Stop treating our lovely market town as if it is a city”
Work completed by Jill Reece, November 2021.