The pioneering Ashton Hayes Carbon Neutral Project has attracted a lot of well-deserved attention over its 10-year lifespan but now its reach has gone global, having been featured by The New York Times.
Hailed as a trailblazer, ‘English Village Becomes Climate Leader by Quietly Cleaning Up Its Own Patch’ points out that residents of the village are different because they’ve decided to cut greenhouse emissions of their own volition.
The scheme was the brainchild of Garry Charnock, who was passionate about reducing Ashton Hayes’ carbon footprint, which he and his neighbours have done by a staggering 40%.
The NY Times article’s author, Tatiana Schlossberg, is understood to have spent two days in the village last month to research her subject.
She writes: “As climate science has become more accepted, and the effects of a warming planet are becoming increasingly clear, Ashton Hayes is a case study for the next phase of battling climate change: getting people to change their habits.”
Ms Schlossberg suggests that key to Ashton Hayes’ success in achieving what it set out to do is that people feel in charge, rather than being prodded by the Government.
The project celebrated its 10th anniversary in January this year.
