SOUTHAMPTON’S first Sustainability Week has kicked off as the city continues to try and clean up its act.
In a first for Southampton, organisers are staging a week-long programme aimed at engaging the public in a series of events.
The idea is to highlight how important it is for Southampton and its residents to take climate change and air quality issues seriously and look at projects that are already trying to improve the environment.
The week will see a series of talks, workshops and films staged at venues around the city along with events and activities including electric boat trips around Southampton Water and cycle rides.
The event comes after the Daily EchoDaily Echo launched the Breathe Easy campaign which hopes to shine a spotlight on the environmental issues facing the city as it tries to improve air quality for its residents.
As previously reported the World Health Organisation ranked the city as the eighth worst in the UK for air quality.
Southampton’s Sustainability Week, which runs until October 16, was kicked off by Alan Whitehead who visited Southampton General Hospital to see the installation of an anaerobic digester.
The renewable energy device enables waste food to be used as energy to generate power for the hospital and income by feeding electricity to the grid. Installed by local company, SEaB Energy Ltd, the digester was described as being a pioneering move in local energy production.
Sustainability Week organiser, Jenny Barnes said: “We are pleased to be able to continue conversations with our local politicians about what can be done to make our city more sustainable.
This project is an important step in the efforts towards a low carbon, energy efficient future.”
Fellow organiser Liz batten said the sustainability week was a chance for campaigners from a range of different environmental groups to come together to highlight the issues facing the city.
“This is a great opportunity for us all to work together and to keep that dialogue going,” she said.
For a full list of events happening around Southampton’s Sustainability Week visit sustainsouthampton.co.uk.
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