Great Big Dorset Hedge in in the NEWS
... on the BBC
...in The Times (firewall)
...in the Bournemouth Daily Echo
...in The Daily Telegraph (firewall)
...in the Dorset Echo

 ​Listen to John Calder - one of the dynamos behind the Great Big Dorset Hedge - talking on local radio about ELMS, funding for farmers to plant hedges, ​delays at Defra and calls on the Government for urgent action (Dec. 2022)

​Farmers urge UK government to fund hedge creation to bolster biodiversity (Guardian article, Dec. 2022)

​Borrowing good ideas for Christmas:

Nancy and Charity, two eleven-year-olds from Hayesfield School in Bath of whom Michael Dower (right) would have strongly approved, have compiled a list of ideas for an "eco-friendly Christmas", published in their school's magazine.  Let's borrow some of their enthusiasm, writing skills, concern and good ideas. Their article starts as follows (you can read the whole thing here):                                                                                                                                                 
"Christmas is a time of contentment and joy but sometimes, as a community, we can forget how we’re affecting the world.

However,there are many ways that we can make our Christmas eco-friendlier. The internet holds a cavern of handy tricks and tips to prise open the secret of a cheaper but still just as beautiful Christmas.

As the saying goes, sharing is caring and if you always buy too much food or clothing you don’t enjoy there, are many accessible websites that will let you share and swap your spare items. Beneath is a list of websites and app links that are perfect for everyone:
https://www.vinted.co.uk
https://regain-app.com
https://www.thenuwardrobe.com

Food swapping apps for your neighbourhood:
https://www.spareharvest.com
https://olioex.com
Also, on the eco front, wrapping paper is a big non-recyclable issue. Instead of using plastic paper either use old newspaper or put all your presents to family members in pillowcases. To make your presents pretty, use plant-based glitter (available in Superdrug) and tie them with coloured string not reels of single use, plastic sellotape..." read the rest here​


​NEWS:

See our daily reports on COP27 here...​

****NEWS UPDATE*** November 2022, Disappointed by its meeting with Cllr David Walsh on 3rd November 2022, DDB has sent an open letter to Spencer Flower covering Plan Consultation, The New Local Plan, Affordable Housing, Speculative Developments, Environmental Considerations and Neighbourhood Plans.

Climate Change Protesters Go on the March in Bournemouth. Videos of march and speeches 

****NEWS UPDATE***
Read the Dorset CAN Briefing on the review of ELMS and scrapping of various retained EU laws, which the RSPB has called "an unprecedented attack on nature and the laws that protect it".

30th September: Read Dorset CAN's open letter to Dorset MPs about the "attack on nature" and see our Press Release on the subject.

DorsetCAN (Dorset Climate Action Network) is a network of community groups and individuals working together for a shared vision of a clean, green, sustainable Dorset.

Dorset (really) CAN in 2022

After all the high hopes for COP26 last year, the consensus of experts and commentators is that it did nothing like enough to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees. (The latest IPCC Report, released in March 2022, draws on thousands of academic studies and concludes that climate change is already causing “dangerous and widespread disruption” to the natural world, as well as to billions of people. Failure to curb pollution from fossil fuels and other human activities, it says, will condemn the world to a future that is both universally dangerous and deeply unequal.)

That means we can expect dire consequences - not only for people whose lives, homes and livelihoods are immediately at risk but for all of us who are threatened by mass migration, economic disruption, food and crop shortages as well as extreme weather events in the future. It's also very bad news for those other species that are going extinct increasingly rapidly. 

Dorset CAN works to inform,  help and encourage families, businesses and individuals across the county to 'do their bit' to reduce their carbon footprint and minimise our contribution to the climate and nature crisis. We also work to engage with and encourage Dorset Council and BCP Council to 'do their bit' to make this happen.

Find out about our current campaigns, events across Dorset, Action Teams, recent newsletters, updates, ideas, case studies, examples and contacts. But, above all, please join us - it's free and you don't have to take an active part. The more members we have, the louder our voice is and the more we can achieve. Stronger together!

Read the invitation to become a Member (there's no fee).
We are extremely sad to report the death of one of our founders, Michael Dower. Our thoughts are with his wife, Nan, and the rest of his family.
Click the image above to read more about his remarkable life.

Listen to tributes from Dorset CAN Action Team members.

Home news...

Nature is still under threat:
  • If the Retained EU Law Bill goes ahead, some of our most important protections for nature will be at risk, including habitat, water and pesticide regulations.
  • The proposed Investment Zones are on hold, but they still need to be ditched.
  • The long-awaited Environmental Land Management Schemes are still under review - it’s vital that the new farm schemes support farmers to restore nature.
"I had thought that going into space would be the ultimate catharsis of that connection I had been looking for between all living things—that being up there would be the next beautiful step to understanding the harmony of the universe... I had a different experience, because I discovered that the beauty isn’t out there, it’s down here, with all of us. Leaving that behind made my connection to our tiny planet even more profound.

It was among the strongest feelings of grief I have ever encountered. The contrast between the vicious coldness of space and the warm nurturing of Earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness. Every day, we are confronted with the knowledge of further destruction of Earth at our hands: the extinction of animal species, of flora and fauna . . . things that took five billion years to evolve, and suddenly we will never see them again because of the interference of mankind. It filled me with dread. My trip to space was supposed to be a celebration; instead, it felt like a funeral."                 William Shatner, October 2022
​Quick guide to DorsetCAN

*  JOIN  DorsetCAN as a member (it's free!)

*  JOIN our Dorset Deserves Better Campaign
Read Michael Davis's essay: STOP THE GOVERNMENT DESTROYING NATURE
We're raising money to pay our co-ordinator, to increase membership and to pay for our networking and membership work. If you can make a contribution, it will help us build our network and get our voice heard. Thank you!

You can make a regular or one-off donation direct to our bank account (we receive the full amount of your donation):
Dorset Climate Action Network  
Sort code: 16-58-10
Account NO: 21859795

or you can use our credit card payment form here (Stripe keeps a small percentage of your donation)

Image credits

Like the photos? All the header images on this website were taken and kindly supplied by Colin Tracy: see more of his work here 
 DorsetCAN Policy Documents