Shropshire Communities Cut Deep

Residents of three rural Shropshire communities could provide the answer to how Britain can cut its CO2 emissions by 60% in the next 40 years. Individual energy saving plans are being drawn up for houses, businesses and community buildings. The aim is to cut carbon dioxide emissions by six per cent by 2009 and if successful, the experiment will be rolled out across Britain. Behind the pilot project in Ellesmere, Cleobury Mortimer and the 'Floodplain Community', a collection of small villages and farmsteads near Oswestry, are the Marches Energy Agency, Shropshire County Council and Advantage West Midlands Richard Davies, director of Marches Energy Agency, said: "In the 1980s, we ended the Cold War; in the 1990s, we took action to close up the hole in the ozone layer; now, we must come together to tackle climate change. "The 'Low Carbon Communities' project seeks to inspire and educate, so that energy efficiency becomes second nature."