A GREEN future for Tameside has been mapped out after organisations from the borough and Greater Manchester came together.
Stalybridge’s Civic Hall saw the “Think Green” climate action conference, which aimed to investigate ways of cutting carbon emissions and reducing costs.
Hosted by Tameside Council, it was attended by businesses, environmental groups, community leaders and volunteer organisations.
And the full-day event on Monday, February 9 focused on creative and practical steps towards a more sustainable, low carbon future across the borough and beyond.‑carbon future across the borough and beyond.
Speakers included the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s (GMCA) director of environment Mark Atherton.
The body has set a target of becoming carbon neutral by 2038.
And speaking with The Correspondent, Mr Atherton conceded reaching that goal would require faster and wider action.
He said: “We have the target of reaching net-zero by 2038, but we know it’s going to be challenging to get there.
“One of the challenges is that while we’ve done a lot of really good things across Greater Manchester, we need to increase the scale and increase the speed of deployment.
“And this depends not just on what local authorities do but what decision makers do across the conurbation.”
Speakers also included Nick Sayers, Tameside Council’s head of environmental operations and greenspace, Matt Scott-Campbell of Moors for the Future, Amy House, director of Green Economy, Bonnie Boulton of Mersey Rivers Trust and the Greater Manchester Ecology Unit’s biodiversity systems manager, Paul Barrington.
Energy and sustainability specialists such as Scottish Power Electricity Northwest, Ecobelt and Green Economy also led presentations and discussion workshops.
Alongside those, the event included a networking session, allowing organisations to explore potential partnerships and joint projects.
Mr Atherton highlighted several GMCA schemes designed to support residents during the cost-of-living crisis, particularly in winter, by improving energy efficiency in homes.
And Councillor Laura Boyle, Tameside Council’s executive member for environmental services and neighbourhoods, encouraged businesses to invest in carbon literacy training for staff.
“Going green isn’t just good for the planet, it’s good for business,” she said.
“So let’s make sustainability the new norm, let’s make net zero the new hero.
“And let’s make sure that when we look back at 2038, we can say that we did it, and we did it together.”