Eastbourne Borough Council and Plastic Free Eastbourne reaffirm intention to be carbon neutral by 2030

Achieving carbon neutrality means working to reduce carbon emissions and offsetting them to bring overall emissions to zero.

To achieved this , The Eastbourne Eco Action Network (EEAN) is a cross-community collaboration that is working with Eastbourne Borough Council and others to deliver a carbon neutral Eastbourne by 2030.

EEAN is keen to establish markers that can be used to measure the town’s progress in reducing carbon emissions and they are inviting all of our households and organisations to help by completing a survey between January 17 and February 14. This will provide a snapshot of the various strategies that organisations and households are adopting to reduce their emissions.

To achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, the network has set out targets for Eastbourne which it can use to track progress each year which can direct attention to areas that need more support.

The survey and analysis will lead to a public meeting – a Symposium – at Eastbourne Town Hall on Saturday 20th April, where the network will publicise our progress and share effective ways forward for us all.

This will become an annual event in the run-up to 2030.

Oliver Sterno, Community Leader for Plastic Free Eastbourne, said: “This may well be the very first time that an effort to set targets for annual review as ‘incremental stepping stones’ has been set up. For me, it is the best and most effective way for following this strategic pathway with a view to monitoring and evaluating as we make our way towards achieving our goal.”

Andrew Durling, Director of Eastbourne Eco Action Network, said: “Setting annual targets to help make Eastbourne carbon neutral by 2030 is not only a practical strategy but also a way of helping to make our town cleaner, safer, and more resilient in the face of climate change”.

Councillor Jim Murray, Cabinet Lead for Climate Change at Eastbourne Borough Council, said “This type of information will directly help steer the council in the right direction, with the support of the residents, to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, working together to improve the town”.