The first-ever Climate & Biodiversity Festival has been hailed a success by Bath & North East Somerset Council, with hundreds of residents getting involved in the two-week event.
A High Street Hub drop-in session for the Climate & Biodiversity Festival | Photo © B&NES Council
Participants had the opportunity to learn from and inspire each other on ways to reduce carbon emissions and restore nature.
During the festival, a programme of more than 35 events helped to build connections and communities and engaged residents with a broad range of issues relating to tackling the climate and ecological emergency.
Councillor Sarah Warren, deputy leader and cabinet member for Climate and Sustainable Travel said: “We’ve had a fantastic response to our first climate festival.
“Our thanks go out to all our collaborators, the local groups, businesses and organisations that created such a wide range of events and activities around our two key themes of reducing carbon emissions and restoring nature.
“I also want to thank everyone who attended an event either online or face-to-face. Many people commented that it was a nice way to re-invigorate community spirit as we slowly come out of lockdown and I found it personally rewarding to see people making new connections.
“We really want people to continue these discussions, to talk to friends and neighbours and share ideas on what to do, or get engaged with a local community group, community forum or parish council to work out what can be done in their local area.”
The council is now looking to run another event next year.
The Climate & Biodiversity Festival focused on what is being done locally and aimed to feed into the conversation leading up to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) which starts on 1st November in Glasgow.
Hand-crafted moths created during a festival workshop in Bath are being sent to the COP26 conference to be included in the Moths to a Flame mass-participation art installation.
