Ashton Hayes developed a simple system to reduce emissions: build community, share success, and don?t involve the government A long-time resident of the English village of Ashton Hayes, Garry Charnock would be the first to tell you that he didn?t look like an eco-warrior when he began promoting carbon reduction and sustainability initiatives with his neighbors. A businessman who drove a BMW Z4 sports car, he never gave impassioned speeches imploring his neighbors to change their ways; simply put, he wasn?t a "sheep-herding, sandal-wearing environmentalist."
But, inspired by a speech he heard at the Hay literary festival in 2005, Charnock decided to explore how he could make a difference, and whether his neighbors would join the cause. Turns out, he underestimated their enthusiasm. After friends at a local pub quiz night reassured him that his idea wasn't crazy, he made plans to speak about the issue at a council meeting, and found hundreds of his neighbors ready to join in. Charnock became one of the biggest promoters of a grassroots plan adopted by his fellow villagers aiming to make their small town west of Manchester carbon neutral, one that has now been cited by The New York Times as an internationally recognized "case study for the next phase of battling climate change: getting people to change their habits." But the main thing that?s come from the effort, says Charnock, is social.
"We?re sharing a lot more, and meeting a lot more, ...