Helston Footprints is an exciting new project being run by members of Helston Climate Action Group, with the support of students from the University of Exeter.

In 2019, alongside Cornwall Council, Helston Town Council declared a climate emergency and committed to working towards being carbon neutral by 2030.

Being launched this month, Helston Footprints is a new project designed to help on that journey.

The projects involve working with the Helston community to explore carbon footprints.

What is a carbon footprint?

A carbon footprint is an estimate of the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that a person emits each year based on their lifestyle.

All of us have a carbon footprint, and in the UK almost all of us need to reduce it dramatically over the next decade – in line with our internationally agreed targets.

Our carbon footprint comes from fossil fuels we use in day to day life, for example, to heat our homes and travel around, but there is also a carbon footprint associated with things that we purchase from outside our local area, the raw materials they are made from, how they are manufactured and the fuel for transporting them to our homes.

What will Helston footprints do?

Helston Footprints aims to bring people together so we can support each other through this process.

A range of tools will be introduced that can help people understand, track and ease carbon footprints on the planet, including an online app called GIKI Zero, the Carbon Buddy Manual and Climate Vision's Ten Pledges.

Jo Hands of GIKI said:

"We are facing a climate and environmental emergency and most of us want to do the right thing, but it's hard to know what "right" is. Almost none of us want climate change, endangered wildlife or plastic pollution but, the reality is, it's a consequence of the lives

many of us lead today."

A spokesperson for Helston Footprints added:

"By encouraging our community to work together, we hope to reduce our carbon emissions and build a stronger, more resilient community, better able to face the challenges ahead.

"We will be recording carbon footprints at the beginning and end of the project to see how far we have travelled together.

"Our vision is that by coming together and supporting each other, we can do even more and really get Helston walking on the road to a lighter, brighter future for all."

Click HERE to see more from Helston Footprints.

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