Sheffield has been named as the UK’s most sustainable City as reported in the national press. Douglas Johnson, leader of the Green Group in Sheffield Council and Executive Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, looks under the headline:
“It’s pleasing to see Sheffield rated as the most sustainable city in the UK and there is certainly a lot to be happy about in our home city: there are plenty of trees and parks, despite the notorious street tree-felling.
There is a reasonably good public transport network, even if buses are being squeezed with the national driver shortage and it is still too cheap and easy to drive a car along a bus route. The network of cycling and walking routes is growing. There is still a reasonable stock of council housing, which is gradually being insulated. There is a lot more to do, though, and it needs to be done more urgently than ever to reduce carbon emissions.
One thing that helps make Sheffield sustainable is a good community of people willing to help each other out, in the business sector and in the voluntary and community sectors. Collaboration and innovation are going to be really important to tackle climate change and to continue making the city more sustainable.
However, there is no single measure that describes how sustainable a city is. It is a complexity of lots of parts. That means everyone can play their part and also that we need to focus on the big plans for the city to bring about major reductions in the amount of energy we use. Supporting the Green Party’s work in Council, as we look to make our transport and buildings more sustainable, really helps, as do community initiatives from cutting waste food to offering mutual support, as do individual actions and choices.”
