This quiet English village is just like any other countryside community – except for its carbon footprint.
For the last ten years, the population of Ashton Hayes in Cheshire County has been reducing their carbon emissions to combat climate change
“We want to show our children, grandchildren and future generations that we have done our best to stop Ashton Hayes contributing to global warming,” says Parish Council leader Naomi Deynem.
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The town of 1,000 people do everything from using clothes lines instead of dryers, installing solar panels, and even sharing an electric car.
Since their efforts started in 2006, Ashton Hayes has cut their carbon dioxide emissions by 40%.
However, the initiative did not come from government encouragement – when a member of parliament came to visit the village during a public meeting in 2006, he was told he was not allowed to speak. He was free to listen, but they said it was the people’s turn to speak – not his.
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Ever since that discussion, no politicians have attempted to address the group. The project has been kept separate from party system debates because the resident in order to prevent political division.
Though it may be a small community, their influence is widely-spread: representatives from as far away as Norway and Taiwan have visited the community searching for guidance on similar efforts in their own villages.
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Multiply The Good: Click To Share With Your Friends – Photo by Ashton Hayes