Today, the website for the newly created Lancashire Climate Action Network (LancsCAN) goes officially live. LancsCAN was formed in June 2023 following the first Lancashire Community Climate Action Forum event held on 17 May 2023 at Edge Hill University, with SustainNET as the lead organiser.
The Network’s membership currently comprises around 100 people from about 60 community-oriented organisations from across the whole county, each working on various aspects of climate action such as energy, food, nature (green and blue spaces), transport and mobility, biodiversity and wildlife, housing and buildings, waste management and recycling or climate activism generally.
Prof Christopher Dent (Business School), leader of SustainNET and the new LancsCAN initiative, said: “The main aim of LancsCAN is to mobilise Lancashire’s community voice and action on climate change, working collaboratively with others to advance the county’s climate agenda. We are working with Lancashire’s other universities – Lancaster University and University of Central Lancashire – to this end, as well as with the county’s 15 councils with whom we are in regular dialogue. We want LancsCAN to play a useful, constructive role to support the county in realising the climate, environment and other relevant priorities of the recently launched Lancashire 2050 Plan.”
Acknowledging the diversity of challenges faced in creating a sustainable future for all, LancsCAN is a collaborative endeavour and has been co-developed by its members since the 17 May Forum event hosted by the University. Now that the Network’s website has been officially launched, other community climate action groups based in Lancashire will be invited to join. It is hoped that by early 2024 LancCAN will have around 100 member organisations.
Future big events are being planned, including the first Lancashire Youth Climate Conference at Blackpool in spring 2024 and the 2nd Lancashire Community Climate Action Forum hosted by University of Central Lancashire in Preston. Joint LancsCAN-SustainNET webinars will be held over the 2023/24 academic year, including the first one this Thursday 19 October. A LancsCAN Leadership Team has been formed to drive forward the Network’s future development and help raise funding for this and future planned activities.
If you would like to know more about LancsCAN then please contact Prof Christopher Dent at: [email protected].