Exeter’s Climate Change Lead takes part in fact-finding visit to Bristol
Published: 5 September 2023
Exeter’s Lead Councillor for Climate and Ecological Crisis has taken part in a fact-finding tour of Bristol to learn more about its fight against climate change.
Cllr Josie Parkhouse was joined by the Council’s Net Zero Project Manager Jo Pearce for the visit, coordinated by Bristol City Council’s Cllr Kye Dudd, Cabinet Member for Climate, Ecology, Waste and Energy.
They visited a variety of inspiring projects and spoke to council officers, community groups and businesses who are all working in partnership to help Bristol reach its target of becoming Net Zero by 2030.
Cllr Parkhouse said: “The visit to Bristol was very inspiring and generated lots of ideas about how we can add to the good work already taking place here in Exeter on our journey towards Net Zero.
“Bristol City Council has played a key role in bringing together individuals, community groups and businesses to launch a number of pioneering initiatives aimed at reducing carbon emissions.
“Exeter City Council has done a lot of work in reducing our carbon footprint, including most recently the delivery of our award-winning solar farm and battery storge facility at Marsh Barton to charge our electric fleet of vehicles.
“There is much to learn through sharing good practice with other local authorities who have the same environmental ambitions as we do, and I very much enjoyed and welcomed the opportunity to see first-hand the excellent work taking place by the whole community on Bristol.”
The visit started at Bristol City Leap, a partnership between Bristol City Council and the private sector which aims to accelerate green energy investment and help towards decarbonising the whole city.
Over the next five years, it will invest nearly £500 million into low carbon energy infrastructure, such as solar, wind, heat networks, heat pumps and energy efficiency measures which will help Bristol meet its target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
Next was a visit to the water source heat pump The Energy Centre, part of the Bristol Heat Network, has been delivered by Bristol City Council and private sector partners.
The 3MW water source heat pump takes water from the nearby floating harbour and uses it to generate heat and hot water for local businesses and residents.
Cllr Parkhouse then spent time at Sparks Bristol, a local community-led project using unused retail space in the city centre to promote discussions and individual action on climate change. It is designed to help people take easy, money-saving actions on climate, equality and wellbeing.
On the ground floor explore a huge range of shops, installations, events and more. And upstairs is a hub for local artists, offering affordable studios, rehearsal and performance space.
The visit included discussions with council officers about their climate change initiatives including the Bristol Climate Hub, launched in 2020 as part of the One City initiative. The Climate Hub is helping residents and business owners make informed decisions through taking action to reduce their own household and business carbon footprints.