Together we can make difference

I’VE always been fascinated by articles written by personal finance gurus adding up how much daily habits, such as a latte from Starbucks, will cost you over a year, or even five years. A cool £1,414 since you ask. If you did this for five years, you could drink away £7,070 — a luxury family holiday or a new-to-you car. Who knew coffee could cost so much?

But what all these articles are really testament to is how much small, regular habits can add up to over time. And it’s not just financial. I’ve spent the last two years doing a daily 10 minutes of French with Duolingo, the language learning app. I don’t sound like Juliette Binoche just yet but I’m definitely much better and I’m able to conduct some simple conversations in French, which I couldn’t do before.

Britons are worried about climate change. A study conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in 2022 found three in four adults reported feeling worried about climate change. It was the second highest concern after the cost of living. A similar number said they had made changes to help tackle climate change.

This is encouraging but, among the large minority who had made no changes, one of the main reasons was a feeling that any changes they made would have no effect. I have some sympathy with this — tackling climate change can feel such a huge challenge that individual changes can feel pointless.

But, just like cups of coffee, small changes done by lots of people add up. And not just individuals, organisations, councils, government. We all have our part to play.

So what has Henley Town Council and its climate and nature emergency advisory group done in 2024? We have been working on a number of practical projects to reduce our energy use and boost biodiversity:

• Solar panels have been installed on the Leichlingen Pavilion in Mill Meadows and Brunner Hall at Makins recreation ground. Besides providing clean electricity, over time the panels will pay for themselves and provide free electricity to the users of these buildings.

• Helped Headway Thames Valley, the tenants of Brunner Hall, to choose a supplier of an air source heat pump, which is to be installed this year.

• Chosen a new, more efficient boiler to replace the old one in the town hall, saving money and reducing carbon emissions.

• Delivered letters to qualifying homes in Henley advising owners on government grants that are avilable for insulation and energy improvements.

• Provided a grant for the installation of solar panels at Trinity School in Henley, benefiting current and future pupils for many years to come.

• Provided a grant for a wildlife pond at Badgemore Primary School in Henley.

• Increased the “Henley Hopper” town bus service to five days a week and changed it to an electric bus.

• Arranged a free energy audit for some small organisations in the town, utilising a grant from the Low Carbon Hub in Oxford.

• Followed up previous energy audits commissioned for local organisations and delighted to see them taking up the energy-saving measures recommended.

• Appointed a biodiversity officer to oversee projects to boost biodiversity in the Henley area.

Each of these projects seems modest on its own but, added up, they have made a significant step towards the town council’s goal of net zero.

There’s much to do and new projects being launched during this year but any step to reduce yours, or your organisation’s, greenhouse gas emissions or boost biodiversity in your area is worthwhile. Never be put off by thinking you cannot do enough to make a difference.

Happy new year to all.