Mainstreaming Sustainable Development-A Case Study: Ashton Hayes is going Carbon Neutral

Roy Alexander; Max Hope; Martin Degg

doi:10.1080/02690940701195123

Mainstreaming Sustainable Development-A Case Study: Ashton Hayes is going Carbon Neutral

Roy Alexander, Max Hope, Martin Degg

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)

298 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The Parish Council of Ashton Hayes in Cheshire voted in November 2005 to try to become England’s first carbon neutral village. This grass roots project has grown rapidly in its first year and has engaged a large proportion of village residents.The project has produced a number of impacts on the community and the wider region and these are being evaluated in terms of their environmental, economic andsocial dimensions. This paper describes the process of project development and implementation and draws some general conclusions from this experience before going on to consider some of the findings of the initial evaluation of the project. We conclude by suggesting that Ashton Hayes provides an interesting case study of a community-led attempt to bring sustainable development into the mainstream and that the challenge remains, as with many community-led initiatives, of how to translate the considerable early momentum of the project into sustainable forms of participation and behaviour.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	62-74
Journal	Local Economy
Volume	22
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/02690940701195123
Publication status	Published (in print/issue) - Feb 2007

Bibliographical note

Reference text: Books and Journals Articles
Arnstein, S. (1969) A ladder of citizen participation, in: R. T. LeGates & F. Stout (Eds) (2003) The City
Reader, p. 247 (London: Routledge).
Chambers, N., Simmons, C. & Wackernagel, M. (2000) Sharing Nature’s Interest: Ecological Footprints
as an Indicator of Sustainability (London: Earthscan).
Crawford, A. (1998) Crime Prevention and Community Safety: Politics, Policies and Practices (Harlow:
Longman).
Dresner, S. (2002) The Principles of Sustainability (London: Earthscan).
Edwards, B., Goodwin, M. & Woods, M. (2003) Citizenship, community and participation in small towns:
a case study of regeneration partnerships, in: R. Imrie & M. Raco (Eds) Urban Renaissance?
New Labour, Community and Urban Policy (Bristol: The Policy Press).
Ma’anit, A. (2006) If you go down to the woods today, New Internationalist, no. 391.
Maxwell, T. J. & Cannell, M. G. R. (2000) The environment and land use of the future, in: G. Holmes &
R. Crofts (Eds) Scotland’s Environment: the Future, pp. 30–51 (East Linton: Tuckwell Press).
Monbiot, G. (2006) Heat: How to Stop the Planet Burning, p. 277 (Allen Lane: Penguin).
O’Riordan, T. (Ed) (2000) Environmental Science for Environmental Management, 2nd edn, p. xii
(Harlow: Pearson).
Pearce, D. (1993) Blueprint 3: Measuring Sustainable Development, pp. 8–32 (London: Earthscan).
Peck, J. & Tickell, A. (2002) Neoliberalising space, Antipode, 34, pp. 380–404.
Raco, M. (2003) New labour, community and the future of Britain, in: R. Imrie & M. Raco (Eds) Urban
Renaissance? New Labour, Community and Urban Policy (Bristol: The Policy Press).
Raco, M. (2005) Sustainable development, rolled-out neoliberalism and sustainable communities,
Antipode, 37, pp. 324–347.
Urry, J. (1995) Social identity, leisure and the countryside, Consuming Places, p. 225 (London:
Routledge).
Wackernagel, M. & Rees, W. (1996) Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth
(Stony Creek, CT: New Society Publishers).

Documents Retrieved from the Web
The Carbon Neutral Company (2006) Green action or green wash? Retrieved 11/12/06 from the World
Wide Web: http://www.carbonneutral.com/pages/presscoverage.asp
The New Oxford American Dictionary (2006) Carbon Neutral Oxford Word of the Year. Retrieved 11/12/
06 from the World Wide Web: http://blog.oup.com/oupblog/2006/11/what_do_al_gore.html
Steel, C., Jochum, V., Grieve, J. & Cooke, S. (2006) A Broader Parish, Working Together, Improving
Rural Communities, National Council for Voluntary Organisations, Executive Summary p. 2,
Retrieved 20 December 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ncvo vol.org.uk/policy/rural/
publications/index.asp?id¼3576

DVD
Tomorrow’s Climate Today’s Challenge (DEFRA, Crown Copyright, 2005).
Websites
www.cred-uk.org
www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/index.htm
www.est.org.uk
www.goingcarbonneutral.co.uk

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10.1080/02690940701195123

Local Economy Feb 2007Author Accepted Manuscript, 227 KB

Cite this

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title = "Mainstreaming Sustainable Development-A Case Study: Ashton Hayes is going Carbon Neutral",

abstract = "The Parish Council of Ashton Hayes in Cheshire voted in November 2005 to try to become England{\textquoteright}s first carbon neutral village. This grass roots project has grown rapidly in its first year and has engaged a large proportion of village residents.The project has produced a number of impacts on the community and the wider region and these are being evaluated in terms of their environmental, economic andsocial dimensions. This paper describes the process of project development and implementation and draws some general conclusions from this experience before going on to consider some of the findings of the initial evaluation of the project. We conclude by suggesting that Ashton Hayes provides an interesting case study of a community-led attempt to bring sustainable development into the mainstream and that the challenge remains, as with many community-led initiatives, of how to translate the considerable early momentum of the project into sustainable forms of participation and behaviour.",

author = "Roy Alexander and Max Hope and Martin Degg",

note = "Reference text: Books and Journals Articles Arnstein, S. (1969) A ladder of citizen participation, in: R. T. LeGates & F. Stout (Eds) (2003) The City Reader, p. 247 (London: Routledge). Chambers, N., Simmons, C. & Wackernagel, M. (2000) Sharing Nature{\textquoteright}s Interest: Ecological Footprints as an Indicator of Sustainability (London: Earthscan). Crawford, A. (1998) Crime Prevention and Community Safety: Politics, Policies and Practices (Harlow: Longman). Dresner, S. (2002) The Principles of Sustainability (London: Earthscan). Edwards, B., Goodwin, M. & Woods, M. (2003) Citizenship, community and participation in small towns: a case study of regeneration partnerships, in: R. Imrie & M. Raco (Eds) Urban Renaissance? New Labour, Community and Urban Policy (Bristol: The Policy Press). Ma{\textquoteright}anit, A. (2006) If you go down to the woods today, New Internationalist, no. 391. Maxwell, T. J. & Cannell, M. G. R. (2000) The environment and land use of the future, in: G. Holmes & R. Crofts (Eds) Scotland{\textquoteright}s Environment: the Future, pp. 30–51 (East Linton: Tuckwell Press). Monbiot, G. (2006) Heat: How to Stop the Planet Burning, p. 277 (Allen Lane: Penguin). O{\textquoteright}Riordan, T. (Ed) (2000) Environmental Science for Environmental Management, 2nd edn, p. xii (Harlow: Pearson). Pearce, D. (1993) Blueprint 3: Measuring Sustainable Development, pp. 8–32 (London: Earthscan). Peck, J. & Tickell, A. (2002) Neoliberalising space, Antipode, 34, pp. 380–404. Raco, M. (2003) New labour, community and the future of Britain, in: R. Imrie & M. Raco (Eds) Urban Renaissance? New Labour, Community and Urban Policy (Bristol: The Policy Press). Raco, M. (2005) Sustainable development, rolled-out neoliberalism and sustainable communities, Antipode, 37, pp. 324–347. Urry, J. (1995) Social identity, leisure and the countryside, Consuming Places, p. 225 (London: Routledge). Wackernagel, M. & Rees, W. (1996) Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth (Stony Creek, CT: New Society Publishers). Documents Retrieved from the Web The Carbon Neutral Company (2006) Green action or green wash? Retrieved 11/12/06 from the World Wide Web: http://www.carbonneutral.com/pages/presscoverage.asp The New Oxford American Dictionary (2006) Carbon Neutral Oxford Word of the Year. Retrieved 11/12/ 06 from the World Wide Web: http://blog.oup.com/oupblog/2006/11/what_do_al_gore.html Steel, C., Jochum, V., Grieve, J. & Cooke, S. (2006) A Broader Parish, Working Together, Improving Rural Communities, National Council for Voluntary Organisations, Executive Summary p. 2, Retrieved 20 December 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ncvo vol.org.uk/policy/rural/ publications/index.asp?id¼3576 DVD Tomorrow{\textquoteright}s Climate Today{\textquoteright}s Challenge (DEFRA, Crown Copyright, 2005). Websites www.cred-uk.org www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/index.htm www.est.org.uk www.goingcarbonneutral.co.uk",

year = "2007",

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doi = "10.1080/02690940701195123",

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AU - Degg, Martin

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AB - The Parish Council of Ashton Hayes in Cheshire voted in November 2005 to try to become England’s first carbon neutral village. This grass roots project has grown rapidly in its first year and has engaged a large proportion of village residents.The project has produced a number of impacts on the community and the wider region and these are being evaluated in terms of their environmental, economic andsocial dimensions. This paper describes the process of project development and implementation and draws some general conclusions from this experience before going on to consider some of the findings of the initial evaluation of the project. We conclude by suggesting that Ashton Hayes provides an interesting case study of a community-led attempt to bring sustainable development into the mainstream and that the challenge remains, as with many community-led initiatives, of how to translate the considerable early momentum of the project into sustainable forms of participation and behaviour.

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ER -

Mainstreaming Sustainable Development-A Case Study: Ashton Hayes is going Carbon Neutral

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Bibliographical note

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