A SPECIAL event has been arranged for people who are concerned about such issues as climate change, loss of wildlife and lack of village facilities. This Sunday, April 22, the organisers of the Belstone Green Village project would like people to join them for a walk in the beautiful countryside around their village, a delicious cream tea and an informal discussion about their project. This will be of interest to people in villages or communities that might want to learn from the unique experiment taking place in Belstone. Meet at the village hall at 1.30pm. The Green Village project is to see if a village can 'go sustainable'. The year-long project is being facilitated by Westden, working closely with members of the village and with the University of Plymouth. Other organisations such as West Devon Borough Council and Dartmoor National Park Authority are also assisting. A steering group of villagers and others is working on a programme of events, research and actions which everyone is being encouraged to take part in. Surveys and interviews are being used to collect information about all aspects of life in the village and how they impact on the social, economic and natural environments. This information will be analysed and recommendations made for a programme of actions during three months at the end of the year that will be closely monitored. After this, villagers will be surveyed again to see what has been learned and what positive actions and ideas can be developed or sustained.
