[Netnews-action] article: Save your planet. Start with Manchester.

[Manchester Campaigns]

[[[ ed's note: according to the web site approx 1 million kg CO2 (sic) per 
year has already been pledged to be saved... ]]]



Three million people urged to take a climate change pledge and make 
Manchester the 'coolest' city in the world

Environment Minister, Elliot Morley MP, today (Thursday, August 25th), 
joined actor Christopher Ecclestone, athlete Diane Modahl, Manchester City 
Council leader Richard Leese and Labour Peer Lord Thomas of Macclesfield in 
launching a new climate change campaign to make Manchester the coolest, 
greenest city on the planet.

Campaigners are urging those who live or work in the city region to take 
the 'Manchester is my Planet' pledge before a G8 climate change event to be 
staged in early November. Each individual will be pledging to help the city 
region reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20% before 2010, to help the 
UK meet its international commitment on climate change.

According to a survey of greenhouse gas emissions for the region, Greater 
Manchester is responsible for the 36% of the carbon dioxide emissions in 
England's Northwest, with the largest single source of emissions - 23% - 
coming from domestic households.

"The three million people who live or work in Greater Manchester together 
have the power to make an important contribution to action on climate 
change in the UK," said Elliot Morley as he welcomed the campaign launch.

"In local neighbourhoods and in our homes, what seem like small changes in 
behaviour will actually make a huge difference. Government legislation and 
international treaties have their place, certainly, but Manchester City 
Region is showing that it's the people that have the power to make a real 
and dramatic change."

The Manchester is my Planet (MIMP) campaign launched today with publicity 
materials and mini-campaigns being launched through hundreds of supporting 
libraries, local authority offices, major employers, galleries, museums and 
Manchester City Region's four universities.

Individuals from each of Greater Manchester's ten local authority boroughs 
- and those who work in the city but live elsewhere can take the climate 
change pledge by sending in a freepost pledge postcard, by sending a text 
message or by visiting the campaign web site - 
<http://www.manchesterismyplanet.com/>www.manchesterismyplanet.com. Those 
wishing to pledge by SMS should text the word 'pledge' and their postcode 
to 80010.

And as the city gets ready to party this August Bank Holiday with thousands 
of people from outside the area descending on Manchester for its annual Gay 
Pride celebrations, MIMP street teams will be out in force asking revellers 
to take the pledge, too.

City Council leader Richard Leese was one of the very first to take the 
pledge: "Right across our city region, local authorities, businesses and 
community groups are working hard to make ours a greener, cleaner city. Now 
individuals can play their part and make ours the coolest city, too," he said.

Lord Thomas of Macclesfield, former managing director of The Co-operative 
Bank, was also amongst the first to pledge: "I'm really proud to see that 
the people of Manchester are leading the way and rising to the challenge of 
climate change. We have a wonderful opportunity to work together to reduce 
our energy use and make a difference," he said.

MIMP is being led by the not-for-profit agency, Manchester: Knowledge 
Capital, with a group of partners that include, regional think-tank, 
Sustainability Northwest and the ten local authorities. The campaign is 
being sponsored by the Northwest Regional Development Agency, Manchester 
City Council and The Co-operative Bank. Other major campaign supporters 
include Defra, United Utilities, Manchester Museum and ITV Granada, as well 
as Bolton, Manchester, Salford and Manchester Metropolitan Universities.

The partnership intends to use the closing G8 climate event, and also the 
UK's presidency of the EU, to show that there is mass support for climate 
change action in Manchester and that with the right campaign, it is 
possible to achieve widespread public commitment to change.