Transition Town Bridport, which aims to reduce the local community's impact on the environment, has relaunched itself as Sustainable Bridport. 

Sustainable Bridport has grown out of Transition Town Bridport, which was launched in 2009 following a public meeting to gauge interest in joining a national, community-led initiative for local action and education to tackle climate change by reducing the local area's impact on the environment.

The Transition movement began in Totnes in 2006 and grew to thousands of people, initiatives and projects working in Transition across the world today. 

The impetus for Transition is the need to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. Transition Towns are made up of local communities that proactively reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and help mitigate climate change, by re-localising, shifting production closer to home and creating functioning communities. 

They are fuelled by the idea that strong neighbourhood networks will help their town to weather future energy shocks. 

Since launching, Bridport Transition Town has achieved the following:

• Edible gardens in two primary schools, growing vegetables and running cooking courses and community events
• Open EcoHomes, now Dorset Greener Homes
• Reskilling courses for school leavers
• Draught busters and curtain lining workshops
• Green Fortnights, focussing on buying local, sustainable farming , reducing plastics and fast fashion  
• Talks on COPs, circular economy, universal basic income etc
• Numerous films, e.g. Demain, The Age of Stupid, This Changes Everything

After 14 years, the group is now reaching out to a wider audience under the banner of Sustainable Bridport, which is hopes will provide a clearer message about its aims and objectives. 

Sustainable Bridport is looking at a whole range of initiatives to fight climate change, from local food security, sustainable fashion and recycling, to energy saving in the home and widespread growth of renewable energy. 

You can find out more on the new website https://sustainablebridport.org, which has been created by Simon Robinson from local web design company Little Big Web.

Sustainable Bridport will also be holding its next 'Green Drinks' tonight (Thursday, March 16), from 7.30pm at The Tiger Inn. 

This is a chance to find out more about what the group does or come for a casual chat with people interested in sustainability, be it homes, bio-diversity, food and farming or reducing consumption. 

Sustainable Bridport will be officially relaunched at an event at Bridport Town Hall on Tuesday, April 25 with full details to be announced.