WIDER WORK

Education is part of our mission. That’s why we financially support WeSET’s work teaching people about climate change and what it means for their lives. We also recognise the crucial role of science, so we’ve made our site open to researchers, from undergraduate level to ground-breaking science. Our members have organised working groups on renewable technologies and we have supported trials in local energy which can help cut bills and cut carbon emissions.

We believe that decarbonisation must go hand-in-hand with supporting our natural world. We’re proud to have participated in a study on the effects of solar farms on the natural environment, which showed an increase in the diversity and abundance of species on site. For example, a study during 2014 at Westmill showed three times as many bumblebees compared with a nearby control plot.

The Westmill members have decided to help finance and support other renewable energy projects, so that we keep contributing to our goal of a cleaner energy system. For example, we’ve supported Southill Community Energy in nearby Charlbury and Cuckmere Community Solar.

The Westmill members have voted to put some of our revenues aside each year to support community benefits. This goes to projects like Westmill Sustainable Energy Trust (WeSET), which can play a really important role in helping people to appreciate the importance of climate change mitigation.