Our Zero Selby

Pilot Phase

We asked the community to share their ideas of what is good about Selby and what they may like to see changed or improved. We then took these ideas to a 3-day Community Decision making event, in which the 101 initial ideas were refined into a set of 25 project ideas that residents want to see in Selby, organised into 5 themes of food, travel, nature, buildings we use and live in, and what we buy and waste.

Check out these chosen projects in our Impact Reports:

Community Decision Making Event

We started by breaking down the barriers that can make addressing climate change feel huge, distant or overwhelming by focusing on the human, everyday elements and benefits that engage and sustain us – our five themes,

By asking our community to join us to share their personal perspective about: what we eat, buildings we live in or buildings we use, how we travel, what we buy and waste or how we use green spaces, residents started thinking about the issues covered by the transition to a net zero economy. In these discussions, residents also had the opportunity to share what they think is good about Selby already and that they want to keep the same or build on, and what they’d like to see change or improve.

Where we started

The community shared their ideas in a number of ways:

  • Filled in a survey

  • Attended a local business forum led by us

  • Joined in at one of our School or College sessions

  • Attended a group workshop

  • Had a chat with us at local venues

Our Reach:

  • 525

    Local Residents reached directly through crowdsourcing methods: 32, 1 to 2 hour, Community Conversations and responses through our 5 themed surveys.

  • 101

    Specific ideas for change brought forward, across all topics.

  • 14-60+

    The age range of residents who shared their ideas.

  • 48

    Stakeholders engaged with Our Zero Selby, ranging from local businesses, council bodies, not for profit organisations, educational institutions, faith groups, and funders.

What we did next

We took this initial bank of research to our 3-day Decision Making Events in March 2022. We invited 40 members of our community (reflective of Selby’s local population in terms of their age, gender, educational qualification, ethnicity and where they lived), a group of regional stakeholders representing local businesses, local organisations, and councils.

The participants at the events learnt about climate change, developed criteria for what a good set of projects for Selby would look like, went through all 101 ideas from the community and then prioritised 5 projects for each theme, for local action.

What this achieved

The events resulted in a community-led vision, and practical action plan to reduce rising emissions in our town and show how the long-term benefits of a zero carbon Selby can be felt by everyone. By the end of the events, 97% of the participants reported feeling there is a lot that can be done to tackle climate change in their local area, while 69% believe that they are able to influence decisions that are made about their local area (up from 33% at the start of the process).

Read more in our Impact Report.

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Explore Our 5 Themes

Take a look at what residents said:

  • I really enjoyed being part of these events. It felt as though I actually had a say in what might happen in the local area when it comes to issues I care passionately about, which has been refreshing, encouraging and hopeful. I've met interesting people and had some excellent debates.

    Selby Resident

  • I did learn a lot about new and existing ways of creating clean energy. It was also amazing to meet people with similar passions and more ideas about small ways to make a difference individually.

    Selby Resident

  • I have gained a lot from this event and have a positive feeling for the future.

    Selby Resident

  • To get that number and diversity of people gives confidence that the ideas are robust.

    Selby Resident

  • It felt very positive to be involved in this process. I met some great people and it was lovely to collaborate on the topics with our facilitators. I didn't think I would be speaking in public or on video, good to put myself forward!

    Selby Resident

Our Partners

Our pilot phase was supported and guided by a fantastic range of partners, funders and supporters.

Our Funders

We would like to acknowledge the generous support of Energy for Tomorrow Fund, Friends Provident Foundation, Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and Treebeard Trust in making this project possible.

We are looking forward to working with national and local funders to help us to make our projects, our reality. 

If you are interested in working together to deliver, fund or support any of our community-led initiatives, please contact Bryony Boyle, Strategy and Partnerships Manager at Up For Yorkshire for more information. 

bryony@upforyorkshire.org.uk

07824 975943

We are proud to be working with the following local organisations as part of our Pilot Phase Partnership and Advisory Groups. 

We would also like to say a huge thank you to all the community groups, businesses and individuals who are getting involved in Our Zero Selby.

Who We Worked With