Statement of Intent

Suffolk’s environment is one of the finest in Britain. To ensure it continues to improve we must build upon the efforts of Suffolk people in caring for their environment, countryside, coast, towns and villages.

Suffolk is making an important contribution to tackling global environmental issues, and we must do more. With one of the highest recycling rates in the country, a developing expertise in renewable energy and marine environments, a carbon reduction partnership and diverse wildlife and landscapes, the county has a good base on which to build. We believe that Suffolk can become the Greenest County in England.

The Suffolk Strategic Partnership is committed to making this ambition a reality.

We want to continually review and celebrate Suffolk’s achievements and commit to clear aspirations for further action in the following areas:

• Climate Change- Establishing and reducing Suffolk’s carbon footprint is the strategic focus for this initiative. We will need a challenging but credible ambition for our carbon footprint across Suffolk, and everybody will need to be involved in delivering it. This will be a key focus for the conference.

• Community and Business Engagement - Everyone has a part to play in improving our local environment and in contributing to solutions to global issues. To succeed we will need full participation of individuals, communities, businesses, district, town and parish councils, schools and voluntary organisations. The Greenest County will need the Greenest Schools, Businesses and Communities.

• Landscape and Biodiversity - Historic landscape and diverse wildlife are a unique and attractive combination in Suffolk. Landscape character areas and key wildlife species are now recognised and should be widely celebrated as part of Suffolk’s local distinctiveness.

• Local Food, Drink and Tourism – Reducing food miles is part of the effort to tackle climate change. Suffolk has much to offer in good quality local food and drink. Working with consumers and producers to support local food production and distribution, and linking this to sustainable tourism, will benefit both the environment and the Suffolk economy.

Achievements in these areas will be celebrated at  the conference and we will set new challenges for the future.

We urge you to get involved to help make Suffolk, the Greenest County.