Overview
Environmental sustainability is about reducing negative impacts to the planet which result from human actions. Incorporating sustainable thinking and practices into decision making is important because ongoing negative impacts such as the burning of fossil fuels for energy will result in continued global warming, which then causes rising sea levels and extreme weather such as heat waves. This also impacts the survival of habitats and wildlife by interrupting balanced ecosystems as well as disrupting food production.
Improved air and water quality whilst ensuring the health of the environment are all benefits of sustainability.
The Borough of Broxbourne Council is committed to do all it reasonably can to safeguard and protect the Borough’s natural environment. Sustainability is one of three corporate priorities in the Corporate Plan for 2020-2024. The Council has created an Environmental Sustainability Panel, and has allocated a £50,000 annual budget for the development of environmental projects.
The Council’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy and Action Plan sets out what the Council will do to achieve a sustainable Broxbourne over the next four years from 2021 to 2025. It describes how the Council will work with residents, other local authorities and local businesses to:
- protect and enhance biodiversity
- keep the environment clean
- reduce the local carbon footprint
The Borough of Broxbourne Council is a partner of the Hertfordshire Climate Change and Sustainability Partnership (HCCSP), which has members from Hertfordshire County Council, all local district and borough councils and the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). This is a strategic partnership which aims to share information, coordinate and influence solutions, and bring forward proposals for interventions around climate change and sustainability across Hertfordshire. The key focus for HCCSP is working in partnership and developing joint programmes that are beyond the scope of individual authorities.