For some time now, visitors to Guildford High Street will have noticed the Zero Carbon store, which has operated as a public space operating for the betterment of the town’s citizens. From a Community Fridge open two days a week through to a recycling scheme, it is a place that people have been able to head along to for any and all of their improvement needs. Now it looks as though it is going to be replaced by a furniture store, but fear not: Zero Carbon Guildford isn’t closing down, just being relocated.
What Is Zero Carbon Guildford?
The world is burning. Anyone who turns on the news or knows anything about the state of the environment will be aware of that. What not a lot of people will know about, though, is how to do their bit to help. That is where enterprises such as Zero Carbon Guildford come in, with the organisation’s aim being to help the town become carbon neutral by 2030. With the borough and county council only being responsible for tackling around 30% of the town’s carbon emissions, that means it’s down to the people to try to sort the rest.
Zero Carbon Guildford’s aim is to try to work across the political spectrum in order to tackle the existential threats that exist in the world, with the town centre hub offered on Guildford High Street for the last few years being one such way of tackling things. The group have attempted to help others with their carbon emissions by looking towards education and engagement around climate change, promising practical solutions for residents and businesses as well as offering support for other areas of improvement in the Guildford area.
What Services It Offers
For anyone looking to know how to improve their own offering to the rest of the world, Zero Carbon Guildford is the place to go. There is a Home Energy Advice team on hand to offer you solutions for the likes of how to keep your home cozy and warm whilst also keeping your costs as low as possible. There is a ‘Library of Things’ that looks to give people the chance to make use of second-hand goods and clothing, as well as clinics that aim to educate people about how to repair things in order to reduce waste.
On a similar note, the Community Fridge is in place to try to reduce food wastage as much as possible, with visitors also getting the chance to pick up a range of tasty treats or pastries for free. There are also numerous different events from both local and national speakers and experts, which is part of why it is considered to be a strong hub for the local community. If you are a small business owner, you could head along to the evening that offers a free course in how to calculate your business’ carbon footprint and how to reduce it, for example.
Moving to a New Location
It was decided that Zero Carbon Guildford’s time in the town centre would be brought to a close in the March of 2025, seeing the public space move to Riverside Business Park as a result. The new building, located in Unit One of the business park, will also offer a space for community events, as well as the same things such as the recycling scheme and the ricer testing lab. At the same time, the Zero Carbon Guildford team are also looking for a new hub on the Guildford High Street in order to remain connected to the community there.
It seems as though it will be the company Bensons for Beds who will be moving into the location that Zero Carbon Guildford had hitherto been occupying, having made an application for the company’s signage to be put up on the building. The group has been run thanks to a combination of volunteers, trustees and the work of the wider community, many of whom realise that the climate crisis is one that we will all need to work together in order to avert. Anyone wishing to get involved can still do so, it will just be in a new location.