Have you seen the People’s Emergency Briefing? If you have, you may well be feeling a sense of disbelief and frustration or fear and anger. Whatever you are feeling after the viewing, there’s no need to feel helpless – there is so much you can do!

We have compiled a few suggestions here. Firstly, here is the handout from the Cranleigh Arts screening.

The National Emergency Briefing website has a lot of very useful ideas and links on their Take Action page. We need to join others in clamouring for action:

• Internationally – by supporting organisations like Greenpeace or Friends of the Earth
• Nationally – make sure your MP knows what you think!
• Locally – join organisations trying to make a difference and speak to local councillors

The scale and immediacy of the threat we face requires government-led wartime-scale action, and changes made in our personal lives may seem insignificant, but do not underestimate the power of leading by example. If you make a change today and share it with a few friends, just see how it can ripple out! Here are some ideas:

🍎 Food

• Only have meat maybe once or twice a week
• Join in the autumn 2026 “Bang in some Beans” campaign and get ideas on how to reduce your consumption of meat and dairy: https://foodfoundation.org.uk/initiatives/bang-in-some-beans

🚴🏽 Transport

• Go by train instead of flying. Or instead of several short holidays, take one occasional long one.
• Walk, cycle or use public transport when possible
• Come along to the Cranleigh Climate Action Pop-up outside the Co-op on the morning of Saturday 17 October. Speak directly to Stagecoach managers and take part in our “What would get you on the bus?” consultation
• Get the Better Points app (endorsed by Surrey County Council) and earn money for your Active Travel
• Try Surrey Connect Electric bus: https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/buses-and-other-transport/community-transport/surrey-connect
• If you really need a car, think about getting an EV when it’s time to change your car

🛍️ Stuff

• Reduce your consumption of new goods – use the weekly Cranleigh Library of Things and monthly Cranleigh Repair Café
• Buy plastic free from For Earth’s Sake
• Reuse with pre-loved clothing, books and pottery from our wonderful charity shops
• Recycle as much as possible with the council and also at the Repair Café

💡 Energy

• Save energy and save money: drop into the Friday afternoon Energy Clinics in Cranleigh Library for advice on easy wins and options for financial support with bills

🦋 Nature

• Plant shrubs & trees for pollinators like bees for year-round sustenance, such as Mahonia and Ivy for winter; Honeysuckle, Sedum and Abelia for autumn;  apple and Pussy Willow for spring; Lavender and herbs for summer
• Leave some of your garden for nature

The launch of Cranleigh Library of Things on Saturday 7 March was a great reminder of why community projects matter so much. A brilliant idea, brought to life by people who care about their community and the planet. The ribbon cutting is only the beginning.

At the grand opening celebrations we were pleased to welcome honoured guests including Tim Hall, Chairman of Surrey County Council, David Munro, Deputy Mayor of Waverley Borough Council, and County Councillor Liz Townsend, as well as other local supporters.

The idea is beautifully simple. Instead of buying tools or equipment which might only be used once or twice a year, you borrow them. Items like carpet cleaners, pressure washers or electric screw drivers in the Library of Things inventory, are stored and loaned out when needed. 

New items will be added to the catalogue regularly, as funds are raised. The aims are practical: to cut down on waste, to reduce cost and clutter and save CO₂ emissions into the bargain. 

The Library of Things is a happy collaboration between Cranleigh Climate Action and Cranleigh book Library (Surrey County Council). Borrowers collect the items from Cranleigh library and return them to there; the library staff act as front of house; another collaborator, Elmbridge Retirement Villages, provides the storage. Volunteers run the online system and make sure items are available to be collected from the library.

Members of the Library of Things team are at Cranleigh Library most Friday afternoons to explain how the system works and hear people’s ideas on what might be useful additional items.   Please pop along and have a chat.To find out more go to the library-of-things tab on this website: 

Photos credit: Martin Bamford Photography.

(Please note the Local Community Fund raising has ended for this year. We will let you know the outcome soon)

Cranleigh Climate Action has been selected as one of our local Co-op “good causes”. The amount we get will depend on how many Co-op members choose us.

We are trying to raise money to start up a Library of things. So if you are a member of the Co-op, please choose us here!

It doesn’t matter where you are in the country you can still choose us! And if you’re not yet a member, you can always join…!

We created Cranleigh Climate Challenge Pledges because we believe we can’t leave it to others to respond to the climate emergency, and that we need to act.
We’ve identified 6 areas where we can reduce our personal impact on the climate: transport, food, at home, stuff we buy and use, nature, and the influence we have on others.
We’re personally pledging to act across those areas, and encouraging everyone in or around Cranleigh to join us.
To explore ideas for your own changes, visit bit.ly/CranleighPledges.

Next Climate Cafés: (All Tuesdays) 18th February, 18th March and 15th April.

We are normally in Cranleigh Library from 10.30am to 12.30pm on the third Tuesday of the month and will help you find some answers to your energy questions.

Come along and make sure that your home is the most energy efficient it can be.

The library is a Warm Welcome Venue, where you can drop in, warm up, grab yourself a drink and read a book, go online or chat to others there – and the brilliant Climate Action team are just waiting to say hello!

On 26th October we launched our new monthly Climate Pop-up events on Cranleigh High Street, outside Boots.

Our County Councillor, Liz Townsend who facilitated our present funding, was our guest of honour.

Our guest member, Peter Jones, a local beekeeper was there as our star attraction this month with lots of ideas on how to optimise our gardens to help the pollinators we rely on to thrive.