Community action/Dorset

| Map | |
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| Location | Dorset, South West England |
| Coordinates | 51° 32' 49.76" N, 2° 24' 12.35" W |
The aim of this page is to recognise, celebrate and encourage the self-empowerment of community agency networks (CANs) and community groups' activism for climate, environment and many other sustainability topics across Dorset.
News
How solar panels saved this local community leisure centre, goodenergy.co.uk (Dec 19, 2025)
'Nobody owns the sand': The 12-metre fence dividing an affluent beach town, BBC News (Nov 01, 2025)
Energy clubs offer chance to reduce electricity bills by up to 30%, theguardian.com (Oct 18, 2025)
Citizens’ Assembly to invest £100,000 in West’s culture, westofengland-ca.gov.uk (Jan 16, 2026)
‘We found 23,000 worms!’ The soil project bringing life back to the land, positive.news (Oct 22, 2025)
Mussel power: how an offshore shellfish farm is boosting marine life, theconversation.com (Jun 06, 2025)
One in nine new homes in England built between 2022 and 2024 were constructed in areas that could now be at risk of flooding, according to new data., theguardian.com (Feb 18, 2026) — between 2013 and 2022, one in 13 new homes were in potential flooding zones.
Hedgerows the 'unsung heroes of the countryside', BBC News (Feb 16, 2026) — A group of Kent volunteers is aiming to provide vital habitat for wildlife by planting about 3,800 yards (3,500m) of hedgerows in the countryside this year.
'Serious climate breakdown' warning over filthy rivers and flooding, BBC News (Feb 15, 2026)
Geothermal could replace almost half of the EU’s fossil fuel power, grist.org (Feb 10, 2026)
I developed an app that uses drone footage to track plastic litter on beaches, theconversation.com (Jan 21, 2026)
Europeans overwhelmingly support the social economy, poll finds, thenews.coop (Dec 12, 2025) — 93% of Europeans think businesses should be guided by social economy values, such as focusing on social and environmental goals, redistributing profits, and operating with democratic governance structures
‘They pushed so many lies about recycling’: the fight to stop big oil pumping billions more into plastics, theguardian.com (Feb 19, 2026)
The world’s rainforests are vanishing. In this one country, they’re growing back., vox.com (Feb 19, 2026) — How did Costa Rica beat back deforestation and buck the global trend?
Environmental defenders labeled ‘terrorists’ for bringing renewable power to Philippine communities, globalvoices.org/ (Feb 19, 2026)
Networks and sustainability initiatives
This section has been AI aided: AI Overview from a Google search, 09:36, 3 November 2025 (UTC)
- Langton Planet Action on dorsetcan.org, group in the Purbeck area that works with other local environmental groups to reduce environmental impact and promote sustainability. added 10:58, 3 November 2025 (UTC)
- Sustainable Dorset, website of Dorset Agenda 21, county wide sustainable development charity based in Dorchester
- Sustainable Bridport, Building a Resilient, Fair and Low Carbon Bridport, added 16:59, 10 April 2023 (UTC), link checked 11:01, 3 November 2025 (UTC)
- Transition Bournemouth
- Transition Town Dorchester
- Transition Town Christchurch
- Transition Town Poole
- Transition Towns Weymouth and Portland
CDC videos
Each week 3 different short videos from across the UK or world.
Community action/Surrey, Community action/West Midlands, Community action/North East England / ...This week's featured Global videos / ... read more about Cosmolocalism
Events
UK events
Mar 13 - 29, 2026 (Fri - Sun) — Great British Spring Clean and Great Big School Clean, Keep Britain Tidy call to help improve local environments, keepbritaintidy.org
Mar 16 - 27, 2026 (Mon - Fri) — Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel, cycling, walking and scooting challenge for schools from Sustrans, bigwalkandwheel.org.uk
Global or international events
Feb 02, 2026 (Mon) — World Wetlands Day, Feb 2, annually, worldwetlandsday.org
Feb 20, 2026 (Fri) — World Day of Social Justice, Feb 20 each year, un.org
February 21 - March 1, 2026 (Sat - Sun) — Real Bread Week, annual, international celebration of additive-free bread and the people behind its rise, sustainweb.org
2021-2030, UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, International community action events
Dorset video
Community and voluntary action
- Community Action Network, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, added 08:22, 27 April 2021 (UTC)
Food activism
Research
Can you help with NuFEAST?: send us your top tips for eating sustainably research.bournemouth.ac.uk, (2016)
Community energy
This section has been AI aided: AI Overview from a Google search, 09:36, 3 November 2025 (UTC)
- Dorset Community Energy, not-for-profit society that finances and installs solar PV on schools and community buildings to provide them with low-cost electricity. It also offers local investment opportunities and has a community fund for projects that reduce carbon emissions.
- Energy Local Bridport on dorsetcommunityenergy.org.uk. The first Energy Local Club in England, this group allows residents to buy electricity at a lower cost directly from local renewable sources, such as the 50kW wind turbine at Salway Ash.
Community resources
- The Power House, Poole, added 08:21, 27 April 2021 (UTC)
- Help And Kindness, for Dorset, added 08:49, 27 April 2021 (UTC)
Climate action
This section has been AI aided: AI Overview from a Google search, 09:36, 3 November 2025 (UTC)
- DorsetCAN, Dorset Climate Action Network. Network of community groups and individuals across Dorset that works toward a sustainable future. It supports local groups and actions aimed at climate change.
Cycling activism
Maps:
- Interactive cycle maps, dorsetforyou.com
Biodiversity
Rewilding
- Beavers at Little Sea, Studland, project of nationaltrust.org.uk, added 10:32, 1 March 2025 (UTC)
- Wild Woodbury, dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk, community rewilding project at Bere Regis. added 16:03, 11 March 2024 (UTC)
- Wilder Dorset, project of Dorset Wildlife Trust: "plans for transforming the landscape from being intensively managed to letting nature take the lead will be developed in conjunction with the surrounding community, giving local people more opportunities to connect with nature while also benefitting local wildlife."...wildlifetrusts.org.
Trees, woodland and forest
- Wareham Forest on forestryengland.uk, added 15:11, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
News archive
The ‘bin-novative’ approach to rubbish that’s slashing beach litter, positive.news (Feb 16, 2023)
Hundreds march in Dorchester in protest at housing plans, BBC News (Apr 03, 2022) — protest at plans to build 4,000 houses on open land and "desecrate" the Thomas Hardy countryside
- England's first community rewilding project launches in Dorset, Sep 6, 2021...wildlifetrusts.org
- The activist entrepreneurs running zero-waste shops, Aug 6, 2021...bbc.co.uk/news
- Support growing for National Park bid (which could bring £90m funding to Dorset), May 18, 2017...dorsetecho.co.uk
- Dorset organisation wins national award for innovative health project, Nov 10, 2016...dorsetecho.co.uk
- Bournemouth is a step closer to becoming world leader in green economy, Oct 6, 2016...bournemouth.gov.uk
- New seafront recycling campaign launched, Aug 2, 2016...bournemouth.gov.uk
- Bournemouth's getting a weekly food market... sort of, Jul 13, 2016...bournemouthecho.co.uk
- Bournemouth's first ever Street Kitchen to help town's homeless, May 14, 2016...bournemouthecho.co.uk
- Bournemouth and Poole become the world's first Sustainable Fish City, April 17, 2015...Sustain
- Test run for Poole Harbour heat project, July 21, 2016...Transition Free Press
About Dorset
Dorset ( DOR-sit; archaically: Dorsetshire DOR-sit-sheer, -shər) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south-east, the English Channel to the south, and Devon to the west. The largest settlement is Bournemouth.
Over half the county is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
| Authors | Phil Green |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-3.0 |
| Cite as | Phil Green (2014–2026). "Community action/Dorset". Appropedia. Retrieved February 26, 2026. |