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
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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)
White storks: why introducing non‑native species in rewilding projects can be a good idea, theconversation.com (Jun 05, 2026)
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)
Met Office issues rare red weather warning for Wednesday and Thursday, theguardian.com (Jun 22, 2026)
Rights of Nature movement grows, with the Wye and Ouse subject to new protection charters, wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk (Jun 18, 2026) — Nature sits at the heart of several new sets of rights and charters; it’s even headlining a festival this summer. Is the way that we view and value Nature within our political and cultural frameworks at a turning point? asks Hannah Marsh
This city had a flooding problem. So it turned to an animal that had been extinct there for 400 years, edition.cnn.com (Jun 18, 2026)
Amsterdam, along with other major European cities, bans public adverts for meat and fossil fuels [BBC], Daily Alternative (May 22, 2026)
How reindeer herds, nature and Sámi culture can thrive when forests are restored across northern Europe, theconversation.com (May 15, 2026)
Rewilding giants: captive elephants rehomed in Europe’s first sanctuary, theguardian.com (May 07, 2026)
Collaborative Finance (CoFi): rethinking finance for the commons, growingcommons.substack.com (Jun 07, 2026) — What finance looks like when communities build and govern it themselves, Michel Rauchs
Radical change can lead to a fairer and greener world, says new report, positive.news (Jun 04, 2026) — A major new study argues that rising living standards, shorter working hours and a liveable climate are not competing dreams, but parts of the same future – if the world is willing to tackle extreme inequality
Dutch kids declared the world’s happiest (again). Here’s why, positive.news (Jun 02, 2026) — Dutch children are consistently ranked the happiest kids in the developed world. What is the Netherlands getting right? And does the humble bike have something to do with it?
Networks and sustainability initiatives
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]Each week 3 different short videos from across the UK or world.
Rural sustainability UK, Community energy UK, Community action/Argyll and Bute / ...This week's featured Global videos / ... read more about Cosmolocalism
Events
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Mar 14, 2026 (Sat) — The Big Swim, Dorset, pinknicky.com
Regular events
see also: Dorset Eco Calendar, TTWP.NET
UK events
Jul 1 - 14, 2026 (Wed - Tue) — Community Energy Fortnight, communityenergyengland.org
Jul 02, 2026 (Thu) — Cycle to Work Day, cyclescheme.co.uk
Jul 17 - Aug 9, 2026 (Fri - Sun) — Big Butterfly Count, bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org
Jul 19 - 25, 2026 (Sun - Sat), The theme for 2026 is JOY — Community Centre Week, octopuscommunities.org.uk
Jul 24 - Aug 2, 2026 (Fri - Sun) — Love Parks Week, Keep Britain Tidy
Global or international events
July 2026 — Plastic Free July, plasticfreejuly.org
Jul 04, 2026 (Sat) — International Day of Cooperatives (CoopsDay), 1st Saturday of July. The celebration aims to showcase co-operatives’ role in building ‘inclusive, resilient, and sustainable communities’, coopsday.coop
Jul 18, 2026 (Sat) — Mandela Day, global celebration 18 July annually, to honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. A call to action for individuals, communities, and organisations to take time to reflect on Mandela's values and principles and to make a positive impact in their own communities, mandeladay.com
2021-2030, UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, International community action events
Dorset video
[edit | edit source]Community and voluntary action
[edit | edit source]- Community Action Network, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, added 08:22, 27 April 2021 (UTC)
Food activism
[edit | edit source]Research
Can you help with NuFEAST?: send us your top tips for eating sustainably research.bournemouth.ac.uk, (2016)
Community energy
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]- 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
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]Maps:
- Interactive cycle maps, dorsetforyou.com
Biodiversity
[edit | edit source]Rewilding
[edit | edit source]- 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
[edit | edit source]- Wareham Forest on forestryengland.uk, added 15:11, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
News archive
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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
[edit | edit source]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 |
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| License | CC-BY-SA-3.0 |
| Cite as | Philralph (2014–2026). "Community action/Dorset". Appropedia. Retrieved June 24, 2026. |




