FOLLOWING the showing of The People’s Emergency Briefing in Midsomer Norton on May 28, organiser Kevin Stephens has set up a Somer Valley Action Group to try and respond locally to the issues faced.

As part of this, the group are planning a number of initiatives in the near future to help raise awareness in Midsomer Norton and surrounding district about the threats that we face: the need to use less energy, water, to think about what we eat and the effect of products we consume, pollution and waste, together with other risks that we are all too painfully aware of this summer associated with droughts and wildfires.

Also the potential increasing risks of floods and storm damage in the winter.

The sessions intend to focus on the need to adapt to this changing world at an individual and collective level, to build greater resilience locally.

As I direct result of attending the Emergency National Briefing during the first heatwave in May this year, participant Karen Inns has made some simple swaps in my household products to ones which are planet friendly.

She said: “Prior to seeing this film, which I feel every adult must see, I was vaguely aware of the issues surrounding climate change but felt that there was little more I could do as an individual. I was already doing my bit through recycling and keeping my garden nature friendly.

“I see now that that is simply not enough and we all have choices regarding products we choose and how we live our lives. Carrying on as before meant I remain part of the problem."

To feel like she was part of the solution she has made simple swaps in her life.

Changing her well-known washing up liquid to an eco-friendly product; none of her family noticed the difference in it’s performance.

She has switched to biodegradable laundry washing and conditioning sheets (packaged in cardboard) and so far not noticed any difference in how clean my clothes are. She has also made a change to eco-friendly liquid detergent and conditioner sold at supermarkets in Norton.

She said: “Local supermarkets sell eco-friendly toilet and bathroom cleaners; this is another swap I’ve made and again do not notice any difference.

“Another swap that is really helpful is to use cleaning cloths/sponges which are made from natural, biodegradable materials.

“Every time you use a microfibre cloth or your scouring pad, loads of plastic microfibres are shed into the water which end up being consumed by ocean creatures at the start of our food chain.

“This fact about the amount of plastic we consume just blew my mind - no wonder we are all getting sicker.

“My dish cloth is now made from cotton and my daughter tells me that biodegradable sponge scourers are available in supermarkets - one swap I’ve yet to make but I will.

“It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and perhaps helpless when faced with potential climate and nature collapse but please watch The Emergency Briefing. There is hope and we can change - we must.”