Eco & Environment | Posted on September 25th, 2025 | return to news

Environmental action conference to be held in Dorset

The Exchange in Sturminster Newton is to host the Dorset COP Conference on Saturday 1 November, and people are invited to attend.

Environmental groups are to meet at The Exchange in Sturminster Newton on Saturday 1 November for the third Dorset Conference of the Parties (COP).

Organised by Sustainable Dorset, the focus of the conference will be on turning environmental ambition into action and looking at the role communities play in shaping a future where people and nature thrive. The one-day event will offer opportunities to learn, connect, and contribute with a wide range of workshops to choose from.

Sustainable Dorset chairman, Jennifer Morisetti, said: “This is a day for farmers, organisers, repairers, youth workers, growers, wildlife champions, and anyone dreaming of a fairer, more resilient Dorset. Come as you are, bring your questions, your curiosity — and help us weave the Dorset climate movement tighter, stronger, and more connected.”

Attendees will also be able to meet the people behind inspiring local initiatives, from village-led climate action to town-based campaigns, see creative projects using art to explore relationships with the environment, and discover grassroots contributions shaping a national food strategy from a rural perspective.

Morisetti said: “77 per cent of Dorset’s land is farmed and with Sturminster Newton set in the heart of the Blackmore Vale’s prime dairy farmland, it is ideally situated to highlight rural issues. Topics will include: Nature Recovery, River Pollution, Food Security, Transport, and Retrofit. We will also be hearing about the energy revolution with solar entrepreneur, Howard Johns.”

Laura Tyley of This Living Place said: “There’s so much inspiring action already happening across our rural communities, from repair cafes and community-led food projects to heritage crafts that preserve essential knowledge about how we live with the land. But what we often lack are opportunities to bring all that energy together in one room — to connect, to learn from one another and to feel part of something bigger. Dorset COP is fast becoming that space.

“Unlike the international COPs, which are disconnected from people’s everyday lives and the real ecosystems we depend on, local COPs flip that on their head. They remind us that meaningful action starts in local contexts — in our towns, villages and shared spaces. If we’re going to build a thriving future for people and planet, it has to come from the bottom up.

“These changes bring urgency to the questions so many in Dorset are already asking. How do we adapt? How do we care for each other and the land now and into the future? How do we build local resilience?

“Dorset COP provides us with the ideal space to share these concerns and questions, but crucially, also to share answers. We’ll hear from those who’ve adapted and have examples of best practice to share via spotlight projects rooted in care, repair, land and community.”

Dorset COP 2025 aims to be open and accessible to everyone and is operating a pay-what-you-can policy this year.

Morisetti said: “There’s a suggested donation of £10, which helps cover the real costs of putting on the event but please only pay what feels possible for you. No one will be turned away due to cost. What matters most is that you’re there.”

Dorset COP 2025 is at The Exchange in Sturminster Newton on Saturday 1 November from 9am–5pm. Tickets are available via https://events.humanitix.com/dorset-cop-2025.