From wind and waterpower to coal (and then back again!)

On the 27th of September, 1825, the Stockton & Darlington Railroad was opened, its primary purpose to link the collieries in West Durham, Darlington and the River Tees at Stockton. Large crowds witnessed George Stephenson at the controls of the world’s first locomotive.

Britain became the world’s first major industrial economy, and the industrial revolution marked a major turning point in history, influencing almost every aspect of daily life across the globe.

The start of this revolution was powered by water and wind – renewable energy sources. After 1800, the energy was provided by coal, a fossil fuel.

Powering the next revolution, the green revolution

The people and businesses of the North East played a pivotal role fuelling the industrial revolution with coal, steel, innovation and enterprise.

We must harness this same spirit of innovation and enterprise to tackle the pervading challenge of our generation – climate change. Moving away from fossil fuels, back to renewable energy generation and more efficient use of natural resources.

Becoming greater than the sum of our parts – The benefits of joining the partnership

It’s important for the businesses of Darlington to keep an eye on the bigger picture and realise, that, by taking steps to effectively address climate change and sustainability challenges we can position ourselves to take advantage of a wide range of opportunities, from developing and maintaining low carbon, smart zero-waste cities and resilient infrastructure to improving and managing ecosystems, technology and  lifestyles. 

Small steps can often lead to giant leaps – Sustainability challenges can best be solved by collaboration, knowledge sharing and building relationships based on mutual understanding.

This is why the Darlington Employers Environmental Partnership is striving to develop a joined-up approach to tackling net zero in the local area.