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Could you be our new marketing & communications officer?

If you are an experienced and enthusiastic marketer, a fantastic job awaits you here at CAfS! We are recruiting a new marketing and communications officer to spread the word about an exciting new project that will see 200 charge points for electric cars installed around Cumbria and the wider north of England. You’ll also work alongside our project managers across all our initiatives to tackle climate change, supporting our marketing manager. You’ll engage with the public and organisations around Cumbria on topics ranging from renewable energy and food to housing and transport. We’re looking for someone who has communications [...]

By |2019-11-01T16:01:50+00:00October 31st, 2019|Homepage, News|Comments Off on Could you be our new marketing & communications officer?
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Space to Connect grant to boost Ambleside’s community spaces

CAfS has been awarded a £7,300 grant from a partnership between Co-op’s charity, the Co-op Foundation, and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. We'll use the ‘Space to Connect’ funding to support Ambleside Action for a Future’s Incredible Edible Group to develop community conversations about how green spaces are used in their area. The grant will also help to develop the group’s skills and capacity to deliver sustainable use of green spaces in the future. It is one of 57 organisations across England to receive a grant from the £1.6 million partnership, designed to help communities tackle [...]

By |2019-11-01T16:02:06+00:00October 30th, 2019|Food, News|Comments Off on Space to Connect grant to boost Ambleside’s community spaces
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Cumbria seeks Cold to Cosy Champions

As the clocks go back, the days get shorter and people are switching on their lights and heating, Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS) is seeking to recruit 20 energy champions as part of the Cold to Cosy Homes Cumbria energy-saving service. “We’re looking for people from across South Lakes, Eden and beyond who are keen to save money on energy bills and are prepared to tell others about the help that’s on offer,” says Tina Holt, energy efficiency project officer with Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS), which runs the service. “These champions could be volunteers in their communities, frontline [...]

By |2019-10-30T15:05:35+00:00October 30th, 2019|Draughtproofing, Home energy efficiency, Homepage, Insulation, News|Comments Off on Cumbria seeks Cold to Cosy Champions
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New video charts renovation progress at 33a Chapel Street

If you cast your mind back to last summer, you might recall that we started following renovations at an old, stone-walled terraced house in Appleby. 33a Chapel Street’s journey from a flooded, damp building to a warm and cosy home is well under way, and you can see the progress so far in our latest video – a seven-minute recap on the works that have been done and the materials used. You’ll see how the old concrete floor and renders have been stripped out, replaced with an insulated limecrete floor and different types of lime plasters on the walls. [...]

By |2019-10-30T14:41:12+00:00October 30th, 2019|Home energy efficiency, Homepage, Insulation, News|Comments Off on New video charts renovation progress at 33a Chapel Street
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Cumbrians asked for views on climate change in county’s first survey

People who live, work or study in Cumbria are being invited to share their opinions on climate change and ways to tackle it in a new survey launched this week. Cumbria Action for Sustainability is running the survey and we want to hear from people from all walks of life and across all viewpoints, to help shape actions to reduce carbon emissions. “There is unprecedented momentum in Cumbria to tackle the causes of the climate crisis and we want to make sure that the voices of people in Cumbria are heard and taken into account as the pace towards [...]

By |2019-11-01T16:02:37+00:00October 2nd, 2019|News|Comments Off on Cumbrians asked for views on climate change in county’s first survey
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Carbon literacy trials prove successful

Spreading awareness about the causes of and solutions to the climate crisis is a critical first step if we're to empower Cumbrians to play a role in tackling it, and that's what we hope to achieve with a new training course called carbon literacy. CAfS ran two pilot courses during our Cumbria Green Build & Sustainable Living Festival in September 2019, with all the places snapped up by organisations and community groups keen to learn more climate science, carbon footprints and solutions. This very interactive and fast-paced day was led by certified carbon literacy trainer Sarah McClelland of Great [...]

By |2019-09-29T16:27:43+00:00September 29th, 2019|News, Training|Comments Off on Carbon literacy trials prove successful
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Climate emergency action summit helps forge next steps

Councillors, council officers and community groups came together on Saturday 22 September to pick up lots of practical information about next steps after a climate emergency has been declared. The Cumbria Climate Emergency Action Summit, organised by CAfS and sponsored by Ecology Building Society, was designed specifically for everyone grappling with what to actually do after declaring a climate emergency – what actions to take, whether to set up a citizens’ assembly, how to engage the public, what partners to involve. The event aimed to answer those questions, drawing from the experience and knowledge of experts and those who’ve [...]

By |2019-09-29T15:48:13+00:00September 29th, 2019|Climate politics, News|Comments Off on Climate emergency action summit helps forge next steps
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CAfS supports global climate strike

Cumbrians took part in global climate strikes on Friday 20 September, joining with people from around the world calling for urgent action on climate change. Rallies were held in Carlisle, Penrith, Ulverston, Kendal, Keswick, and Cockermouth. Cumbrian businesses and organisations supported the strikes in large numbers. Ellergreen Hydro, RSPB and 2030 Architects were among those giving staff time off to support and speak at the strikes. “Young people’s future is in our hands,” said Tracey Hart, associate director at 2030 architects in Penrith, and a trustee of CAfS. “What we do today will shape their tomorrow. We believe architects [...]

By |2019-09-29T17:40:33+00:00September 29th, 2019|Climate politics, News|Comments Off on CAfS supports global climate strike
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Food businesses tuck into advice on changing diets

Cafes, restaurants and caterers tucked into expert advice and experience to help them prepare for the trend towards diets with less meat and dairy, at our sustainable food event in September, co-hosted with Eco-innovation Cumbria. A wide range of food businesses gathered at the National Trust's Sticklebarn Tavern in Langdale on Monday 23 September to hear how they could cater for changing food trends and make their businesses more sustainable in other ways, too - from reducing food waste to using renewable energy. We heard from carbon expert Mike Berners-Lee from Small World Consulting about the need to become [...]

By |2019-09-29T11:12:48+00:00September 29th, 2019|Food, News|Comments Off on Food businesses tuck into advice on changing diets
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CAfS addresses business leaders

CAfS chief executive, Hazel Graham, addressed the board of Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership on Friday 27 September, explaining the urgency of the climate crisis. Hazel was speaking along with Colin Cox, director of public health, about the scale of the transformation required for a transition to a zero carbon Cumbria and the huge wealth of benefits this would bring. LEP board members were extremely positive and it was proposed to include the climate crisis as a standard agenda item. Board members emphasized the potential benefits for businesses and communities of decarbonising and acknowledged the huge opportunity it offers. Cumbria [...]

By |2019-11-01T16:03:23+00:00September 29th, 2019|News|Comments Off on CAfS addresses business leaders
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