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Stay warm with our insulation offer!

If you're looking for home insulation and want to use a sustainable, natural product, you could take advantage of a special discount for CAfS supporters. Ecological Building Systems are offering you 8 packs of Thermo-Jute 100 insulation for the price of 7, plus free delivery to CA and LA postcodes. Thermo-Jute 100 is made using jute bags from the food industry. As well as its superb thermal properties, it can help to regulate humidity in your home and buffer noise. It comes in different thicknesses. You can get full details about this type of insulation on the Ecological Building [...]

By |2019-09-03T09:49:36+01:00August 30th, 2019|Insulation, News|Comments Off on Stay warm with our insulation offer!
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Could your premises host an electric vehicle charge point?

CAfS would love to hear from venues that could potentially host a charge point for electric vehicles (EVs). We want to find two hundred sites in Cumbria and other parts of northern England over the next 18 months, as part of the new project to build EV infrastructure that we announced in July. The project kicks off next month (September), so the eligibility criteria for charge point hosts haven’t been set just yet, but at this stage we’re keen to have expressions of interest from possible sites. Community buildings, private businesses with a forecourt, rural hotels in a village [...]

By |2019-08-30T21:12:08+01:00August 30th, 2019|Electric vehicles, Homepage, News|Comments Off on Could your premises host an electric vehicle charge point?
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Celebrating 20 years on the journey to a zero carbon Cumbria!

This year, CAfS has been celebrating our first full 20 years as an independent organisation tackling climate change in Cumbria! It's a fantastic opportunity to look back and remember just how far we've come and all that we've achieved - especially at at time when there's more collective determination than ever to achieve our vision of a zero carbon Cumbria. To mark the occasion, we've produced a new booklet capturing some of our many highlights down through the years - from starting the UK's first Green Build Festival to helping set up several of Cumbria's community energy schemes. There's [...]

By |2019-07-30T09:49:36+01:00July 30th, 2019|Homepage, News|Comments Off on Celebrating 20 years on the journey to a zero carbon Cumbria!
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New project will boost chargepoints across Cumbria & the North

Infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs) across northern England is set to power up over the next eighteen months thanks to new government investment announced this month. Cumbria Action for Sustainability is part of a partnership, led by Cybermoor and Charge my Street, which will join forces to deliver the Scaling On-Street Charging Infrastructure (SOSCI) project. It’s one of twelve projects that will share £37 million funding to revolutionise the experience of owning an electric vehicle in the UK. The government aims for these innovations to encourage uptake of electric vehicles – a key aim of its Road to Zero [...]

By |2019-08-30T21:14:41+01:00July 28th, 2019|Electric vehicles, News|Comments Off on New project will boost chargepoints across Cumbria & the North
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Green build festival powers up with new headline sponsor

Electricity North West has been named as the headline sponsor for this year’s Cumbria Green Build and Sustainable Living Festival. This annual programme showcasing clever low-energy buildings and home improvements, along with ways to cut carbon footprints, will expand to around fifty events for 2019, thanks to the sponsorship boost from the region’s electricity distribution network operator. Run by Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS), the festival offers open homes, tours, workshops, courses, films, conferences and talks, for householders, communities and professionals. Now in its fourteenth year, the festival was the first of its kind in the country. “We are [...]

By |2019-07-28T15:24:15+01:00July 28th, 2019|Cumbria Green Build Festival, Homepage, News|Comments Off on Green build festival powers up with new headline sponsor
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Take a sneak peak at Green Build 2019

You are the first to get a sneak preview of this year’s Cumbria Green Build & Sustainable Living Festival! We are still busily putting the final touches on our whopping list of 50 or so events, but we’re peeling back the curtain so you can see what’s in store for you when they open for booking later in July. Keep an eye on our website and social media towards the middle of the month to have first choice! Open homes: No Green Build Festival would be complete without the chance to visit real homes with energy-saving design, renewable energy [...]

By |2019-06-28T21:30:24+01:00June 28th, 2019|Cumbria Green Build Festival, Homepage, News|Comments Off on Take a sneak peak at Green Build 2019
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Government announces plan to reach ‘almost’ net zero by 2050

We welcome the Government's announcement today of a new plan to cut UK emissions to 'almost zero' by 2050 - but the climate science calls for much greater urgency. This is a wonderful sign that there is political will to move in the right direction, compared to the Government's previous 80% target by 2050, but the Government must go much further must faster. Particularly in light of the UK's historic contribution to global emissions, CAfS agrees with calls for the UK to reach net zero by 2030. The UN's report by the IPCC last October was very clear - [...]

By |2019-07-28T16:13:41+01:00June 12th, 2019|Climate politics, News|Comments Off on Government announces plan to reach ‘almost’ net zero by 2050
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New coordinator gets Green Build Festival planning under way

We welcomed a new team member in May, with Nigel Jenkins joining us to coordinate our flagship Cumbria Green Build and Sustainable Living Festival, with headline sponsor Electricity North West. Nigel brings an impressive mix of skills, combining engineering, training, event management and film making. He has first-hand experience of eco building, after renovating his old farmhouse in Eden – not to mention winning his region’s Lego competition as a youngster. In short, he’s well placed to build a fantastic festival this year! Already on the cards are courses on using lime, visits to low-energy homesteads, a straw bale [...]

By |2019-05-31T13:57:56+01:00May 31st, 2019|Cumbria Green Build Festival, News|Comments Off on New coordinator gets Green Build Festival planning under way
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Alston residents asked for views on housing

A survey has just gone out on Alston Moor to understand the area’s housing needs, supported by CAfS’ Greenprint programme. The survey asks residents about their homes and how well they meet their different needs, both now and into the future. It explores whether homes are fit to live in, asking about issues like damp and energy efficiency, as well as wider needs like space for food growing. The survey was created by Alston Moor’s community-led housing group, thanks to funding from Eden District Council’s community housing fund. Being bespoke to the area, the survey touches on issues that [...]

By |2019-05-31T11:51:23+01:00May 31st, 2019|Alston Moor Greenprint, Community-led housing, News|Comments Off on Alston residents asked for views on housing
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Elections change Cumbria’s political landscape

The council elections in May have changed the local political landscape in Cumbria, and CAfS is watching with interest to see what this might mean for efforts to tackle the climate crisis. Following the elections, three of the six district-level councils in Cumbria now have no overall control by one party: Carlisle (previously Labour-led), Eden (previously Conservative-led) and Allerdale (previously Labour was the largest party). South Lakeland remains under Liberal Democrat control, while Barrow and Copeland remain Labour-led. Independents and Green Party candidates faired well. Four Green councillors were elected in Cumbria – the first at district level (two [...]

By |2019-05-31T15:00:27+01:00May 30th, 2019|Climate politics, News|Comments Off on Elections change Cumbria’s political landscape
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