News

CAfS hosted a visiting Japanese professor this week, who is exploring how community-owned renewable energy could help to turn the tide on his country's rural depopulation and ageing. Nobutaka Matoba, a professor of policy science at Ryukoku University, met with Phil Davies, low-carbon development manager at CAfS on Monday 4 March 2019. Professor Matoba had been signposted to CAfS by the growing trail of Japanese business and academic delegates who have recently visited us, hoping to take back information and inspiration to counteract Japan’s chronic rural depopulation and rural ageing problem. They all hope that these trends might be [...]

Carlisle City Council last night (Tue 5 March) passed a motion to declare a climate emergency. They are the second local authority in Cumbria to do so, following South Lakeland District Council on 26 February. Carlisle's motion, proposed by Councillor Colin Glover, leader of the council, is one of the strongest in the country, committing the council to: Declare a ‘Climate Emergency’ that requires urgent action. Make the Council’s activities net-zero carbon by 2030. Ensure that all strategic decisions, budgets and approaches to planning decisions are in line with a shift to zero carbon by 2030. Support and work [...]

It's official... our chief executive, Hazel Graham, is one of the forty women under forty who are shaping Carlisle! Hazel has been featured in the March 2019 edition of Carlisle Living, in a list of the women described as the innovators and leaders who are shaping the city.

Sian Berry, co-leader of the Green Party, visited a community-owned solar PV scheme in Burneside and a zero-waste shop in Penrith as part of her recent visit to Cumbria. In the south of the county, she visited the James Cropper Ltd plant in Burneside, learning about their recycling of coffee cups and their community energy partnership with Community Energy Cumbria, supported by CAfS. She also visited Ulverston to hear about proposals for empty commercial properties. In Penrith, Sian learnt about initiatives to reduce plastic, including a visit to the new zero-waste shop, Another Weigh. Local Green Party members and [...]

This year’s Cumbria Life Home & Garden Show will have opportunities to learn about making your home energy efficient and flood resilient – including a workshop by CAfS. CAfS is among the 80 exhibitors, for our third year at the show. We’ll be joined by Chris Morphet from Lake District Lime, so stop by for a chat about everything from draughtproofing to complete retrofits. We’re also hosting a workshop on making your home more resilient to extreme weather, such as flooding. Also among the exhibitors are architects with experience in low-energy buildings and extensions, suppliers of materials for [...]

A hearing on the proposed coal mine at Whitehaven, which was due to have happened on Friday 22 February, was postponed. The new date appears to be Tuesday 19 March. South Lakes Action on Climate Change is among the organisations that have objected to the proposal. A web page has been set up, which will be updated with details of any protests planned for the day, and it also includes SLACC’s letter of objection and more information about the proposal. See SLACC objection plus updates on the hearing and demonstrations

South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) has become the first local authority in Cumbria to declare a climate emergency, committing to cuts in carbon emissions in the area. Cumbria’s second declaration may not be far behind. Carlisle City Council will vote on a climate emergency motion next Tuesday, 5 March. SLDC’s climate emergency motion was approved unanimously at a meeting of the full council on 26 February. It was led by Dyan Jones, environment portfolio holder. The motion states: “Council confirms that it is committed to reducing its carbon emissions and continues to look at all areas of policy and [...]