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  • Add CAfS to your Christmas list

    Add CAfS to your Christmas list

    With Christmas around the corner it’s likely that some of us will be buying a few gifts for loved ones, which may be bought through online platforms.

    If you are buying this way, you can help us fight climate change in Cumbria by donating to CAfS while you do so.

    Gifting your time or talents to another is obviously the most eco conscious option, however if you are searching for a specific item second-hand then lots of local charities have online shops on ebay and you can set CAfS as your favourite charity to donate to when using PayPal via ebay (or anytime you use PayPal to buy things). If you are selling your own items online on eBay then you can also select us a charity to donate a proportion of your sales income to.

    Perhaps you might gift some eco friendly items, such as a climate change book, or some sustainable soaps and shampoos? If you haven’t found them locally, but have found them online, then if you buy through the Give as You Live platform or app, they will turn a percentage of your spend into free funds for us. There are over 5,500 stores listed and it doesn’t cost you anything extra.

    And lastly, if you do succumb to the online beast that is Amazon, going via Amazon Smile and selecting us when you shop means your purchase can benefit us too.

  • Community Climate Grants to move towards a Zero Carbon Cumbria 

    Community Climate Grants to move towards a Zero Carbon Cumbria 

    A new Community Climate Grant fund of £100,000, backed by The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, has been launched by Cumbria Action for Sustainability this month to help local community groups fight climate change.   

     Groups can now apply for grants ranging from £200 to £10,000, for projects and events to raise awareness of the urgent need to stop climate change and to reduce carbon emissions from energy use, land use, waste and transport.  

     The grants are part of the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership’s ambitious emission reduction programme to make Cumbria carbon neutral by 2037.     

     CAfS chief executive, Karen Mitchell, said: “The aim of the climate grants is to help communities to reduce carbon emissions. Thanks to National Lottery players, we can support local groups to bring about changes that will contribute to reaching net zero carbon in Cumbria while also benefiting local people. Getting people out of their cars and walking, using bikes or public transport, or sharing car use with others, are examples of actions that tackle climate change but also help householders by saving money on their petrol or diesel bills and getting some fresh air in the process. Similarly, an initiative like a repair cafe helps to reduce waste and the need to buy new things, while also saving money.  

    “The government pledges from COP26 in Glasgow will have some impact on the climate emergency, but we know that change must also come from local communities. We would particularly like to hear from new groups starting up in communities that haven’t had the opportunity to tackle these issues before, as we can support their development.”  

     The launch of the new grants comes just weeks after the UN climate conference in Glasgow closed, highlighting the need for action at all levels – from governments to communities.  

     Nick Gardner, Head of Climate Action at The National Lottery Community Fund, says: “Thanks to National Lottery players, we’re able to support CAfS to reach community groups who are working towards creating a zero carbon Cumbria.  Community groups in Cumbria will be able to bring their climate action work to life by accessing this new Community Climate Grant fund.   

     “Communities across the UK have an important role to play in supporting the UK to get to its Net Zero target, and by taking climate action we are not only making significant environmental improvements but are also helping people and communities prosper and thrive.”  

     Most grants will be awarded in small amounts, with a straightforward application process that’s been designed with community groups in mind. Funding of £750 can be available within a matter of days for projects that meet the eligibility criteria, with medium grants of up to £2,000 being assessed and awarded within a month.  A small number of larger grants of up to £10,000 will also be made to projects that are judged to have the most impact on carbon-saving.  The grants are open to not-for-profit groups based in Cumbria.  

     CAfS is running the grant scheme in partnership with the Cumbria Sustainability Network of more than a dozen community groups from across the county that are working to tackle climate change.   

    There are full details about the grant fund at cafs.org.uk, and groups can also find out more at a webinar on Thursday 25 November at 1pm, which is open for booking now on the CAfS website.   

     More details can be found at Community Climate Grants - CAfS  

     Booking details for the webinar can be found at Community Climate Grants – Launch Webinar (cafs.org.uk)  

     Potential applicants are encouraged to get in touch with [email protected]  if they would like advice or support on making an application.  

  • Seeds of Resilience

    Seeds of Resilience

    On Sunday 7th November members of climate action groups from across Cumbria came together with local residents for a day of discussion and celebration at the National Trust’s Footprint building in Windemere.

    The event, entitled ‘Seeds of Resilience’, was organised by CAfS and the National Trust as part of the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership to mark COP26 Nature Day and to reinforce the message that everyone can take positive action locally to contribute towards global efforts to reduce the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

    Said Cumbria Sustainability Network Coordinator Helen Attewell, ‘The event brought together members of community groups from across Cumbria to plan actions arising from the COP26 conference in Glasgow.

    ‘The event included the opportunity to explore Cumbria’s beautiful woodland with local environmentalists, and find out more about practical projects to protect biodiversity and cultivate sustainably.’

    The afternoon session included practical workshops with Gareth Thomas, from Woodmatters, taking attendees out into the woods; Lucy Axton; a trainee on The Plot, talked about transforming pastureland and an old council polytunnel near Lancaster into a productive organic garden; Isobel and Fran from SENS (Sustainable Staveley) spoke about their work on building biodiversity into local community plans and Kate Jackson from the Seeds of Resilience’ project at Brockhole described how planting and preserving seeds gives an important message of hope for the future.

    Debbie Riviere, Manager of The Footprint, said, “We are excited to be working with Cumbria Action for Sustainability to highlight the Cop26 summit, through our Seeds of Resilience Day on 7  November.  We had a fantastic turn out and were inspired to discover how interested the local community have been in this event.”

  • Young people capitalise on COP26 to raise climate concerns

    Young people capitalise on COP26 to raise climate concerns

    Young people in Cumbria have seized on the momentum generated by the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow to present their environmental concerns to leading figures within the county.

    They presented the outcomes from a recent successful Cumbria Youth Climate Summit to Councillor Celia Tibble (Cumbria County Council Cabinet Member for Environment) and Karen Mitchell (co-chair of Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership and CEO of Cumbria Action for Sustainability).

    The meeting, which took place at Cumbria County Council’s Kendal offices, coincided with Youth and Public Empowerment Day at COP26, the United Nations summit that brought together heads of state, climate experts and campaigners to agree coordinated action to tackle climate change and ran until November 12.

    The delegation of Cumbrian youngsters featured 17-year-old Hannah Wright from Kendal, who was recently selected to feature as Europe’s contributor to a Sky Kids documentary about COP26 and how climate change is already having an impact on their lives.

    Hannah and her fellow young activists shared examples of youth voices and activities in Cumbria. They made key climate recommendations for Cumbria relating to transport, the environment and opportunities to generate clean energy.

    Discussions also took place as to how civic leaders can ensure that young people are given the opportunity to be actively involved and influence all aspects of Zero Carbon Cumbria and other environmental initiatives in the county.

    The Cumbria Youth Climate Summit took place online last month. It was organised by Cumbria Development Education Centre (CDEC) and CAfS as part of the “Zero Carbon Cumbria, by the people for the people” project, which is funded by the National Lottery’s Climate Action Fund. Cumbria County Council, Fellfoot Forward and Eco-schools also provided support.

    Over 500 students from 15 schools throughout the county took part and helped shape the recommendations presented to Councillor Tibble and colleagues, which included calls for:

    • cycling to be made a safer transport option with more cycle lanes around Cumbria
    • reduced costs of public transport
    • schools and their local communities to turn waste ground into attractive shared spaces with opportunities to grow produce
    • increased recycling, reducing food waste and plastic packaging
    • increased opportunities for young people to engage on local climate-related decision-making, including representation where appropriate at council meetings.

    They were also shown a short video featuring students from across Cumbria expressing their concerns and hopes for climate action. You can view the video on our YouTube channel.

    Fiona (Co-host of Cumbria Youth Climate Summit. Aged 17 from Penrith) said ‘I think that everyone has the responsibility to do what they can. So if you’re a person who is in a position of influence, I’d like to see you using your voice to try and promote change as much as you can. I really think that there has never been a more important time to act’.

    Cllr Celia Tibble, Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: ‘I was delighted to have the opportunity to hear the wide range of ideas and views of our young people on climate change, and the actions they are taking to encourage all of us to tackle the most important global issue of our time.

    ‘Their passion for demanding change and direct action is inspiring, and I have no doubt there are some future leaders among them. Their dedication to the sustainability of our planet must now inspire governments and organisations to facilitate real change, and they have my full support during this vitally important time.’

    Karen Mitchell, CEO of CAfS, said: ‘Young people have every right to be concerned for their futures and to demand action on climate change There is much that we all need to do and can do here in Cumbria that these young people have highlighted very well and which would benefit all our lives as well as help safeguard their futures. People and organisations across Cumbria must listen and respond to them.’

    Laura Goad, Director of CDEC, said: “The Youth Climate Summit last month was Cumbria’s third such event; Robert Ferguson Primary School planned the initial summits in 2019 and 2020. This summit showed us yet again how passionate young people are about the health and wellbeing of the planet and how they are equipped – with ideas, plans and vision – to take local action that can have global impact.”

  • Ask us about new grants for heat pumps

    Ask us about new grants for heat pumps

    The newly announced government grant of up to £5000 to help householders replace an old boiler with a heat pump is already generating a lot of interest. And the CAfS team are ready to answer your questions.

    With a grant of £5000, if you can install an air source heat pump for £7000 then there’s just £2000 to pay, to swap out your old gas boiler and replace it with a heat pump – right?

    For some households, it could be that easy. But, even in these cases, there are some important differences between an oil or gas boiler and a heat pump. And it’s important to get a system that is correctly sized for your house, correctly installed, and correctly commissioned. If you can do all of that, you should have a great, low carbon heating system that heats your home effectively for many years to come.

    If your house is not currently ‘heat pump ready’, don’t despair, as you can make energy improvements to your home in the meantime. And heat pump technology and costs could make them a better option a few years down the line.  

    Beware of sales pitches. We suggest getting independent advice to make sure you can decide on the best solution. Here are the key things to consider (and it’s not an exhaustive list.) 

    Heat pump checklist 

    1. Is my house already sufficiently well insulated for a heat pump to heat the house effectively, or will it cost more in electricity if I just install a heat pump now without making any changes? 
    2. If my house is quite well insulated, would it make sense to increase the insulation further so that my heat pump would cost less to run? 
    3. Do I need to make other changes – a new or replacement hot water tank? Bigger radiators? Wider bore pipework? Underfloor heating in some places? What is the cost of these changes and any making good of the interior décor? 
    4. Where is a suitable place to put an Air Source Heat Pump unit outside my house and will I or neighbours hear it? 
    5. Would I want a heat pump installer to size my system including radiators?  
    6. Or would I prefer to have an independent consultant to size the system so that I can ask several installers to quote against the same specification?
    7. How will I distinguish between a competent installer and one that might not be carrying out high quality installations? 
    8. Can I find out about other people’s experiences of installing heat pumps? 

    CAfS can help with our free advice service. And for a comprehensive energy audit, there’s our Home Retrofit Planner service, which starts from £600.  

     To find out more:  

    Enquire online 

    Email us at [email protected]  

    Call us on 01768 216500 

  • COP26 – what we can dare to hope for and what it means for Cumbria

    COP26 – what we can dare to hope for and what it means for Cumbria

    In a few days’ time, world leaders will arrive in Glasgow for the UN climate summit, COP26. When the negotiations draw to a close two weeks later, will countries have made the commitments needed to keep global temperature rise within the crucial 1.5 degrees limit?

    Speaking to school children this week, the prime minister said: “I am very worried because it might go wrong and we might not get the agreements that we need and it is touch and go. It is very, very difficult, but I think it can be done.”

    Whether the PM was managing expectations, or being cautiously optimistic, each can judge for themselves. One thing is clear – regardless of the commitments that countries make during COP, the science remains the same. Globally, we must reduce emissions by 45% by 2030 if we’re to have any prospect of keeping within the 1.5 degree limit.

    The reports by the UN’s climate scientists, the IPCC, over the past few months couldn’t be any clearer. Their August report was branded ‘code red for humanity’. They’ve said the viability of our societies depend on staying within these emissions limits.  

    So, what happens if governments don’t act? Well, we’re now at around 1.2 degrees above the average global temperature of pre-industrial times, before we started burning fossil fuels at scale. We’re already seeing the impacts of this seemingly small change in temperature around the world – heatwaves, droughts, floods, wildfires, rising sea levels, acidification of oceans, melting of permafrosts and glaciers – and the devastation these have already caused for people and nature, as well as the huge financial cost of dealing with the aftermath. Some of these changes are irreversible. 

    It is deeply concerning that the pledges made by countries so far put us on track for a 16% increase in emissions by 2030, instead of the 45% decrease needed. This effectively abandons low-lying nations and many in the global south to climate chaos, while condemning communities here in Cumbria to face repeated and more severe flooding. 

    With every fraction of a degree that temperatures rise, the impacts worsen. That’s why every tonne of carbon saved counts. That’s why we have targets in Cumbria for emission reduction that are based on the science, led by the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership of 80+ organisations – from business leaders and local authorities to community groups. That’s why our county has ambitious projects that lead the way and bring wider benefits. For example, the switch to renewable energy in Cumbria has huge potential to create new jobs and increase our resilience and energy security. Actions to reduce energy use in our homes will also make them warmer and save people money in the long term.   

    We hope to see action out of COP26 that aligns with the urgency of the science and gives us the results recommended by the IPCC – pledges in line with 1.5 degrees, and the end of all new fossil fuel exploration and production.  Whatever governments commit to during COP26, here in Cumbria we will continue to act at the pace and scale required by science. We will lead the way, ensure communities benefit from and influence climate action in the county, and do all we can to bring about the thousands of green jobs, that will result. 

  • Electric Battle Bus rolls into Burneside

    Electric Battle Bus rolls into Burneside

    The good people at Burneside Community Energy (BCE) hosted the only Cumbrian stop on a UK tour of film makers documenting low carbon initiatives in a big, blue zero-carbon bus.

    The government-funded Zero Carbon Tour stopped by to feature the successful partnership between BCE and James Cropper PLC, which has seen a range of solar PV arrays installed at the firm’s plant. BCE held an event showcasing their success and welcomed representatives from multiple organisations involved in Cumbria’s sustainability efforts. 

    The Zero Carbon Tour is a project from Planet Mark, a team of sustainability certifiers. They are embarking on a huge journey across the UK. Everywhere they stop, they are filming local climate action by businesses and communities. 

    Their tour ends in Glasgow in November just in time for the UN climate summit, COP26, the world’s largest gathering of world leaders to discuss their plans to avert the climate emergency.

    Jo Little from Planet Mark said: ‘We’re capturing carbon stories. We’re finding out what businesses are doing to spread that knowledge and awareness and encourage other businesses to do the right thing as well. 

    ‘We’re going to take these carbon stories to COP26 to allow the government to understand what people are doing up and down the country. We’ve seen some fantastic initiatives in Burneside today. There’s such a strong spirit of community here and we’ve been deeply impressed by what they’ve shown us.’ 

    BCE was set up in 2015, raising funds through a community share offer to install solar PV on the roof of James Cropper PLC, a large paper producer in the town. Since then, it has installed 998.5kW of solar panels on the factory, paid for further solar panels for the local primary school and is expected to raise over £50,000 for community projects over the coming years. Not bad at all!

    Director of BCE Phil Davies said: ‘We’re incredibly proud to have the bus come to us and recognise what we’ve achieved here in Burneside. What we’ve got that is really special is a partnership between a big industry leader in James Cropper PLC and the people who live in the village, who got together to see what we could do about the problems of carbon and climate. Our solar panels save around 330 tonnes of carbon a year, and we hope that we could be a template to inspire similar villages and towns throughout Cumbria to do the same.’ 

    As well as providing a service and assets for the village, the project was also a smart move for James Cropper PLC. Their utilities manager Richard Graham said: ‘It’s a win-win situation. We had a lot of empty roofs, and the renewables technology was becoming more economic. We could install solar PV with no negative impact to the business and indeed we now use the power generated from the panels. James Cropper wants to show other businesses that it can be done and that it’s really a no brainer.’ 

    The film makers from the bus interviewed and filmed the team from BCE as well as representatives from James Cropper PLC, Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (CLEP) and our CEO Karen Mitchell. They then joined us in the village’s hall to find out more through a series of short presentations about the project and how it fits into the wider efforts to reduce carbon emissions in the county. 

    Karen said: ‘It’s great that Planet Mark have stopped in Cumbria as we have a particularly ambitious target to reach net-zero carbon by 2037. The actions of businesses are critical to achieving this so we can be proud that we have a Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership of 80 organisations working together towards this goal. We face particular challenges in this county due to being highly rural with many isolated communities along with the effects of extreme weather events. It’s good to know that these experiences will be making their way to Glasgow alongside more urban concerns.’ 

    Ian Wheeler from Cumbria LEP said: ‘We want to see Cumbria lead the way on clean energy and we believe this is possible due to our industrial heritage and our natural resources. We’re seeing a brilliant example of a business thriving through generating renewable power with their community in James Cropper PLC. We’d love to see this success replicated across the county.’ 

    The event was supported by the National Lottery Community Fund as part of the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership’s ambitious emission reduction programme.  

    Planet Mark’s Zero Carbon Tour is being supported by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The bus’s next stops will be in the North East and Scotland before it finally arrives at COP26 in November. 

  • Youth Climate Summit 2021

    Youth Climate Summit 2021

    Calling all Cumbrian schools! The Cumbria Youth Climate Action Summit is being held online on Friday October 15 2021, from 9:30am – 12 midday. We’ve been hard at work behind the scenes getting together a great programme, with a steering group made up of young people in Cumbria helping us plan workshops that will help inform and empower your students.

    These workshops cover a range of topics which you can choose from, from getting your voice heard and COP26, to making your school carbon zero, to what opportunities there are in the Fellfoot area.

    The event will be held remotely this year via Zoom.

    The aim of this summit is to build on the amazing environmental and climate actions young people are already taking in Cumbria, so that young people are at the heart of making Cumbria Zero Carbon by 2037. This will also involve support from the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership after the summit, for students who wish to take part in climate projects at their schools.

    If you would like your students to attend, please fill in the form here you’ll be able to choose which workshops you’d like to attend and we’ll send you more details of the event shortly.

  • Fantastic take up at the Ambleside to Zero Climate Action Day

    Fantastic take up at the Ambleside to Zero Climate Action Day

    Last Thursday 23rd September, as part of the Great Big Green Week, we supported Ambleside Action for a Future to hold their Climate Action Day. This public event was to both support local businesses and residents to cut carbon and was packed with information, advice and projects to get involved with. Excitingly, the event was featured on ITV news which gave a great overview of what it was about.

    Business support

    Businesses were able to have face to face conversations with Sarah Smith, manager of the Low Carbon Lake District Grant scheme, who explained how to apply for the funding and helped many businesses along with their applications. They also met Mike Siddall from Eco I North West, who introduced them to the free research support available from the six north west universities for low carbon business innovation.

    Many were keen to talk to Alasdair Muir from A Muir Surveying about commercial building energy audits, Tim Maiden from Green Small Business about the subsidised support for businesses in South Lakeland for environmental audits and certification, and Ady Powell from Charge My Street about their exciting new programme – Charge While You Sleep – aimed at installing electric vehicle charge points in hospitality businesses.

    Molly Hogg from CAfS was demonstrating our carbon footprint calculator, which is free to any business or household in Cumbria and Lancashire, and was explaining the benefits of understanding where your emissions come from. Businesses also benefitted from the wisdom of Phil Davies from CAfS, John Barwise from QoL Environment Consultancy and Karen Bentley-Brown from Future Fixers, all of whom have years of experience supporting businesses to become more sustainable.

    We look forward to working with these businesses over the coming months and will be continuing to offer business support into the future. If you are a business in need some environmental advice, please do get in touch via [email protected].

    Community projects

    The afternoon session with local residents was just as fruitful. We had great interest in our solar PV project to find a trusted installer to introduce to the community in Ambleside – thanks to Matt Fawcett from Carbon Coop for his help on this one. Our interactive solar PV map of Ambleside proved to be a great resource, allowing people to check out the potential of their own roof. Tina Holt from CAfS was also in demand, giving expert advice retrofitting homes for energy efficiency, and several people signed up for AAFAF’s free home heat loss surveys which they’ll be starting once the weather gets cold.

    There was also keen interest in AAFAF’s other projects, including their tree maintenance and habitat restoration projects and lobbying for sustainable transport.

    Anyone local to Ambleside or within easy reach is welcome to join these projects, so please do get in touch either with CAfS ([email protected]) or AAFAF via their website or email [email protected].

    Education

    Also in attendance was Phil Furneaux who, with support from CAfS developed a module for his sustainable physics course with the Lancaster Physics Department. You can view slides from the course involving the CAfS team here.

  • Free retrofit advice consultations now available

    Free retrofit advice consultations now available

    As autumn progresses, many of us think about ways to make our homes warmer, more comfortable and cheaper to heat. And this year, we might also be thinking about better levels of controlled ventilation. 

    If you are wondering whether your home needs more insulation, improved ventilation and windows, or a new heating system, it is good to know you’re making the best use of your money to achieve your specific priorities. 

    Thanks to funding from Energy Redress, CAfS is able to offer home owners in Cumbria a free telephone consultation to answer your questions about retrofitting your own home. 

    All you need to do is to contact CAfS (see below) and ask for your free retrofit consultation.  

    If you already know that you need a whole house plan specific to your building, and perhaps a thermal imaging survey, then we can give you a quote for those too.  

    CAfS’ team of independent energy assessors are qualified to create an in-depth energy model of your home and propose a range of thermal improvement options. Expertise in the CAfS team covers traditional buildings as well as more modern homes. 

    For a quote or a free telephone consultation with one of our retrofit advice team, just get in touch:  

    • Call us on 01768 216500 

    Or enquire online here.