News

Cumbria seeks Cold to Cosy Champions

By |2019-12-11T09:49:11+00:00October 30th, 2019|Draughtproofing, Home energy efficiency, Insulation, News|

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 [...]

New video charts renovation progress at 33a Chapel Street

By |2019-12-11T09:49:24+00:00October 30th, 2019|Home energy efficiency, Insulation, News|

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. [...]

Cumbrians asked for views on climate change in county’s first survey

By |2019-11-01T16:02:37+00:00October 2nd, 2019|News|

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 [...]

Carbon literacy trials prove successful

By |2020-01-07T13:58:53+00:00September 29th, 2019|News, Training|

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 [...]

Climate emergency action summit helps forge next steps

By |2019-09-29T15:48:13+01:00September 29th, 2019|Climate politics, News|

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 [...]

CAfS supports global climate strike

By |2019-09-29T17:40:33+01:00September 29th, 2019|Climate politics, News|

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 [...]

Food businesses tuck into advice on changing diets

By |2019-09-29T11:12:48+01:00September 29th, 2019|Food, News|

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 [...]

CAfS addresses business leaders

By |2019-11-01T16:03:23+00:00September 29th, 2019|News|

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 [...]

CAfS team on Cold to Cosy mission!

By |2019-11-01T16:03:32+00:00September 27th, 2019|News|

Our Cold to Cosy Homes Cumbria team have been out spreading the word about this brilliant new service to help people to save energy and cut their bills. Tina and Andrew from CAfS were at Ulverston’s bustling Eco Fair on Thursday 26 September, sharing information about the benefits that householders can tap into. A free home visit by our trained energy advisors, draughtproofing and energy-saving kit, LED bulbs, advice and referrals for other improvements are all on offer as part of the scheme. “This free support is available to a wide range of people, so we’d encourage everyone to [...]

CAfS appoints new CEO

By |2019-11-01T16:03:38+00:00September 27th, 2019|News|

We are delighted to announce that we have appointed Karen Mitchell as our new chief executive, after a very extensive recruitment campaign. Karen, who is currently the fundraising manager at Friends of the Lake District, will bring an exceptional breadth of expertise to CAfS. She has worked in the fields of sustainability and climate change for many years, for organisations including Natural England, Nurture Lakeland, Trees for Life and South Lakes Action on Climate Change. “We are very happy to have found a new chief executive with the combination of experience, knowledge and networks that we need at this [...]

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