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  • CAfS to host youth climate question time for 20th anniversary

    CAfS to host youth climate question time for 20th anniversary

    Children and young people from across Cumbria will have the chance to tell people in positions of power what they think about climate change, and ask them what they are doing to solve it.

    CAfS is holding a climate question time event in Penrith on Friday 5 July, where a panel of politicians (including MPs), an activist and a climate expert will answer questions submitted in advance by young people from across Cumbria. The questions will be put to them at the event by an interview panel of young people representing the voice of children across the county.

    The event is also open to the general public and has been organised after children at Cumbria’s first youth summit on climate change in April said they wanted more opportunities to speak to, question and influence people in positions of power.

    Submit a question

    Anyone under the age of 18 can send in a question for the panel. Schools are welcome to coordinate and submit questions for their students. If you are under 18 and would like to submit a question directly to us, please ask your parents to email it directly to us. Please email questions to [email protected], by Tuesday 18 June.

    The interview panel of young people will choose the questions to ask on the day.

    Tips for questions

    Include a short statement and a question. Here’s an example:

    We know we need to get carbon emissions to zero by 2030. I am worried that the government is not acting fast enough. Why don’t we make it the law to reduce emissions to zero by 2030?

    Attend the event

    The event is open to students, teachers and the general public.

    As it’s during school hours, we invite teachers to attend with a small group of students. If you’re a young person, please tell your teachers about the event and ask if a group from your school can come along.

    There are just 100 tickets available, with half reserved for young people. We suggest booking quickly!

    This unique event is part of our celebrations marking our 20th year.

    Book your free place now
  • Target reached for Alston school solar crowdfund

    Target reached for Alston school solar crowdfund

    The solar dreams of Alston schools have come true after a crowdfunding campaign raised the money needed for a 27 kW solar PV array.

    The campaign was run by Alston Moor Community Energy (AMCE) and marks the group’s first successful installation of renewable energy in the area. It raised its full target of £22,300, to install the maximum size of array on the roof of the Alston Primary and Samuel Kings’ schools.

    Kit England, one of AMCE’s directors, said:

    “We’re delighted to have hit our target and we’re extremely grateful to all those individuals and businesses who pledged donations or raised funds to help make it happen – especially the Coop for their raffle, and Pennine Ways, whose final generous donation helped us meet our target.

    “Every donation has gone towards investing in the next generation, both in tackling climate change and in contributing to the long-term financial sustainability of the school. It also demonstrates the real financial and social benefits Alston Moor can realise by going green.”

    With the funds raised, things are moving fast.

    “The scaffolding is already up and Love Solar is due to complete the install this week, ensuring the school benefits from this summer’s sun,” Kit said. “Over the next 20 years, the project will save over 150 tonnes of carbon, as well as generating nearly £70,000 of savings through the school from reduced energy bills and income from the feed-in tariff.”

    CAfS has supported AMCE over the past few years, through our Alston Moor Greenprint project, run by Roe Baker.

    “Together, we’ve explored several different options for renewable energy on Alston Moor – from solar to hydro – and it’s brilliant to see those efforts bearing fruit now,” Roe said. “A huge well done to the volunteers at AMCE who have made this fantastic project happen. It’s very fitting that AMCE’s first installation should directly benefit young people and future generations. Switching to cleaner energy is so central to preventing the climate crisis, which will affect them the most.”

  • Ambleside group’s zero carbon ambitions get a boost

    Ambleside group’s zero carbon ambitions get a boost

    A community group in Ambleside with a goal for the town to become net zero carbon had a major boost in May after South Lakeland District Council announced a package of support.

    Thanks to the council’s funding, CAfS will work alongside the Ambleside Action for a Future group to help them decide on a programme of actions to reduce carbon emissions.

    Announcing the support at a meeting in the town on 20th May, Councillor Dyan Jones, the council’s portfolio holder for climate emergency and localism, said:

    “Wise and prudent spending at South Lakeland District Council means we are able to support CAfS and the superb work they do with communities and businesses here in South Lakes. I am happy to endorse a group which is committed to do what they can to combat climate emergency. Good luck to Ambleside Action for a Future!”

    Rhona Pringle from CAfS will help the group to create a detailed, costed action plan by March next year. Using her expertise and experience from guiding other communities around the UK, she’ll scope out the feasibility of different actions that Ambleside could take, ensuring that their efforts are put into initiatives that will have the most impact.

    Rhona will support engagement with the community to develop the plan and identify any training local people might need, to equip them with the skills to transition to zero carbon. Crucially, she’ll also build in a way to share lessons learnt with other communities in South Lakeland.

    Gillian Kelly, from Ambleside Action for a Future, said:

    “We are delighted to have the active support of CAfS in the person of Rhona Pringle. Her input will be invaluable to a group of people who, although passionate about making a difference, have not been in this territory before and lack her considerable experience and knowledge of everything from sources of information to sources of funding. We feel fortunate indeed to have this opportunity to work with her as well as the backing of SLDC.”

    CAfS will also offer a range of other services and events in South Lakeland, thanks to wider funding from the district council.

    “Communities and organisations are increasingly aware that they need to take action to tackle the climate crisis, but the challenge for them is knowing what to do,” Rhona said. “Thanks to the council’s support, we will also run a series of events, including a low-carbon conference, an event for business leaders, a talk by a high-profile speaker, training courses, open homes and a bus tour visiting sites where people can see low-carbon technologies in use.

    “We hope that these events will give households and businesses in South Lakeland a chance to find out about ways to cut their carbon footprint, whether at an individual level or in their organisations and communities,” Rhona said.

    The funding will also see CAfS create an online knowledge hub where communities and individuals can learn about different ways of reducing their carbon footprint, including real examples of what others have done, how-to guides and videos.

    “We’ll also continue our existing support for communities in South Lakeland – for example, with advice and support on funding for low-carbon projects, sharing expertise and helping them to promote events,” Rhona said.

    The support by CAfS runs until the end of March 2020, and builds on several years of partnership working with the council.

    Read the council’s press release

  • CAfS response to Environment Agency flood adaptation warning

    CAfS response to Environment Agency flood adaptation warning

    The Environment Agency has called for spending of around £1 billion a year on flood adaptation, with a warning that some communities may need to move because of the risk of floods.

    The story has been widely reported in the media today, as the Agency launches a new consultation on its flood strategy.

    We agree with calls by Emma Howard Boyd, chair of the Environment Agency, for more funding for flood management and with the Agency’s assessment of the scale of adaptation that’s needed, but the UK must take urgent action to cut carbon emissions so that we can avoid worse impacts in the future. We must treat the causes of these changes in our climate – as well as dealing with the symptoms.

    Rising sea levels are one of the symptoms of climate change, caused by global warming, and unfortunately this will get worse before it can get better. We’ve warmed our planet by 1 degree Centigrade since we started burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas, which gives off carbon emissions that trap the Sun’s heat. Levels of carbon emissions are still rising globally but if governments take urgent action now, we can still stop our planet warming beyond 1.5 degrees, and prevent the likely irreversible and catastrophic changes that would occur beyond that point. Even at 1.5 degrees, we know that some areas will be lost to rising seas, but we have the opportunity to protect many more communities living in coastal areas around the world.

    Governments have to take unprecedented actions now – much more than they have committed to so far. Even if countries fulfil the commitments they made at the UN climate conference in Paris in 2015, the Earth will warm by 3 degrees centigrade. We cannot allow this to happen because it will mean an estimated 275 million people living in coastal areas will lose their homes to rising seas. Meanwhile, at 3 degrees of warming, other parts of the world will become uninhabitable due extremes of heat and cold, drought and flooding – not to mention the massive loss of species and the breakdown of our food systems.

    We’ve already seen communities having to leave their homes in America and other countries due to rising sea levels, as featured on David Attenborough’s excellent documentary, Climate Change – The Facts, and this will continue to get worse.

    We agree with Emma Howard Boyd’s statement that we “can’t win a war against water by building away climate change with infinitely high flood defences”. We must drastically and urgently cut the carbon emissions that are causing this climate emergency.

    The extreme weather we are seeing here in the UK – including the flooding that has had such a devastating impact in Cumbria – is forty times more likely in today’s warmer world than it would have been before we started burning fossil fuels like oil, coal and gas – the main source of the carbon emissions that are warming our planet.

    What CAfS has been doing to help Cumbria adapt for climate change – and to tackle the causes

    CAfS has been helping local people to make their homes more resilient to flooding and to reduce their emissions through the Rebuilding Together programme. It’s funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, in partnership with Cumbria CVS and ACTion with Communities in Cumbria. It is essential that national efforts to protect against climate impacts take the same approach and also seek to reduce emissions.

    We’re also showing people the steps they can take to make their homes cope better with flooding while also using less energy, by sharing video diaries and other films from a house renovation in Appleby, thanks to support from Historic England. This terraced house at 33a Chapel Street has previously flooded but it’s being transformed into a warm, dry home.

    We’ve been supporting many communities that want to respond to the feeling of helplessness and frustration about flooding by running climate change mitigation projects, as well as training professionals like architects and builders on how to refurbish for energy efficiency and flood resilience.

    CAfS has been supporting people to make their homes and other buildings more energy efficient for more than twenty years. Our Cumbria Green Build and Sustainable Living Festival features a month of events every September, along with training courses, workshops and activities all year round.

    As Cumbria’s leading organisation for carbon emission reduction, we are supporting local authorities, businesses and communities to move towards a zero carbon Cumbria, helping to bring the county’s leaders together to drive real change.

    Find out more about climate change

    Our online sustainable living guide is packed with tips for reducing our carbon footprint and cutting energy use at home.

    There’s a chance to find out more and discuss climate change at the ClimateKeys event in Carlisle on 18 May. CAfS chief executive Hazel Graham will be among the speakers, with more details available from the Carlisle One World Centre.

    Read more about this story in the media:

    BBC News report

  • CAfS welcomes UK climate emergency

    There have been two really important developments in tackling climate change this week.

    No 1: Parliament has backed a motion by the Labour Party to declare a climate emergency in the UK. It also “calls on the government to aim to achieve net-zero emissions before 2050 and for ministers to outline urgent proposals to restore the UK’s natural environment and deliver a “zero waste economy” within the next six months.” Read more >

    No 2: The UK’s Committee on Climate Change (which advises the govt) has said it would be possible for the UK to cut carbon emissions to ‘nearly zero’ by 2050. The report’s author said, however, that there was no way the 2050 target would be achieved unless the government backed it with policies and money. Read more > 

    CAfS view

    What’s our take on this at CAfS? Well, as you’d expect, we welcome the call for rapid and meaningful action on climate change and we support the UK’s declaration of a climate and environmental emergency. We would want the time frames for decarbonising to be more ambitious, however.

    October’s report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change leaves us with no doubt about the urgency of the situation and the fact that every year of delay takes us closer to tipping points in our earth’s climate system, and costs lives.

    Globally we must cut emissions to zero by 2050 and, given the UK’s historically high emissions, we must decarbonise far more rapidly than the global average.

    Cutting UK emissions to net zero by 2030 is not only technically feasible, but brings a whole host of benefits in terms of health and jobs, and we would like to see a more ambitious timescale for emission reduction.

  • SLDC visit gives insight into community energy

    Cabinet members and senior officers from South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) had an opportunity to see the possibilities of community energy at an event organised by CAfS.

    The group, including the leader of the council and the directors of housing and planning, visited the community energy installation at James Cropper PLC in Burneside on Tuesday 23 April. They also heard how community-owned renewables could be a game-changer for new housing developments in South Lakeland.

    The visit began with a presentation by Phil Davies from CAfS on how the community-owned solar PV installation at James Cropper PLC came about. Phil is chair and co-founder of Burneside Community Energy (BCE), which owns the installation. He outlined how this community-benefit company was set up, supported by CAfS, and the process it went through to install 750kw of solar PV, also describing the benefits to the community. The aim was to show the SLDC group how this model could be replicated elsewhere in South Lakeland, lowering CO2 emissions and creating a circular economy to retain income that would otherwise drain out of the area.

    The group then heard how community-owned renewables could be integrated into new housing developments. Historically, building developers often do not take up the opportunity to install renewables due to the cost. Gill Fenna, director of BCE and Quantum Strategy & Technology, explained that community energy companies could be the answer, with people coming together to own the installations. In this way, all new housing developments could have renewable energy integrated into them for heating and power. It’s particularly timely, with the Government announcement that gas boilers cannot be installed in any new homes after 2025.

    Gill also outlined an exciting new project that could see community-owned solar PV installed on the roofs of major businesses in and around South Lakeland. The Solar Kendal initiative has been spearheaded by Ellergreen Energy, building on experience from the partnership between Burneside Community Energy and James Cropper PLC.

    Gill, who has been liaising with businesses and laying the groundwork for the project, reported that the response has been very positive. The project could result in a total capacity of 2MW of solar energy. The plan is to give local people the chance to invest in the installations through a community share offer.
    The SLDC group then had a tour of James Cropper to see the community-owned solar PV installations.

    “It was a thoroughly positive afternoon, which we hope has given SLDC more knowledge about the possibilities,” said Rhona Pringle from CAfS, who organised the event. “SLDC declared a climate emergency in February and the event should be helpful as they look at ways to progress their climate change agenda. It’s been a great opportunity for CAfS to share positive experiences from projects that we’ve helped to kick start.”

  • CAfS staff sharing expertise on industry panels

    Two members of the CAfS team are helping to scrutinise sustainability and inclusivity at Electricity North West and the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (CLEP).

    Phil Davies, our low carbon development manager, has been invited to join the new Places sub-group of the CLEP. Phil will scrutinise and advise on the sustainability and carbon impact of CLEP initiatives, along with projects it funds.

    Phil is also a member of the sustainability board for Electricity North West, where he’ll assess proposals to decarbonize its operations and its external engagement with consumers, to help ensure they are sustainable and inclusive.

    Andrew Northcott, our domestic energy efficiency project manager, represents CAfS on Electricity North West’s stakeholder advisory panel for vulnerable customers. Through the panel, Andrew will be able to raise issues that vulnerable customers face and help to influence the company’s policy and funding.

    He hopes his input will help to improve referral rates for the Priority Services Register while also building links with other partners representing vulnerable customers who might benefit from CAfS services. Andrew’s involvement may also help to direct funding to projects in our area that support vulnerable customers.

  • South Lakes MP has light bulb moment with CAfS

    South Lakes MP has light bulb moment with CAfS

    Tim Farron with CAfS Andrew Northcott and LEAP visit householderA householder who took up our draughtproofing and energy-saving advice service in April was treated to a parliamentary privilege.

    Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, joined CAfS for a LEAP energy advice visit to Margaret from Kendal.

    Tim wanted to see first hand how this national service is benefiting residents, delivered in South Lakeland by CAfS, thanks to support from South Lakeland District Council. Margaret received tips on ways to keep her home warmer and we fitted low-energy LED bulbs and radiator reflector panels to bring her electricity and heating bills down – all free of charge.

    Andrew Northcott from CAfS was also able to give Margaret advice on switching energy tariffs, which could save her more than £290 a year compared to her current tariff.

    Our thanks to Tim for coming along and for his interest in the scheme. If you or someone you know in South Lakeland could benefit from energy advice, support to change tariffs, free LED light bulbs and energy-saving equipment, please get in touch.

    Find out more and apply now >

  • Electricity North West is headline sponsor for Green Build Festival

    Electricity North West is headline sponsor for Green Build Festival

    We’re thrilled to announce our headline sponsor for this year’s Cumbria Green Build and Sustainable Living Festival.

    Electricity North West will be supporting our flagship annual programme of events, now in its 14th year.

    It’s a key year for our region’s electricity network operator, following the launch of its new plan to help the North West to decarbonise and pave the way for the growth of renewable energy.

    “From electric vehicles to renewable energy, Electricity North West has such a crucial part to play in the drive towards a zero carbon Cumbria, so we are delighted to be working with them as a partner in this year’s festival,” said Hazel Graham, CAfS chief executive.

    Watch this space for more information shortly.

  • CAfS trustee publishes new book on tackling climate change

    CAfS trustee publishes new book on tackling climate change

    Congratulations to our trustee Mike Berners-Lee on the publication of his new book, There is No Planet B: A Handbook for the Make or Break Years.

    The book is a superb overview of the big picture of climate change: what’s going on and what is required for humans to thrive in the Anthropocene – the epoch of human dominance on the planet.

    It strikes a great balance between being accessible and entertaining whilst being serious and robust. Mike deftly brings together the multi-disciplinary global perspective with the practicalities of who can do what to bring about the system changes we need.

    It’s had some very encouraging reviews and endorsements so far – from environmental politicians to scientists and the mainstream media.

    Mike has previously published two books: Bad Are Bananas? The Carbon Footprint Of Everything, and The Burning Question.

    How to buy the book

    We recommend asking at your local bookshop. You can check stock at some of them using the Near St website. To order online, we suggest buying from one of the online booksellers that are rated highly by Ethical Consumer. You can find download versions and print copies. The best rated bookseller for a print copy seemed to be The Guardian Bookshop (£9.99 plus £1.99 delivery).

    You can also pick up a copy directly from Mike at one of his book tour talks. The next one we know of in Cumbria is on Tuesday 2 July at the University of Cumbria, Ambleside. Details are being firmed up but keep an eye on the university’s website.