Cumbria CVS Green blog No 14 – April 2025
April 16, 2025
Welcome back to Cumbria CVS Green!
In our fourteenth blog post, we’ve got a double-header, as Cumbria CVS’ Communications Manager, Peter Grenville, and Third Sector Referral Coordinator, Danny Smith, discuss a thought-provoking ‘Climate Fresk’ session held recently.
If you have any suggestions about what you’d like to see in our regular updates, let us know! Contact us by emailing info@cumbriacvs.org.uk
You can find our what we’re doing to minimise our environmental impact and find details of organisations supporting positive environmental action in Cumbria on our Climate Commitment page here
Catch up on our other blog posts here
Get Fresked!
Peter: It was great to attend a recent Climate Fresk session, run by the brilliant Futureproof Cumbria (formerly Cumbria Action for Sustainability).
The half-day, facilitated, event was a really interactive group activity using a pack of cards to map the causes and effects of the climate crisis, and together discuss and unpick the complexities, interrelated issues and feedback loops involved.
It was a really engaging way to understand the fundamentals of climate science, using 42 ‘cards’ drawn directly from the latest IPCC reports.
Danny: Over a few hours a lot was covered, and with already being carbon literate I was surprised at the amount of information I didn’t quite have a handle on.
The whole set up of the event and the way it worked was very (welcomely) systematic. It was essentially an exercise in cause and effect, and it encouraged some deep thinking about what influences climate change, and what climate change influences following on (spoiler alert; none of it is good!).
Peter: Clearly, I’m not going to give you the whole answer to what our group mapped out, in case you’re planning on going on one of their regular sessions yourself. I’d really encourage you to do so. I learnt a lot, and it was a thought-provoking exercise.
Danny: What jumped out at me the most is how many confounding variables there are within our climate. Change in most aspects of the climate is certainly not linear, as change accelerates further change over time. A good example being that as the concentration of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere increases, the more carbon is stored in carbon sinks and taken up by oceans. These become overwhelmed, the ocean acidifies, and is therefore unable to uptake as much Carbon Dioxide. Thus, more Carbon Dioxide stays in the atmosphere and adds to the process.
At some point each of these processes will reach a tipping point, where we simply won’t be able to stop it from happening, and it will take the form of a snowball rolling down an infinite hill, always building in size (spoiler alert; we definitely don’t want to get to this point!).
Peter: My suggestion for a title for our group’s mapped-out ‘fresco’ (“The Tree Of Death”) was rightly rejected as being a teensy bit downbeat, but I was quite pleased with my idea for a tabloid headline about a new green initiative, if I was in a position to make a big announcement as the leader of a large organisation. “Eco Warriors want to take your avocados away”, was my suggestion, based on the tabloid tendency to turn everything in to a negative – in this case, my ‘company’ announcing that it would stop using products with high food miles.
Danny: We also had some fun naming our mapped-out creation, as well as coming up with tabloid headlines for future green projects and initiatives. Our group eventually settled on calling our creation ‘Who’s Planet Is It Anyway?’ with a nod to how the human activity of a small minority of people contributes to A LOT of climate change, which negatively effects most humans (and other life) on earth.
I can’t for the life of me remember what my headline was, but you’ll have to take my word that it was witty and very funny. It left us a lot less downbeat than we would have been.
Peter: It would be easy to attend an event like this, and come away thoroughly depressed. After all, we’ve knackered the climate, keep missing targets to reduce carbon outputs, and washing your yoghurt pot out for recycling can feel overwhelmingly insignificant when faced with the scale of the problem we’ve created.
But there is hope. Remember CFCs and the Ozone Layer panic? We managed to figure that one out pretty well, right? Sustainable energy continues to flourish, and there are plenty of examples of biodiversity success stories.
People Power continues to put pressure on those in charge to act to protect the planet’s future, and young people are joining the movement for positive change to ensure that their futures are protected from the negative effects we’re increasingly seeing.
Danny: It wasn’t all doom and gloom. As Peter said, there was much discussion about how we as a civilisation managed to start closing the gap in the ozone layer by greatly limiting our use of CFC gasses. The causes of climate change are a lot deeper seated and complex than this, but it’s an example where a worldwide solution was able to be implemented. The ozone layer is still on track for full recovery by 2040-45 (according to the UN weather agency).
Peter: We can all play a part, however small. it all adds up.
Danny: Whatever you can do to keep us away from the tipping points I mentioned, do it. Like with the ozone layer, a collective effort and everyone doing their part can still make a huge difference.
Training and Events
Earth Day
Earth Day 2025 is on 22nd April. The theme this year is OUR POWER, OUR PLANET, inviting everyone around the globe to unite behind renewable energy, and to triple the global generation of clean electricity by 2030.
Find out more and get involved here
A Climate of Truth – an evening with Mike Berners-Lee
22 April, Penrith. CAfS’ patron, Mike Berners-Lee will be in Penrith in April, discussing his brand new book.
A Climate of Truth explores why, despite developments in technology and most people’s desire for greater action on the climate crisis, our global emissions are worse than ever.
Climate & Carbon Literacy
24 April & 1 May, Online. Get the latest climate science facts and grow your understanding of carbon footprints to build your knowledge of what we can all do to help restore the balance.
Futureproof Cumbria’s award winning Climate & Carbon Literacy course will leave you with the ability and motivation to reduce emissions on an individual, community and organisational basis.
Westogether Climate Fresk
Tues 6 May, Workington. CAfS’ popular Climate Fresk session comes to Workington in May, and, in conjunction with Westogether, we can offer it free to all those living or working in West Cumbria!
Climate Fresk at Windermere Science Festival
10 May, Windermere. If you’re confused about carbon emissions, fearful of flooding, or bamboozled by biodiversity, then join Futureproof Cumbria at Windermere Science Festival for Climate Fresk. Special discounted tickets for Windermere Science Fest!
News and Information
Win for council’s net zero strategy at 2025 Green Energy Awards
Westmorland and Furness Council has been confirmed as this year’s winners of the ‘Local and Public Sector Net Zero Transformation Award’ at the 2025 Green Energy Awards, hosted by Regen.
This award acknowledges the crucial role that local and public sector leadership plays in transforming the UK’s energy system for a net zero future.
The council’s submission, ‘Westmorland and Furness Council – 2024: the First Year in Our Journey to Net Zero’, sets out the decarbonisation work that has been completed during the first year of their five-year carbon management strategy and action plans and the achievements made on their journey to becoming carbon net zero by 2037.
Cumbria Action for Sustainability is Changing
To help us grow our reach and impact, to reflect the scope of our projects and above all to underline our commitment to tackling the climate emergency, we are rebranding. This includes changing our name, logo and website.
From 2nd April 2025, CAfS will be Future Proof Cumbria.
Boost for further decarbonisation works following £1.75million funding announcement
Council decarbonisation plans aimed to get Westmorland and Furness to a carbon net zero position by 2037 have been given an additional boost, thanks to £1.75 million in funding for works at four key buildings.
Westmorland and Furness Council applied to the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme for 2024/25 to fund works at Kendal Leisure Centre, Appleby Leisure Centre, Kendal Market and South Lakeland House.
The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme is run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and delivered by Salix. The programme enables public authorities to fund works to decarbonise their estates in support of national decarbonisation targets.
Great Big Green Week & Big Lunch Grants
Thanks to Westmorland & Furness Council and Cumberland Council, grants of up to £300 are available to help make your Great Big Green Week and Big Local Lunch events a success.
Could you set up a community food growing initiative?
Cumberland Council is proud to support the national Right to Grow campaign by introducing a community growing licence. This initiative will allow local communities to use Council-owned land for food growing projects.
We’re on the lookout for groups across Cumberland who are interested in setting up these community food growing initiatives. Let’s come together for a greener, healthier future.
Interested? Reach out and let us know where you want to grow. Email us at: foodpartnership@cumberland.gov.uk
Together for Tomorrow appeal
Tuesday, 22nd April, is Earth Day and Futureproof Cumbria will be launching their Together for Tomorrow appeal, aiming to raise £20,000 to help support Cumbrian communities take climate action.
That week, all donations will be doubled through the Big Give’s Green Match Fund. Your gift will support home retrofitting, clean energy advice, and more. Every pound counts—pledge to donate now and help build a greener, fairer future for everyone in Cumbria.
Update: Cumbria Climate Assembly
The Cumbria Climate Assembly has met several times – read about their discussions.
