Cumbria CVS Green – No6 August 2024
August 15, 2024
Welcome back to Cumbria CVS Green!
Read on for links to useful resources, information and news, updates on our own climate commitment, blog posts from colleagues about what they’re doing (in a work capacity and privately) to minimise environmental impact and more.
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
In our sixth blog post Judith Smale, Volunteering Manager, talks home-grown goodness, and using spare timber for garden projects:
The Green Garden
I think one of the best feelings is planting seeds or a tree and watching them grow!
Luckily my husband Nathan is a keen gardener and together we enjoy growing our own fruit, vegetables and herbs at home. As we are both lovers of food and eating (Who isn’t?!) we can literally go outside into our garden and pick all our herbs, vegetables or fruit fresh and cook or eat them straight away. Amazing!
Until my Carbon and Climate Literacy Training with Cumbria Action for Sustainability last year, I never realised that in terms of growing our own fruit and vegetables, we are helping do our small part to reduce climate change.
As part of the training we were asked what one thing could we do to reduce climate change moving forward? This action now always stays with me: like continuing to grow our own fruit and vegetables at home, having a meat free day, buying clothes from a charity shop, re-using bags, topping up our own re-useable water bottle, walking to places, of if needing to drive either car share or use public transport, etc. Imagine if each and everyone of us took one small action in terms of climate change in our everyday lives, how together we could make a difference for generations to come.
When I was sat in the garden at the weekend I looked around to see how else we are helping the environment. Nathan had some unused wood from his building site at work and brought it home and re-used it to make me a wooden table at a height that was comfortable for my wheelchair to sit in the garden. He has also made a wooden bird table, plant boxes and also a garden planter the same height as my wheelchair so I can do gardening independently. It’s recycling un-used wood and helping the environment but also saved us a lot of money too! A shout out to a local amazing charity Rebuild who does similar recycling of unused building materials.
So, whilst I sit and enjoy a home-made gooseberry and rhubarb fruit fool with fresh blueberries on top from the garden that Nathan has made, I know there’s lots more we could all be doing to reduce climate change. For some more ideas please do visit: Cumbria’s climate change and sustainability charity CAfS
Training and Events
Communicating Climate Action
CAfS’s recent webinar Communicating Climate Action in Cumbria proved popular, and they’re planning a follow up event later this year. If you missed the webinar, you can catch up at your leisure – it’s on their YouTube channel:
Climate Fresk
17 September, Penrith. Join Cumbria Action for Sustainability for this interactive, engaging and collaborative in-person workshop to understand the fundamentals of climate science.
It’s an extremely interactive group activity where a facilitator uses a pack of cards to support a group of people to map the causes and effects of the climate crisis, and together, through discussion, unpick the complexities, interrelated issues and feedback loops involved. It is a really engaging, collaborative method for understanding the fundamentals of climate science. It uses 42 ‘cards’ drawn directly from the latest IPCC reports and gives a deep dive into the whole climate system. The visual and interactive nature stimulates discussion, debate and group problem-solving. And it is really good fun! You will join a rapidly growing movement of 1.6 million participants worldwide.
Save the Date: Communicating Climate Action in Cumbria
Following on from CAfS’ webinar last month, they’ve got a workshop in Penrith on Wednesday 18 September from 9:30 – 1:30. Pop it in your diary and watch for more info.
Cumbria Sustainability Network – Talking About Transport
Wednesday 9 Oct, Kendal. Cumbria Sustainability Network members – both existing and potential! – will be able to view the new Waste into Wellbeing premises, and hear from Alistair Kirkbride, a key member of the team behind Staveley community e-bike hire on what a good sustainable transport network looks like and explore the challenges of meaningful change in transport at community level.
Explore Climate
17 October, Online. We know all of those involved with SMEs are super busy so it’s tricky to take time out for extra courses. W&F Green Enterprise Hub and CAfS have created a two hour overview of climate change science, impacts and actions small businesses in the Westmorland & Furness area. It is open to Social Enterprises too.
Carbon Management and Solutions Training
If you’re committed to reducing your organisation’s carbon footprint, but are struggling to know how to go about it, this free, three-hour session is for you. It’ll help you gain the skills to adopt a robust approach to net zero and develop a decarbonisation plan. With six dates to choose from, there’s no excuse not to! Open to social enterprise organisations.
News and Information
The financial implications of a net zero strategy
Far from being a costly exercise in compliance with the green agenda, a net zero strategy can bring significant financial benefits to a charity.
Introducing Project Collette
Project Collette aims to be a community-owned wind farm off our county’s coast. It’ll be large enough to power around one million homes each year, and generate income for the local community.
Led by the Green Finance Community Hub CIC, CAfS are helping with stakeholder engagement, and would love to give you the opportunity to share your views.
Travelodge CEO: the secrets of a sustainable stay
When you think about the role of sustainability in transforming industries, your mind likely jumps to the energy sector, to farming or maybe to construction. It probably doesn’t arrive immediately at hospitality – but maybe it should.
Travelodge CEO Jo Boydell explains the valuable role hospitality can play in helping the UK reach its net zero targets and outlines how Travelodge is establishing long-term success across its own eco goals.
How will the climate and nature crises impact people living in poverty?
People living in poverty are more affected by climate change and nature loss than those who are not, because they live in areas with more exposure to environmental impacts and cannot afford protections against these.
This briefing from New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) is for charities and funders working with people in poverty or on low incomes in the UK. It lists the impacts on people living in poverty of environmental change and environmental policy.
Great Big Green Week Report
Now in it’s third year, Great Big Green Week goes from strength to strength, with this year’s theme of lets swap together for good embedding the reduce and reuse message to promote lifestyle change. There were over 70 events across the county, with more than 2,000 people getting involved.
Get next year’s dates in your diary: 7th – 15th June!
How can businesses best walk the green walk?
More and more businesses are implementing ESG policies, publishing regular updates on their green activity, and seeking to reassure customers and stakeholders alike that being sustainable is a high priority, and in many cases, this is being driven by a genuine desire to contribute to efforts to save the environment.
However, against the backdrop of increasing environmental consciousness amongst consumers, other commercial factors are at play. According to Deloitte’s most recent consumer sentiment research, a quarter of consumers are prepared to pay more for products and services that are sustainable, so it is little wonder that businesses are increasingly conscious of embedding sustainability into their operations.
