Case studies

Low Carbon Dorset is a programme of activities led by the Dorset Council to help reduce carbon emissions in Dorset.  

This study aimed at understanding how to better encourage Surrey students to cycle to school.

There has been a growing interest in ‘civic crowdfunding’ for local authorities. This project sought to work through the options available to councils to raise additional funds for climate work whilst engaging with and involving the community, and potentially increasing community wealth. Through a series of workshops, issues and barriers were investigated in order to produce a tool to aid decision making and prepare the council for delivering alternative finance mechanisms.

Net Zero Now is a one-year project from Cambridge Carbon Footprint which was awarded £15,000 by South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Zero Carbon Communities (ZCC) grant scheme. The Net Zero Now project designed and delivered free training for community action on climate change. It trained 12 individuals to become local ambassadors for climate change. These individuals are now working on initiatives ranging from village hall sustainability, toy and book swaps, bike repair schemes and eco-festivals. The resources developed through the project have been transformed into a free online training course and will help to deliver future in-person and online courses.

Kent County Council is working on a project in Margate to reduce the risk of flooding and the impact of increasing summer temperatures. Over 30 new trees have been planted across two urban residential streets, 11 of which are planted within specialist sustainable drainage (SuDS) tree pit systems. The project contributes towards reducing heat stress and surface water flood risk while also providing attractive spaces for residents, visitors and wildlife.

Barnsley Council declared a climate emergency in September 2019 with targets to achieve net zero carbon emissions in its own operations by 2040 and across the wider borough by 2045. The council’s Sustainable Energy Action Plan affirms the council’s commitment to embed a carbon reduction culture across the organisation. The council has a housing new-build programme, but energy efficiency measures included in properties have varied with no standard energy specification. The council wanted to work with a “critical friend” to review the specification and Leeds Sustainability Institute (LSI) have carried out this role.

In 2020, Essex County Council appointed Jacobs and Essex Highways to develop Sustainable School Travel Design Guide after identifying the need for greater guidance to optimise sustainable design.

The ‘Love Essex Not Plastic’ campaign aimed to change the mindset of how plastic is used, reduced and recycled in Essex. By encouraging residents to sign the Essex Plastic Pledge, and commit to changing their current behaviour, they receive information to help reduce single-use plastics and find suitable alternative, plastic-free options.

Portsmouth climate festival was an event to raise awareness of the climate challenges in the city, highlighting both the implications of climate change for Portsmouth, and the opportunities to make a positive difference. It was organised through a partnership of Portsmouth University, Portsmouth City Council and the Climate Action Board.

As part of its Zero Carbon Strategy, South Cambridgeshire District Council has invested £1.9 million in a retrofit of its Cambourne headquarters, installing renewable generation and efficient energy management systems to dramatically reduce energy bills and almost halve the carbon emissions from the building in year one.