- Who is this for?
- Customer Feedback
- Carbon Literacy Project
- What is the agenda?
- How much does it cost?
- Where is it?
- When is it?
- Terms and conditions
Who is this for?
“Parish Clerks and councillors are responsible for ensuring that their Council create the right overall policies to be followed in respect of the Council’s activities and in particular to make effective decisions and to implement constructively all decisions.” – Typical Job description.
Parish and Town Councils are at the heart of towns and villages across the UK. They are brilliantly placed as community leaders to engage people in tackling climate change.
This course is for all Parish Clerks and councillors who would like to ensure that they make the right decisions on how to make their communities “fit for the future” when facing up to the challenges of climate change. This workshop will enable clerks and councillors to deal with the issues concerning housing, transport, energy provision, countryside development, and local shopping requirements. It shares best practices from other councils, meaning you do not have to reinvent the wheel.
It deals with current legal aspects, the projects you can develop, how to fund them and how to engage communities. It also shows how this will improve job opportunities, and people’s health and reduce the cost of living by addressing the root causes of climate change – the emission of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases. Households will get better lifestyles.
This course shares how to reach out to the community and engage the different parts of society with messages that will resonate with all householders.
Feedback from recent courses from learners
‘Both individuals and organisations need to develop their own net-zero targets and strategies. It is impossible to ignore the climate crisis. We need to act today to save tomorrow. The Carbon Literacy course delivered by Save Our Shropshire is simply inspirational and a must for all Clerks and Officers employed by Town and Parish Councils.” – Parish Clerk
“I would like to thank you for an excellent two-day course. I really enjoyed it, and the course has inspired me enormously” – Parish Clerk.
“Thank you so much for a really useful and informative training session. I took a lot away from this.” – Chief Executive Officer of Parish Council.
“I enjoyed the recent training very much and found it useful going forwards.” – Climate Change Officer for Town Council
“I thoroughly enjoyed the course and found it very interesting, thought-provoking and educational.” – Councillor of a rural parish council
Carbon Literacy Project
We developed and pioneered this brilliant course based on the Carbon Literacy Project’s (CLP) toolkit. They are passionate about developing action through education. We deliver the lastest version.
Core to this course is the brilliant idea that you pledge two actions – one on your own and one as part of a group – for when you get back to your day-to-day activity in your Parish or Town council. Thus you might pledge to make the purchase of energy based on a renewable supplier, if you have the authority to do that, as well as commit to planting trees in communal spaces as a group activity.
You don’t just get to listen and discuss; you have to put your ideas into practice!
After this one-day course, you will get a certificate if you complete the CLP’s assessment successfully.
What is the agenda?
This workshop covers:
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Basic Science. We will explain the science simply. We will show why climate change happens and how it affects your community. We will show why it requires a change to what we eat, how we travel, where we live and work, what we buy, and how we care for our countryside. It demonstrates why it is urgent, and why 31 December 2030 is a key date.
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Carbon Footprint. We will show you how to calculate your footprint. We will also show how to find out the consumption and emission of Greenhouse Gases in your Parish using the Impact tool, and what the answers show for your Parish. We go through the details of what needs to be done.
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Global/Local Action. We will show you the plans and strategies in place globally, nationally and locally, and cover the targets you need to work towards in your parish. We will share ideas from other Parish and Town Councils on the actions you can take from installing LED street lamps to creating a Repair cafe and helping householders save up to 80 % of their energy bills.
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Create a plan and pledge action. The new National Planning Policy Framework requires including consideration of the environment in local plans. We will show you how you can do this. We will share with you our own practical Climate Action plan, and then show how you can create pledges on an individual and group basis to support your Carbon Literacy certification. You will be confident to engage your council and engage your community in a plan to take action on climate change
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Communicate. Success comes from getting householders to prioritise climate change – which is difficult in this cost-of-living crisis. We will describe how to engage the community through listening and developing solutions which appeal to the different types of personalities in every community. One size does not fit all. The CLP research includes the ideas from the Outreach organisation about how to tailor your message to your audience.
How much does it cost?
The cost for each learner is £ 120 which includes £ 10.00 payable to the Carbon Literacy Project for their assessment. We use those funds to help us develop education and awareness in our communities. We are a not-for-profit charity. We will also give grants to those Shropshire councils who take part in our courses and who want support in developing projects that encourage lifestyle change.
This cost includes the materials, handouts and teaching and facilitation. The value lies in accelerating your community’s response to the climate emergency. We are happy to follow up with you after the course to help you implement the ideas at no extra cost.
If you wonder about the value of taking action, then take a look at the recent BBC TV programme “Shop Well for the Planet”. It was filmed in Shrewsbury, and showed how simple actions saved a family £ 1,000 per year and reduced their carbon footprint by 2 tonnes per year! Householders need all the help they can get, and what is good for the planet is good for their pockets.
Click on the button below to see the video. You will need an iPlayer account (which you can sign up for) to watch it.
Where is it?
The course will be held virtually over Zoom.
While that may emit some Carbon Dioxide through the use of PCs, it is likely to be much less than hopping into cars and going to some central location! We can also deliver the course directly to councils locally if of interest.
When is it?
The courses will run from 9.00 am to 13.00 hours over two days.
That gives you time to absorb the materials and prepare for the second day. You have an exercise to complete on finding out about your Carbon footprint in between.
Book Course
The next dates are:
May 14,21 2024
July 9,16 2024
Terms and Conditions
The booking is subject to our standard Terms and Conditions concerning payment of a deposit, payment in full and cancellation within 30 days before the course date. Please review these terms and conditions by clicking on the following button:
