Environmental Protection and Nature Conservation

This page is intended to be a community forum for the sharing of information and ideas to enable the community or individuals to contribute to preserving the local environment and ecology and achieving wider objectives in driving towards a net-zero economy. If you would like to upload an initiative or an article of interest to this page please contact the site's webmaster, Rachel Facey at weblanreathpc@gmail.com.

On this Page:

Working to be the country's first net zero region

We're calling on the new government to support our work in achieving a carbon neutral Cornwall as we renew our commitment to becoming the first net zero region in the country. 

Five years after declaring a climate emergency and producing an action plan, the council is recognised nationally and internationally for our work leading Cornwall's response to the impacts of a changing climate. We've achieved key successes in cutting greenhouse gas emissions including:
 
Promoting green travel - installing 226 additional EV chargers.

Increasing public transport use through a pilot bus fare programme and introducing public e-bikes in six towns. 

Retrofitting and lowering emissions of more than 1,200 homes - with plans for installing green measures to 520 more.

Developing a Local Area Energy Plan to expand clean and renewable energy in the region - one of the first rural authorities to do so.

A new recycling, rubbish and food waste service - to reduce Cornwall's carbon emissions by nearly 18,000 tonnes of CO2 a year.

Boosting green planning and development through the Climate Emergency Development Document.  

Launching the Forest for Cornwall - with a million trees now planted.

Reducing council emissions by a third since 2019 by adapting council buildings and vehicles. We're currently installing a solar canopy to power a third of the energy used at New County Hall. 

Supporting the setting up of an independent Climate Commission for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly - bringing the region’s leaders, organisations and communities together to tackle climate and ecological emergencies. 
Find out more
 

Homewise - free advice on making your home more energy efficient

Are you looking for impartial advice on how to make your home warmer, healthier and more energy efficient?

Residents can now use this free tool to see which energy efficiency measures and renewable technologies would suit their home and lifestyle.

The Homewise tool offers impartial energy saving advice to help boost the energy rating of your home and help you to save money on energy bills.

Find out more
 

Match funding available for environmental projects

Simon Jeffery, Fundraising Officer for Perranporth SLSC

Perranporth Surf Lifesaving Club has been saving lives since 1957, making it one of the oldest surf lifesaving clubs in Britain. However, with a long-established clubhouse exposed to the Cornish climate, the building was in need of upgrade to increase sustainability and reduce carbon emissions.

The Cornwall Climate and Nature Fund, hosted by Crowdfunder, supported this move to a more sustainable future, providing much needed funds for the work.

Do you have a project aimed at addressing the climate and ecological emergency? You could receive up to £5,000 in support!

Find out about the fund
 

Enter Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Sustainability Awards

The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly sustainability awards are open to any business, community organisation, school, social enterprise or charity based in Cornwall or the Isles of Scilly.

Award categories for this year are:
• Most Sustainable Organisation
• Growing Greener
• Circular Economy
• Environmental Growth
• Carbon Positive

Entries close on 31 October 2024 - if you want to nominate or apply you can do so here. 

The awards take place at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth on 6 December at 6pm until 10pm. If you want to attend click the button below.
Book your ticket
 

Does your school know they can get EV charging funding?

Did you know schools can apply for EV charging funding grants? 

This grant is for state-funded schools and education institutions to install electric vehicle charge point sockets at their site(s).
    
Schools can get 75% off the cost to buy and install charge points up to a maximum of:   

  • £2500 per socket 
  • 40 sockets across all sites

Scheme ends March 2025. 

Find out more
 

Attend a Green Futures workshop

Courses on offer from Green Futures.

The last few tickets are still available for Creating a New Culture – Sustainability Workshop which takes place on Thursday, October 24 at Mount Pleasant Eco Park, Chapel Hill, Porthtowan, TR4 8HL. 

CATA & Tourism Industry Workshops: Climate Literacy, and Decarbonisation which takes place on Wednesday, October 16 at the Penryn Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE.
 
 

New Climate Commission launched

A Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Climate Commission has been launched with 16 commissioners set to challenge, catalyse and convene on all things climate change, including net zero plans and ecological regeneration.

Justin Olosundé will sit as the first chair of this newly established Climate Commission with Lisa Telfer Brunton and David Harland as vice chairs, bringing a rich and diverse wealth of knowledge.

The Commission met for the first time in June and will play a crucial role in progressing action to address climate change.
Find out more
 

Are you a future Climate leader?

To help you on your way, there's still time to join a ‘Future Climate Leaders’ course that will be held one day a week for 10 weeks starting in October.  

The Future Climate Leaders course is designed to equip learners with the skills, tools and knowledge needed to drive sustainability within their organisation. It prepares learners to be proactive, informed and influential in tackling environmental challenges, making them champions of a sustainable future. 

Available to people in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, the course is fully funded for organisations through the Future is Green programme (funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund).
 
The project is being delivered by the Net-Zero Exchange team, within the Sustainable Earth Institute at the University of Plymouth.

Find out more
 

Want to learn more about upgrading the energy efficiency of historic buildings?

Keeping historic buildings in use, through sensitive repair, maintenance and adaptation, can help to reduce carbon emissions, reliance on fossil fuels, and energy costs.  

Historic England has produced a new guide. Whilst primarily aimed at a specialist audience (such as local planning authorities, heritage consultants and those involved in the planning process), it will also be useful to building owners and occupiers.   

Read the guide
 

Net zero methane farm open evening

On 26 September, 16:30 - 18:30, Join the Net Zero Methane Hub to find out how fugitive methane emissions are being captured from dairy slurry and turned into green fuel for tractors and to generate renewable energy.

You can attend an event and see the latest activity by Bennamann to capture methane emissions from dairy slurry and use them on farms to replace fossil fuels in tractors and trucks and to generate renewable electricity. 

Register for the event
 

Discuss safer cycling in Cornwall

Join us on 3 October 2024 (4.30pm to 7.30pm) at New County Hall, Truro to hear about current cycling policy, activities and opportunities and be part of the debate.

Dr Joanie Willet, Associate Professor of Politics at University of Exeter and keen cycle commuter, will introduce a range of speakers from national and local Government, Sustrans and local campaign groups.

There will be an opportunity to ask questions and to be part of an audience panel discussion on how organisations and cycling communities can work together to deliver safe cycle routes in Cornwall, realising Cornwall's cycling potential.
Register for the event
 

Flowers in Cornish towns boosting pollinators

Planting flowers in urban green spaces across Cornwall significantly boosted numbers of pollinating insects. 

The Making Space for Nature project, a collaboration between Cornwall Council, Cormac and the University of Exeter, transformed urban green spaces, such as parks, small green spaces, road verges and closed churchyards, into welcoming community areas and wildlife havens.

University of Exeter scientists found that wildflowers led to a two-fold increase in flower visits by certain pollinators (particularly solitary bees and solitary wasps).

Find out more
 

New Local Nature Recovery Strategy in development

Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Nature Recovery Strategy

Cornwall Council is leading on creating a new Local Nature Recovery Strategy for the region in partnership with the Local Nature Partnership and the Council of the Isles of Scilly - and you can get involved.

We've conducted surveys and a mapping exercise. Residents, farmers, businesses and landowners were invited to give their views on draft plans to help guide nature recovery.

A public consultation will be launched later this year. Keep an eye on the nature recovery website.

Overview

The Climate and Environment Alliance was formed in September 2023 and is made up of a diverse range of 62 (and growing) organisations from across Cornwall. These VCSE organisations are often placed based collectives and work within their specific communities, on a range of challenges such as carbon, litter picking, energy or nature recovery. There is also a collection of larger organisations that work across the whole of Cornwall on either general or specific projects to protect nature and build climate resilience. The alliance has a selection of public sector partners within it, with the remit that the ratio is always strongly in favour of the VCSE. We do find that this mix of partners allows open, powerful and collaborative discussion, and movement on our objectives. This diversity of voices is appreciated by both the alliance and its public sector partners- to have this direct interaction between policy makers and the sector, we’ve found, is of great benefit to both.

As an alliance, the Climate and Environment group have worked hard to pin down what collaborative action looks look in practise and have mapped out a range of objective to work towards for the next year (insert image of objectives here).

With organisations such as Cornwall Wildlife Trust, Surfers against Sewage, Volunteer Cornwall and the Eden Project working alongside local place-based Clean Ocean Sailing, The Seal Sanctuary, PL24 and BF Adventure, it has been a steep learning curve about what we have collective capacity and power to have impact on for Cornwall. Collectively our strength is in the knowledge we hold, so one of our primary objectives is to take that learning and utilise it to support the wider VCSE sector to build resilience and become more sustainable as individual organisations. Weve also worked alongside partners in the development of the Climate Commision for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, to shape what future Cornwall looks like in this space.

Vision

To support the VCSE sector to adapt, mitigate and build resilience.

Objectives

 

The Alliance has spent significant time creating an Objective list for the year ahead, 2024. Its key targets are as follows:

  • Declare a Climate and Nature emergency as the VCSE Sector. This has been codesigned with all alliances and is now live on our website – please sign up here
  • Collect baseline data from VCSE organisations including information on: Energy, Banking, Pensions, Waste, Transport, Technology and Policies. This survey is now live – please take the time to fill it in here
  • Workshops to research best practice in our sector: Happening throughout April and May in Hayle, Camelford, Truro and Liskeard
  • Create a ‘How to Guide’ to support VCSE colleagues and organisations to take positive action to build climate resilience, using the baseline data subject areas
  • Case studies on best practice from our organisations within the Climate and Environment alliance
  • Launch of the ‘How to Guide’ and Event led by the Climate and Environment alliance to share knowledge across the VCSE

Membership

Chair

Peter Lefort- Greener Futures

Vice-Chair

TBC

VSF engagement support

Kirstie Edwards, Engagement Officer: kirstie.edwards@cornwallvsf.org

HOW COMPANIES CAN ACCELERATE VALUE CHAIN DECARBONIZATION


Up to 90% of a company’s emissions can come from value chain emissions, also known as Scope 3 emissions.  

Scope 3 emissions are divided into upstream or downstream value chains, with downstream referring to use and end-of-life of a company’s products by a customer, and upstream referring to goods and services a company procures from its suppliers.  

To deliver on their corporate climate targets and align themselves with the 4 A’s of Climate Leadership, companies must tackle Scope 3.  

Scope 3 is an area many companies find challenging, particularly when it comes to getting accurate emissions data.  However, companies do not need to have perfect Scope 3 data to get started on their value chain decarbonization journey. 

To help companies accelerate Scope 3 decarbonization, we have brought together best-in-class tools, approaches and examples from across our network of partners, with case studies demonstrating company action.

ASK YOUR SUPPLIERS TO MAKE CREDIBLE CLIMATE COMMITMENTS

Businesses can act now by asking their suppliers to make credible climate commitments. They can do this in several ways, from asking on a voluntary basis to providing benefits and incentives, or penalizing suppliers for not committing.

The Supplier Cascade 

The Supplier Cascade approach has been designed to kick start climate action through the value chain.

To participate, businesses ask their Tier 1 suppliers to: 

  • make a credible reduction target aligned with science;
  • start a cascade by asking all their own Tier 1 suppliers to do the same; and
  • publicly report progress on their targets and supplier action annually.

This creates a domino effect of climate action as each subsequent tier of the value chain asks its own Tier 1 suppliers to act. 


This approach is: 

  1. Measurable: prioritizing metrics that can be accurately measured and are within an organization’s control. 
  2. Straightforward: no deep technical knowledge required, enabling implementation by procurement teams. 
  3. Flexible: businesses can engage and incentivize their suppliers however they choose, prioritizing the biggest emissions reduction and business opportunities. 
  4. Cost saving: buyers support a unified ask, saving suppliers time and resources from responding to bespoke requests. 
  5. Scalable: the approach generates climate action far beyond an organization’s own value chain. 
  6. Action-oriented: companies start now instead of waiting for the challenges around accurate Scope 3 emissions data to be solved.

 

The Supplier Cascade approach is being tested with a cohort of early adopter companies in 2024, with key metrics and learnings captured to assess its impact. Many of the tools and initiatives for supplier engagement listed below can also trigger a cascade effect through the value chain. 

Agri Carbon Kernow

Support for farmers to reduce their carbon footprint, improve water resilience and boost nature recovery

 

If you are a farmer in Cornwall or Isles of Scilly and thinking about how you can boost your environmental credentials then business support could help! 

We have a range of business support programmes that could help you and your business.  Below are some of the details of what is on offer plus we have access to a database of information and resources to help with your business questions.

You don’t have to worry about which support is right for you – that is why the Growth Hub are here! Together we will have a free business review to discuss all the options and point you in the right direction.

GET IN TOUCH 

 

The Agri Carbon Kernow project offers farmers in Cornwall free support to help them:

Carbon Footprint Reduction: Participating farms will receive expert evaluation of their carbon footprint, along with a curated list of actionable strategies to minimise it. This includes the development of personalised decarbonisation plans, guiding farmers on the journey towards achieving Net Zero status and contributing to both local and global climate goals.

Water Resilience: Through detailed assessments, farmers will gain insights into their water usage practices and their impact on local watercourses. The program will offer a range of viable options for improving water resilience on farms, along with guidance on accessing funding opportunities to implement these strategies effectively.

Environmental Management: Agri Carbon Kernow will assist farmers in evaluating the natural environment of their farms, identifying opportunities for nature recovery and biodiversity enhancement. Participants will receive support in navigating initiatives such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), empowering them to integrate environmentally friendly practices into their farming operations.

The project is an extension of the highly successful Farm Net Zero project that already  supports farms in Cornwall. Part-funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Agri Carbon Kernow is a collaboration between Duchy College, Westcountry Rivers Trust, Cornwall Wildlife Trust, the Farm Carbon Toolkit and the Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Growth Hub to deliver support to a limited number of farms during 2024. 

Decarbonising Homes – A Draft Strategy for Cornwall

 

Cornwall Council is working on a Housing Decarbonisation Strategy for Cornwall. This means looking at all housing, to find the best ways to reduce harmful emissions, while keeping our homes warm in the winter, cool in the summer and making them affordable to run.

 

As a council they want to make sure that everyone has access to the right advice and information. If you are a homeowner, tenant or landlord, having the best advice and support on the most effective ways to make green home improvements and ways to fund them is vital.

 

The draft strategy looks at how to improve energy efficiency and cut emissions in our homes.

 

More information is available at Let’s Talk web pages and a copy of the draft strategy may be accessed via following weblink https://letstalk.cornwall.gov.uk/29999/widgets/98861/documents/63303

 

Cornwall Council are inviting residents to complete a short survey to give their views on the Housing Decarbonisation Strategy. This survey will close on 16 September 2024. The survey can be accessed from the following weblink https://letstalk.cornwall.gov.uk/housing-decarbonisation/surveys/strategy_survey

Cornwall's Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (EVI) Strategy

Cornwall’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (EVI) Strategy is published!

 

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the consultation on the Cornwall EVI Strategy. It has now been finalised and is available to view on the Cornwall Council website. The Strategy sets out how Cornwall Council will support the expansion of EV charging infrastructure over the next few years.

 

The Council webpages have other useful information that you may wish to use yourself or direct residents towards:

 

Renewable Energy Loans

Owning a property often means facing various expenses, from installing measures to reduce your energy usage to the desire for eco-friendly improvements. If you're considering installing solar panels and battery storage, or other renewable energy measures, spreading the cost with a council backed loan may be a good solution. 

 

Cornwall Council has recently partnered with Lendology CIC offering a loan scheme for eligible homeowners for funding of energy efficiency and green energy installations. Ranging from £1,000 to £20,000, with a fixed interest rate of 4%, this initiative aims to make finance accessible for homeowners seeking to improve their properties sustainably. 

 

Cornwall Council and Lendology CIC strive to understand and address the challenges homeowners face in funding property improvements. As a social enterprise lender and B Corp, Lendology prioritises people over profit, ensuring fair and accessible financing solutions. 

 

Lendology CEO, Emma Lower, said: "We're thrilled about this collaboration with Cornwall Council, which marks a significant step forward improving the private housing sector. As we don't have a large marketing budget, we rely on word of mouth to ensure everyone can live in a home they're proud of. That's why communication with local parishes is crucial for us." 

 

If you are a homeowner in Cornwall, apply now or learn more at www.lendology.org.uk or by calling 01823 461099. Take the first step towards a more sustainable home today. 

 

We recommend that you conduct an independent retrofit assessment to establish whether any works that you may be planning to adapt your property are likely to be suitable for your property and goals.  

 

Representative Example (4% fixed interest rate, Representative 4.2% APR)    

Loans are subject to status and are typically protected by a Title Restriction. Borrow £5,000 over 60 months, £92.08 monthly repayments. Total amount repayable = £5,544.96, including £20 fee for registering the Title Restriction against your property at the Land Registry. The £20.00 fee is only payable if a loan is agreed by Lendology and you decide to proceed with a loan. We do not charge interest on the fee. A Title Restriction means that you may not be able to sell your home without our permission unless the loan is fully repaid. Missing payments could affect your credit rating and ability to obtain credit in the future. 

 

 

This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Cornwall Council has been chosen by Government as a Lead Authority for the fund and is responsible for monitoring the progress of projects funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. 

Community Energy Plus

Community Energy Plus is Cornwall’s energy advice charity. It provides free, independent advice and support to householders in Cornwall so they can enjoy warmer, energy efficient homes as part of a more sustainable future see: Householders - Community Energy Plus (cep.org.uk). This webpage

provides access to “page turnable” leaflets on saving energy and money, energy tariff information and available government financial assistance and grants.

 

It also supports a wide range of public, private and third sector organisations to support innovative projects relating to energy efficiency and renewable energy see: Communities - Community Energy Plus (cep.org.uk)

 

Help With Food

Help with Food | Let's Talk Cornwall

Cornwall Council keeps an up to date list of local food banks, including those who accept people without food vouchers. This list has opening times, contact details and more information:

https:/letstalk.cornwall.gov.uk/help-with-food 

 

For information regarding the waste collection for Lanreath, please click on the link:

Rubbish and waste collections - Cornwall Council 

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Lanreath Parish Council Privacy Notice

 

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If you have any questions about your data privacy, contact the Data Controller using the Contact Us page. 

 

The Webmaster Rachel Facey may be contacted at: weblanreathpc@gmail.com