Our News

2019 has been a very exciting year for The Carbon Literacy Project! Working with our incredible team of volunteers, Trustees and CL trainers, Carbon Literacy has again exceeded expectations, reaching further and wider than ever before.

Over 2500 learners have been certified this year, meaning we’ll be starting 2020 with nearly 12000 certified Carbon Literate individuals who are taking action and sharing knowledge about climate change with their colleagues, friends and family.

We’ve also welcomed 17 CL Trainers, 2 CL Consultants, 2 CL Training Organisations, and 12 CL Organisations to our accredited Carbon Literacy family.

Additionally, in 2019 we’ve –

• Received funding from the Government Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to design five CL public sector tool kits, which will be available for use in 2020
• Began updating our Carbon Literacy: Knowledge E-Learning module
• Held our second Carbon Literate Organisation Awards at HOME, Manchester

Read on to find out about some of our highlights from 2019 and key dates for 2020!

CL Pioneers Events

Beating the January blues, we held the first Carbon Literacy Pioneers Event of the year on the final Monday of the month. These events are an informal space for facilitators, trainers and consultants (formally certified or not), delivering Carbon Literacy training to any audience, to come together to meet, exchange experiences and share best practice from across the UK. It is also a chance to set up collaborations, hear from a few expert guests, and find out the latest information about Carbon Literacy directly from The Project. The second, and final pioneers of the year commenced on the 29th October. Both events included much lively discussion, and a chance to talk through important topics such as a proposed ‘trainers code of conduct’, trainer top tips, as well as where to find useful CL resources.

Read more about the January and October events here

CL at the GM Green Summit

We attended the second Greater Manchester Green Summit in March. The day saw the coming together of the great and good of sustainable Manchester to continue seeking out pathways towards Greater Manchester’s 2038 carbon-neutral goal. Carbon Literacy was mentioned throughout and noted by multiple speakers as being key to creating low carbon culture within organisations and communities.

Read more here

CL Endorsement from the Welsh Government

The Future Generations of Wales Office produced a 10 Point Plan to Fund Wales’ Climate Emergency focusing on funding and how Wales plans to tackle the climate crisis. It went through five key areas that funding will be focused on: transport, housing & buildings, renewable energy, land use and nature-based solutions, and other levers. Other levers listed in the plan include a focus on decarbonisation as a key principle and driver for all decision-making within planning, public sector procurement and pension fund investments. We were delighted to see that this is to be supported by a programme of Carbon Literacy training throughout the public sector.

Read more here

Scottish Government Supports CL Classrooms

We were extremely pleased to hear the Scottish Government announce a further investment of £300,000 to expand the Climate Ready Classrooms initiative. This scheme, delivered by Keep Scotland Beautiful and accredited by The Carbon Literacy Project, provides a one-day Carbon Literacy training course tailored specifically towards young people (as well as their teachers, headteachers, CLD practitioners and youth and children’s workers), enabling them to develop their knowledge of climate change, its causes and effects, and live more sustainably both at home, at school and within their local area. Thanks in part to this funding, it’s hoped that the programme will be rolled out to over 5,000 young people in Scotland, approximately half of all 14 to 17 year-olds within Scottish secondary schools, across the next two years.

Read more here

Patagonia Action Works

Outdoor company Patagonia launched Patagonia Action Works in the UK, a digital platform that connects its community with local grassroots organisations working to save the planet. The Europe-wide launch follows the huge success of the platform in North America, where it has seen half a million people take action to support environmental issues, and enabled users to volunteer time and skills, join events, sign petitions and donate to conservation causes. The Carbon Literacy Project is one of a number of organisations on the platform (including Extinction Rebellion, Save Our Rivers, Friends of the Earth, Surfers Against Sewage and Rewilding Britain) that you can find out more about and look to get involved with.

Read more here

Important dates for your diary:

28^th Jan
CL for Interested Organisations

29^th-30^th Jan
MMU’s CL Train-the-Trainer Course

31^st Jan
CLO Application Deadline

11^th Feb
Criteria Checker Workshop

20^th-21^st Feb
MMU’s CL Train-the-Trainer Course

March (tbc)
CLO Awards