Our News

Carbon Literate Citizens = 4,631

As we approach the end of the year, and the milestone of 5,000 Carbon Literate citizens, we thought it was worth taking a moment to review how far we have all come this year.

In 2016 the total number of Carbon Literate citizens has more than doubled, with almost 1,500 citizens certified as Carbon Literate in October and November alone. This steep rise in the Carbon Literate is testament to the hard work of the many citizen trainers and learners alike, and also to all of our partners who have embraced Carbon Literacy and its principles in the creation of their own Carbon Literate workforces. The graph below shows how far we have come in 2016, and how far since the beginning of the Project. It’s representative of a huge collective achievement and a shift in gear, which we are set to continue in 2017.

Carbon Literate Organisations = 14

We held our inaugural Carbon Literate Organisation Awards in November – in Nick’s Bistro on the set of Coronation Street. The CLO Awards Ceremony was a fantastic event held to celebrate the fourteen newly accredited Carbon Literate Organisations, including three Gold CLOs (Manchester Museum, dock10, Manchester Climate Change Agency) and two Platinum CLOs (Northwards Housing, Peel Media). You can see the full list here. These organisations have each actively designed CL training, have delivered and continue to deliver it to their staff and other organisations, and actively creating a low carbon culture within their own organisations and beyond. Read more about the Award Ceremony here. Find out how your organisation can join us at the next CLO Awards here.

Above: John Whiston (ITV Managing Director), one of our key speakers at the CLO Awards 2016.

Certified Carbon Literacy Trainers, Facilitators and Consultants = 12

A further achievement was the launch of our updated Carbon Literacy Trainer Standard, covering the criteria required to become a Carbon Literacy Facilitator, Trainer, or Consultants. Our very first certified Carbon Literacy Trainers (CLTs) under this new version of the CLT Standard were five student trainers from Manchester Metropolitan University. Some of our other excellent certified CL Facilitators and CL Trainers can be found here.

Above: CL Trainer Award Ceremony. From left to right: Phil Korbel (Director, CLP); Helen Casey (MMU); Jane Mork (Carbon Literacy Officer, MMU); Lauren Wood (MMU); Ned Gatenby (MMU); Emma Charlotte Richards (MMU) and Dave Coleman (Director, CLP)

Carbon Literacy: Knowledge (e-Learning) Learners = 5,336; and those that have already completed the course = 2,035

Launched just over a year ago, our Carbon Literacy: Knowledge (CLK) is a half-day e-learning package delivering customised and relevant climate change science, covering the majority of the Knowledge section of the Carbon Literacy Standard. We have now issued over 5,000 learner licences, with more than 2000 learners already undertaking CLK, and set to become fully Carbon Literate in due course (if they aren’t already!). CLK e-learners get an interim certificate declaring that they have passed the e-learning course -a qualification in its own right, but then go on to work with others and take action, to achieve full Carbon Literacy. For more information on CLK e-learning, and how you can use it as a training tool in your organisation, click here.

What Next?

Looking into the New Year, we are excited to be taking The Carbon Literacy Project to mainland Europe in the form of the city of Toulouse. There, we’ll be running our first international Carbon Literacy Train-the-Trainer programme. This is a very positive step for the Project, particularly in the shadow of Brexit, as we continue to value and work closely with our European partners to educate all our citizens, for the best future possible for us all.

Against the backdrop of negative politics and increasingly challenging environmental feedback, it’s still been a great year for the Project. The message we carry is, therefore, more important than ever and despite the uncertain times we face, we look forward to the positive opportunities that 2017 will bring. In another year of great change, it’s more important than ever that we take up Carbon Literacy in our organisations, schools, universities and communities, as we directly address our changing climate, and build our low carbon culture.

Go Forth And Share Your Carbon Literacy!