Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Carbon Copy is the working name of Carbon Copy Network, a charity registered in England and Wales (1187420).

Our aim is to move people into action. By action, we mean engaging with others locally to work actively on projects that address climate breakdown and defend nature.

Carbon Copy is made up of four trustees and a small communications team, supported by an advisory board. We work with some amazing partner organisations on activities ranging from online publishing to events to media production.

Carbon Copy is a not-for-profit charity funded by grants and donations.

Carbon Copy is apolitical: we need engagement and leadership by government at all levels and by political parties of all colours.

Addressing climate breakdown is so much more than the sum of individual lifestyle switches. It’s about building momentum behind collective action, where people live. On top of what we can do as individuals, we have an even greater impact through shared effort and collaboration.

Big-thinking local action involves working together, with different people and across different kinds of organisations. A coalition of like-minded people in community groups (and community institutions like schools and universities), local government and companies is needed to achieve meaningful change.

From a personal perspective, it’s where we live and have the most first-hand experience. From a wider perspective, 85% of people in the UK are currently worried about climate change, 73% say that Britain is already feeling its effects, and 67% of local councils have declared a climate emergency.

As an online visitor, you can explore the treasure trove of inspiration for local action to be found on our publishing platform. Read any of the thousand stories that people have shared; find fascinating blogs from our own and guest authors; explore what’s happening in your local area, download local climate action plans and check out your council’s progress to net zero; listen to podcasts on your favourite climate topics, and more. However, if you don’t sign up you won’t be able publish your own story; and if you don’t subscribe you won’t receive our newsletter.

You can reach a wider audience, by showcasing your initiative with us. You can enjoy extra support, by getting more local people and supporters behind your project. You can gain more recognition, by joining a growing movement of organisations leading change. You can make new connections, by being part of a community of like-minded people.

Our communication team actively publicises many of these published stories – on social media, in blog posts and newsletters, on the Carbon Copy Podcast – raising the profile of your work. We can also work with you to make your story as impactful as possible.

It’s simple. Just click this sign up link and complete our online registration form so you can get started!

Carbon Copy is moderated to make it a safe space for everyone. Storytellers who do not follow our Code of Conduct can no longer participate. The experience for everyone else is better and more constructive as a result.

Everything on Carbon Copy is free! There are no hidden charges or fees.

You can close your personal account on Carbon Copy at any time by contacting us directly at [email protected]. When you close your account, all your personal data will be deleted in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Your climate action story should be based on a project or a social enterprise. It may be in pilot stage or fully implemented, but it must be more than just a plan on paper. The initiative may be short-lived or long-lasting and either be live or recent enough to be relevant. It is (or could be) transformative. It’s place-based, somewhere in the UK. Big or small, it’s a collective local action that addresses the environment and climate emergency. Above all, it’s something that can be copied elsewhere!

We’re NOT interested in initiatives that are implemented by individuals or by nations; are proprietary and cannot be copied; promote commercial products or brands; make greenwashing claims; have beneficiaries who are not local; cause secondary emissions or ecological harm; or are socially exclusive or divisive.

Simply complete a one-page form online about your initiative and submit it for review by Carbon Copy.

No additional work is needed, beyond completing a simple one-page online form about your initiative, for us to review.

An initiative should relate to one of the six broad action areas: Buildings & Places; Circular Economy; Food & Agriculture; Nature; Renewable Energy, Transport. To find specific examples of projects in each category, please click here and use the Search Filter.

The six action areas are a useful way to group the ever-widening examples of collective action and innovation, inspired by existing frameworks and the latest thinking on climate mitigation and adaptation.

We’re very interested to learn about the wider benefits. Our list of positive impacts is based on research into these (sometimes unexpected) gains, and draws together the related issues of climate breakdown, protecting nature and social justice.

We read through the content for any obvious errors but we rely on the author’s honesty on the details, as agreed in our Code of Conduct. As soon as we have reviewed the submitted initiative and it’s OK, we publish it online.

Yes, you can sign in at any point and have direct access to your project page, should you wish to make any further changes or updates. Signing in protects your content and makes it accessible to you only as the author. We encourage authors to keep their stories up to date: simply login and go to My Account page in the top righthand corner.

You can submit as many stories as you like! Please complete a separate online form for each initiative that you would like to share with us.