Our story
Nearly two thirds of the changes needed to reach net zero by 2050 will require changes to the way we live our lives. We'll need to reduce energy use, change the way we travel, what we eat, how much we buy and how we dispose of things. With the policies and actions currently in place still taking more time than we have, it's important that we all do what we can to move closer towards net zero.
This means that, alongside calling for the UK Government to implement top-down policies to reduce the nation's carbon footprint and support these changes, we have a fantastic opportunity to create communities that are not only sustainable, but healthier, happier, and more resilient.
The Net Zero Now Programme is a free training programme designed to support residents of South Cambridgeshire to act on climate change in their community. The programme provides the knowledge and confidence to support the local area to accelerate the move to net zero emissions.
As a result of attending the course, previous participants have:
- worked with their parish councils to declare climate emergencies,
- progressed a small group of interested friends into a fully established local group,
- connected with others in neighbouring towns and villages to share resources and expertise, supporting each other to increase the impact of their work.
The programme consists of six weekly workshops, a mix of online and in-person, bringing participants together with other communities and individuals in the area to support and learn from each other to deliver effective carbon reduction activities, events and communications.
Our advice
Topics of most interest to participants are: communicating climate change, understanding audiences (Climate Outreach research), dealing with challenging behaviour or emotions, practical project planning tools.
The best way to reach our audience is through parish newsletters or on the news page of parish websites.
Online evening sessions tend to work best as participants are able to work around their existing work, family and other commitments. Although having a couple of in person sessions also works well as a way for participants to get to know everyone better.
It's beneficial to have a mix of local, guest contributors to share experience and expertise. This not only diversifies the range of voices but also supports local networking and participants benefit from local voices who are aware of the context in which participants are working.
Our metrics
Number of participants;
Self-assessment of knowledge and confidence of topics before and after course;
Types of actions participants get involved in after the course.
