From Footprint to Changeprint, to Community-to-Community 

How do some local climate initiatives achieve remarkable impact? We think we have some of the answers.

When Carbon Copy commissioned Eunomia to conduct research across the UK, our aim was simple. We wanted to identify the key factors behind successful projects and share practical advice for councils, communities and organisations to copy what’s working.  

Backed up by our national collection of over 600 stories, it was very apparent that project ‘success’ is about more than reducing carbon emissions and that working together is essential for achieving remarkable impacts.  

The result was to define success in terms of a Changeprint and turn the insights into a high-impact action guide. 

In March 2026 we published From Footprint to Changeprint: High Impact Local Climate Action Guide. The report identifies twelve success factors, which fall into three core characteristics: a mindset of Abundance, a sense of Belonging and a Purposeful approach.  

Less than six months since the report became available, it has already been accessed by over 550 individuals, representing around 500 different groups and organisations across the country. We’ve heard from many that the report resonates strongly with their work, and that they are using it as a way to establish where they can improve and grow their impact. 

Sue Jefferson, cofounder of Circular Malton & Norton said: 

Can I say what an EXCELLENT guide you have created… I was nodding, making notes, having aha moments as it articulated where our gaps are… this is now to become our organisation’s go-to guide.” 

From Footprint to Changeprint has been shared with over 1000 local People’s Emergency Briefing organisers, and several hundred Great Big Green Week event hosts. Our goal was to support those whose interests and ambitions around local climate action had been sparked by participating in these high-profile national events. 

The response has been fantastic, with dozens more people accessing the report and sharing their thoughts with us. The guide is proving very useful for: 

•  Finding inspiration: “We have used some of the case studies – particularly from circular economy projects – as inspiration for how to kick off similar projects in our area”.  

• Involving more people: “It reinforces the view that we engage with the majority by being concrete and practical.  Addressing the everyday effects of climate in order to find non-partisan entry points”.  

• Aligning different groups, “Good to hear what techniques are useful in engaging with a diverse community… The document will be a useful reference and planning tool”. 

• And copying successful projects, “As a recently formed local Climate Action group (as a follow-on from the People’s Emergency Briefing film) seeing projects up and running with a blueprint to work from is perfect”.  

If you think your project, group or organisation could benefit from this practical guide to working together effectively, and you’ve not yet had the chance to check it out, it’s still available to download free from our website. 

If you’re looking for what to do next, we’re now giving you the opportunity to put this learning into practice – taking the findings of the research and applying them to real-world situations through a series of free online Community-to-Community Workshops.  

Whether you’ve recently started or joined a local group, or whether you are an established organisation looking to take its work to the next level – these workshops are a valuable opportunity to make connections, learn from each other and from the real-life example of a high-impact project. 

Find out more.