The Greening Campaign

Many communities have declared a 'climate or ecological emergency'. But many are struggling to know what to do next. The Greening Campaign toolkit gives structure to those next steps. The Greening Campaign is designed for use by Parish and Town Councils or Community Action Teams. It is a fun and cost effective way for communities to tackle the climate crisis.

About the Greening Campaign

The Greening Campaign aims to unite communities to tackle climate change. It follows a tried and tested four phased programme.

Phase 1 starts with small actions showing how much CO2 the community has saved. So by the end Phase 1 the community has something to celebrate. The four phases help develop each community’s vision for a sustainable future. Looking at themes like the home, biodiversity, low carbon economy, and community energy.

The Greening Campaign helps councils support their communities. It also allows communities to support each other. It shares the experiences of over 200 communities currently working through the toolkit.

Phase 1

Each household in the community will receive a Greening Campaign A5 card. The cards list practical challenges each household can take to reduce, reuse or make a difference. Households committing to these actions will proudly display them in their windows.

The Greening Campaign measures each community’s efforts. This helps the community visualise what they have collectively achieved.

What support to communities get in Phase 1?

The Greening Campaign provides:

• Online support videos
• Full information pack
• Launch information
• Logo
• A list of challenges and savings (both CO2and financial)
• Forms for ordering challenge cards for each household in your community
• Calculations of the savings made by your community
• Email support throughout the process
• Feedback on CO2 savings made

What is a community?

The Greening Campaign classes a community at least 250 homes, but no more than 8,000 homes. If your community is larger than 8,000 you may want to divide the community into two. If the community is smaller than this range, you may want to link with a neighbouring community.

A parish or town council must lead the communities Greening Campaign. This ensures decision making follows a democratic process. A community cannot be an eco-group, though these groups can be a wealth of knowledge and support. It is about working with the whole community and bringing everyone forward together.

Costs

There are four phases of the Greening Campaign. Each phase costs £50. Westmorland and Furness Council are subsiding phase 1 so it will only cost £25 for town and parish councils in Eden.

There are other costs incurred whilst working through the packages. For example in phase 1 there is a cost of printing the A5 flyers for the community. This cost depends on the size of the community as each household must receive a flyer.

Communities are only signed up to the phase they are in. It is up to each community whether they continue to the next phase.

Contact

Go to the Greening Campaign website if you have any questions about the process or contact our Sustainability Team on the details below.