COMMUNITY STRATEGY
‘Climate Change’ is an emphatic truth: the signs are all around us. For us Rutlanders, the signs are not perhaps as dramatic as melting polar ice caps or vast tracts of land becoming uninhabitable as temperatures soar but nonetheless there are tell – tale signs: reduced insect population, fewer bats, swifts and hedgehogs in our villages and more ‘unusual’ weather patterns. What is clear though, the human species needs to take action, collectively to halt the changes if we are to ensure a planet that is robust and future proof for all.
The UK government has laid out in law that we must bring carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. Rutland County Council has declared a Climate Crisis and with that committed to carbon net zero ‘as soon as is viable’ – 2050 set in law but the ambition is to reach this target sooner.
The Committee on Climate Change (a national body) has, with meticulous research, developed the 6th Carbon Budget: this outlines how carbon net zero can be achieved. The needed actions given percentages: 16% has been attributed to the need for societal and behaviour changes, whether this is by looking at transport, food consumption, waste, energy consumption or how we protect the natural landscape ensuring our land usage supports and enhances the natural balance of our world. This is where we come in, as residents, consumers and carbon emitters – each and every one of us can play our part on this journey.
Rutland Climate Action has developed a plan to help us all to do our bit. This is written by the community, for the community. The plan will be reviewed annually, up -dated – used as a working document if you will. Successes will be celebrated; next steps identified but above all we will all know that we work together for the common good – the good of the future generations.
Underlying Principles:
Rutland Climate Action will:
1) Build connections: One Rutland
2) Engage with the whole community, raising awareness
3) Educate and signpost to enable the community to make informed and beneficial choices
4) Measure success by monitoring and evaluating actions taken
5) Ensure that ‘stakeholder’ status is achieved: a united voice will provide evidence-based opinion on policy both at a local and a national government level
(Chapter 9: 6th Carbon Budget)
Ambition:
• We will decrease the amount of waste we produce as a county, and we will have the best recycling rates in the country. We will therefore reduce our carbon emissions.
Rutland Data:
– Info graph – lots available on this: tonnage of waste / household; recycling rates – currently 33rd out of 345 local authorities – at 57% (?) – target of 67%; current contents of a black bin – 40% food; 12% could be recycled etc etc
Actions:
• Education of residents regarding the waste hierarchy (reduce, reuse, recycle).
• Regular reuse events / opportunities organised across the county.
• Recycling workshops
• Community Litter picks across the county
• Lobbying: supermarkets and Amazon regarding the amount of packaging used for products
• Support local businesses to use sustainable packing and to develop sustainable purchasing
• Green directory (see also Agriculture section) – identify zero waste shops
• Education r/e reducing food waste
Partners:
• RCC – statutory duty to manage all of the waste produced
• Rutland Youth Council
• Parish and Town Councils
• Businesses: quantity of packaging
• MP
• Schools
• Local businesses (set up a network)
Policies / Reports:
– Annual waste service booklet (issued with Council Tax demand)
– Waste Management Strategy (emergent)
What will success look like?
1) Tonnage of waste will have decreased.
2) Recycling rates will have increased.
3) % of households composting will have increased.
4) Number of local businesses with accredited sustainability plans (e.g BCorp)
What’s in it for me?
1) Reduction in waste overall will mean a reduction in cost for managing our waste. (The cost of waste management comes out of the revenue raised by our Council Tax).
2) We will, collectively, have a significant impact on the environment both in terms of CO2 emissions but also in terms of reducing the need to process waste items such as plastic.
(Chapter 7: 6th Carbon Budget)
Ambition:
• We will maximise our potential for carbon sequestration in soils, vegetation and trees through proactive support to help statutory agencies, local advice charities, farmers, landowners, land managers, and their agents.
• We will work with partners and agencies to reduce the impacts to agriculture, horticulture, community food production, forestry, and nature conservation resulting from climate change
• We will implement land use mitigation and adaptation strategies to protect food, timber, natural resources, biodiversity, and communities from the impacts of climate change.
Rutland Data:
To come but to include:
• break down of land use for the county
Actions:
1) Promote and educate our community about sustainable food choices e.g. eating seasonally (campaigns)
2) Tourism campaigns
3) Cookery demonstrations: cooking to reduce waste; forage cooking – noting the need for expertise
4) Lobby supermarkets to label food with detail regarding carbon footprint
5) Restaurants and pubs: build a data base of those using local produce – 5 star scheme
6) Book Club: reading list of handy books to support sustainable cooking and living
7) Promote healthy local choices through local corner shops, food banks, etc
Talks and support to landowners on carbon sequestration and storage; renewable energy; production efficiency, carbon auditing; nature based solutions; natural capital and ecosystem services
8) Create network of producers, growers and distributers
9) List the ban on allotment holders from selling their produce (or enable them to offer goods in grow/ swap events
10) Set up county wide local food campaigns coordinated with Rutland Ag Soc at the Show
11) Green directory (of businesses in Rutland – ‘green’ credentials e.g. source of products, packaging etc etc)
Partners:
• Rutland Agricultural Society
• The Allerton Project
• NFU members
• Supermarkets
• independent food outlets in Rutland
• restaurants
• MP
• Rutland Youth Council
• Rutland Young Farmers
• Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust
• Sustainable Land Trust
• Natural England
• Environment Agency
• CLA
• LEAF
• Tenant Farmers Association
• Discover Rutland
Policies / Reports
– Rutland Youth Council: ‘Taste it, Don’t Waste it’ campaign
– National Food Strategy
– 25 year Environment Plan
What will success look like?
1) Food waste will have reduced. (data from RCC)
2) Thriving independent foot outlets (numbers counted / noted on an annual basis
3) Collection of anecdotal evidence (Rutland Youth Council: Taste it, don’t waste it)
4) Amount of carbon sequestered
5) Amount of productive land saved from negative impacts of climate change
6) Amount of producers and landowners with their own carbon reduction plan (through carbon footprint and targeted support from local organisations and statutory bodies
7) Increased number of landholdings registered with ELMS
8) Enhanced natural habitat: increase in varieties of plants and wildlife
(Chapter 3: 6th Carbon Budget)
Ambition:
• All new homes to be net carbon zero by 2030.
• We will meet government targets for energy transformations within national timeframes but with the ambition of achieving this earlier.
Rutland Data:
To come but to include:
– Housing mix: type / age
– Council owned property
– Data regarding current energy supply
Actions:
• Work out carbon footprint for our homes
• Turn down the temperature gauge – NHS guidelines for optimum temperature for good health is 18 degrees Celsius
• Advice to install insulation and draft proofing
• Advice on energy usage reduction
• Set up a housing sub group and include social and private landlords – develop a charter/agreement and get them to create a baseline and report in each year on a) actions taken, b) tangible results achieved. RCC to spot audit
• Evidenced position on new build and existing planning policy that prohibits low carbon emission choices – for example solar panels on listed buildings
• Specific list of verified / evidenced ‘Top Tips’ for reducing energy consumption in the home
• List of green tariff energy companies
• List of local renewable energy technology suppliers and installers
• Set up green business directory
• Encourage the use of Smart meters
• Energy clubs
• Education r/e heat pumps / insulation etc – signposting
Partners:
LEAP (service for residents to receive advice and support on energy efficiency).
Sustainable Land Trust
Energy companies –
Central government – grants
RCC
Peterborough City Council
Local businesses
Historic England
Policies / Reports
• National Planning Policy Framework
• RCC local plan / planning policies
• Net Zero Carbon Plans (examples from other authorities)
• Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2017-22
• Private Sector Housing Renewal Policy 2021-25.
• Home Energy Conservation Act reports 2013–21.
What will success look like?
Reduced carbon emissions – year on year comparison
• Lower fuel bills
• Number of homes with Smart meters – no idea if we can get a starting point of numbers??
• Number of new homes built to net zero standards
• Number of homes adapted to use low carbon technologies
What’s in it for me?
• Saving money on fuel bills
• Improved quality of life
• Better health
• Reduced carbon footprint
(Chapter 11: 6th Carbon Budget)
Ambition:
• Rutland will be the ‘greenest’ county: we will maximise our carbon sequestration; we will be leaders in the field for offsetting. We will nurture natural habitats to ensure wildlife is not negatively impacted by our land usage.
Rutland Data: Where are we now?
– current land use
– numbers of trees: 808615 in Rutland (approximate)
– wildlife: birds / insects etc etc
– current carbon sequestration data
– current river condition
Actions:
1) Develop tree planting programmes across the county, including her majesty, the Queen’s Green Canopy by identifying areas (both privately owned and publicly) that would be appropriate, ‘Right tree, right place’ with a clearly planned for maintenance of new plantings.
2) Promote the ‘wilding’ of sections of private gardens and other available land
3) Work with RCC to support development of biodiversity in both rural and urban verges.
4) Promote the use of allotments so that there are no plots unused.
5) Work with schools, parish/town councils and churches to encourage the use of open space for the enhancement biodiversity.
6) Produce a user friendly ‘How to Guide’: Sign posting to correct licensing requirements / processes
7) Promote permaculture techniques to reduce carbon and nitrogen releases from soils
8) Develop parish networks
Partners:
• Sustainable Land Trust
• RCC
• Parish and Town Councils
• Schools
• MOD
• Housing Associations
• The Sustainable Land Trust
• The Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust
• Allotment associations
• Bloom Committees
• Churches
• Lord Lieutenant
• Rutland Agricultural Society
• Rutland Botanical Society
• Rutland Youth Council
Policies/ Reports (Authority)
• Tree policy
• Grounds Maintenance (including verges – urban and rural)
• RCC Scrutiny Committee Task and Finish report on biodiversity
• Licensing (working on the highway / right to cultivate)
What will success look like?
1) We have increased the number of trees by ???% / number of trees planted.
2) ???% of garden owners will have committed to wilding a part of their garden
3) The number of different species of wildflowers will have increased on our roadside verges.
4) There will be 90% ‘active’ occupation of allotments across the county.
5) All schools will have a designated space / spaces that enhance biodiversity.
What’s in it for me?
1) Beautiful open space to enjoy.
2) Better air quality.
3) More carbon sequestered
4) Improved ecology
(Chapter 2: 6th Carbon Budget)
Ambition:
• We will increase the amount of cycling and walking and use of public transport in Rutland.
• Every household will decrease their car journeys by one / week.
• Increase the use of public transport
• Promote car sharing
Rutland Data:
RCC will have a lot of data regarding current levels of bus use, cycling, walking etc. There will also be data from the Future Rutland Conversation summary reports.
Actions:
1) Identification and promotion of existing cycle ways and footpaths within communities.
2) Identification and promotion of Public Rights of Way within communities.
3) Promotion of bus usage, identifying and sharing with RCC desired times of use.
4) Develop pledges that individuals can undertake e.g. I will walk or cycle into town; I will take at least one journey / week on the bus.
5) Publish a good – practice guide for car share schemes
Partners:
• RCC: Transport Department
• Parish and Town Councils
• Local cycle and Walking Clubs
• Anglian Water
• Schools
• Rutland Youth Council
Policies / Reports:
– LTP4 (Local Transport Plan)
– LCWIP (Local Cycling and Walking Improvement Plan)
– Bus Improvement Plan (BSIP)
– Mode Shift Stars (travel planning with schools)
What will success look like?
1) Increased bus user numbers (RCC gets regular data on this).
2) Increase in people going by foot or bike into the town centres if they live on the outskirts. (Could possibly monitor car park occupancy but this may be skewed data e.g. we do not know the origin of the car!) Data collection by individual climate action groups – share via the network
3) Decrease in the number of private cars – tricky one this but again see 2 and I would suggest a long-term ambition
4) See car share schemes become established and working effectively
What’s in it for me?
1) Feeling great! Fresh air and exercise will help with maintenance of a healthy mind and body.
2) Increased demand for buses will a) protect existing bus services as well as b) provide an excellent business case for increasing services. This will mean that for those for whom cars are not an option their opportunities for freedom and independence will have significantly increased.
3) Greater increase in demand will be reflected in ticket prices. (This one I would need to check – I have made a logical assumption – dangerous!!!)
4) Decrease in air pollution
5) Improved sense of emotional wellbeing through increased sense of community through car – share schemes and travelling with others on local transport
RECYCLE IT
of waste in the average black bin in Rutland could have been recycled.
Download this Waste guide for what can be put in your grey bin.
FOOD WASTE
of the waste in the average black bin in Rutland is food.
Visit the Taste it Don’t Waste it website page for top tips on how to avoid food waste and save some money at the same time.
THE COST
per year is spent on dealing with the waste and recycling we create.
Make use of the free local online social media platforms to rehome your unwanted items before throwing them out.