LYME Regis Town Council has become the first town council in the country to achieve a prestigious award recognising the organisation’s dedication to tackling the impacts of climate change.
The council has been accredited as a Silver Level Carbon Literate Organisation, highlighting its commitment to reducing its organisational carbon emissions and working towards a lower-carbon future.
Carbon Literacy is an awareness of the carbon dioxide costs and impacts of everyday activities, and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions, on an individual, community and organisational basis.
A Carbon Literate Organisation is an organisation that has been accredited by The Carbon Literacy Project as being ‘culturally Carbon Literate’.
As part of the accreditation, more than 60% of councillors and a significant number of staff have completed locally relevant, bespoke training and submitted pledges to reduce their carbon impacts, helping them to gain individual Carbon Literacy accreditation.
This included a commitment to influence others to engage positively in community climate and environmental action.
The silver award demonstrates Lyme Regis Town Council is dedicated to maintaining a substantial proportion of its workforce as Carbon Literate and demonstrating its Carbon Literacy through its organisational behaviour.
It follows on from the council declaration of a climate and environmental emergency in 2019, which included a pledge to make the organisation carbon neutral by 2030.
Operations manager Matt Adamson-Drage said: “The council has worked hard to become the first silver-level carbon literate accredited town council in the country.
“We have trained councillors and staff in Carbon Literacy, report regularly on our environmental progress and have a strategic plan to reduce our carbon emissions by 2030. The council is pleased to be blazing a trail for the local government sector.”
Dave Coleman, co-founder and managing director of The Carbon Literacy Project, said: “Carbon Literacy is an essential skill, vital to every workplace, community and place of study. It is the foundational knowledge, and a catalyst to empowering people to act on climate, however, Carbon Literacy is only the first step.
The actions taken and pledged by learners as part of their Carbon Literacy have an immediate impact within their organisation, however it is the maintenance of these and further actions, supported by Carbon Literate organisational culture, that reaps the greatest rewards for both participants and organisations.
“By becoming a Silver Level accredited Carbon Literate Organisation, Lyme Regis Town Council has demonstrated its commitment to genuine low carbon action, environmental and economic impact, and the building of a low carbon future for us all.”