Commitment to a national training programme has resulted in the Isle of Wight Council achieving Bronze status as a Carbon Literate Organisation.
The accreditation, awarded by the Carbon Literacy Trust, is internationally recognised and shows the council is prioritising action to tackle the climate crisis.
What is carbon literacy?
Carbon literacy is defined as ‘an awareness of the carbon dioxide costs and impacts of everyday activities and the ability to reduce emissions, on an individual, community and organisational basis’.
A Carbon Literate Organisation, therefore, is an organisation that is making a substantial commitment to Carbon Literacy.
Mission Zero
In 2021, the council approved its Mission Zero Climate and Environment Strategy 2021-2040, aiming to be carbon neutral within its own operations by 2030.
Carbon literacy training forms part of the council’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions, by educating staff on how they can make changes in their day to day work.
The council has plans to roll the training out to many more staff in the next few years to increase awareness of the issues and challenges and the action which is needed.
Bacon: Committed to tackling climate change, and serious about establishing and maintaining a low carbon culture
Cllr Jonathan Bacon, Cabinet member for climate change and environment, said the accreditation was testament to the council’s hard work to combat the climate emergency so far.
He said,
“This accreditation as a carbon literate organisation is a visible ‘badge’ that shows we are both committed to tackling climate change, and serious about establishing and maintaining a low carbon culture.
“One of the aims of our Mission Zero strategy, published last year, was to mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing carbon emissions and we’ve set an ambitious target for the council to be carbon neutral by 2030 and the Island community by 2040.
“This accreditation and training will help us to achieve this by ensuring all of our services have an understanding of their carbon footprint, and what is needed to do to reduce it.
“We know there’s still lots to do, so I would like to encourage everyone on the Island to help us achieve our ambition. Everyday actions all add up to make a positive difference, no matter how small they may seem.”
For more information about The Carbon Literacy Trust, visit their Website.
News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed
