Mid Devon District Council has successfully secured a grant of £2.8 million as part of the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, aiming to decarbonise buildings. The grant will be used to switch the energy sources of Lords Meadow Leisure Centre, Crediton and Exe Valley Leisure from fossil fuels to renewable sources, as well as to install solar panels and LED lighting for outdoor pitches.

The Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Strategy Roadmap, launched by the Environment Agency at the Flood and Coast Conference, has set out concrete steps to prepare for the impacts of flooding and coastal erosion as consequences of climate change. It aims to protect homes and national infrastructure (such as roads and railways) from flooding, as well as to improve the environment and develop long term adaptation strategies, amongst other points.

A total of 68 farmhouses across the Devon County Council Farms Estate are in the process of being retrofitted, which will reduce farmhouse carbon emissions by up to 70%.

Retrofitting the farmhouses will include installing double glazing as well as cavity wall, loft and floor insulation. This will result in reduced energy use and lower heating and energy bills for tenants, as well as working to combat the more than 40% total carbon emissions in Devon caused by the buildings we live and work in. Additionally, 17 roof mounted solar arrays have been installed so far to further reduce bills for tenants.

Electric Vehicle (EV) charge points have been installed in Dartmouth’s Mayors Avenue Car Park and Dawlish’s Barton Car Park, kicking off the plan to install 80 EV charge points in 38 public car parks across Devon.

The charging point scheme is being delivered over the next year through a partnership of Devon County Council, South Hams District Council, West Devon Borough Council, North Devon Council, Teignbridge District Council, East Devon District Council and ScottishPower on behalf of Devon Climate Emergency. With the installation of EV charge points, EVs will be a more accessible mode of transport throughout Devon.

A funding bid for £15 million has been backed by Torridge Councillors to create the Appledore Clean Maritime Innovation Centre. The centre is hoped to establish northern Devon at the core of maritime developments in the Net Zero age, and would be the first university research centre in northern Devon. It is set to feature cutting-edge research, partnerships with the University of Plymouth and the Centre for Future Clean Mobility (University of Exeter) and a variety of modern facilities.

Public sector partners in Torbay have committed to following the principles of a new Community Wealth Building (CWB) approach to encourage sustainable growth. Partners taking part have signed the CWB Memorandum of Understanding to pledge their support for the approach.

The CWB approach promotes local spending, well paid employment for Torbay residents and the growth of small enterprises, simultaneously supporting the local economy as well as reducing carbon emissions.

Rental properties with poor energy performance certificate (EPC) ratings (with a rating lower than ‘E’) are being identified by Teignbridge District Council in an effort to encourage landlords to take action.

Landlords who do not have valid exemptions or do not comply with making their properties more energy efficient can face significant financial penalties upwards of £1,000. The increased consequences for poor home energy efficiency aim to encourage ongoing work to reduce carbon emissions, in addition to lowering energy bills for tenants.

211 responses from the public have indicated that the ongoing development of the Devon Carbon Plan and actions from partners are supported by the Devon population, paving the way for progress to finalise the plan.

Participants representing a variety of age ranges and all local authority areas in Devon, made up of 201 individuals and 10 organisations, responded to our call to provide feedback on the partnership’s response to the recommendations made by the Devon Climate Assembly. The results show that all but one of the partnership’s proposals to the Assembly’s resolutions had agreement from over 50% of respondents. More specifically, respondents favoured the increased implementation of renewable energy, support for building retrofit, and ensuring that sustainable travel options are available. Low-carbon initiatives that bring benefits to the community were prioritised, with a clear message that changes need to be inclusive and advantageous to all.

These responses are crucial in guaranteeing that the Final Devon Carbon Plan, due for completion by August 2022, addresses the key concerns raised by the public for ensuring Devon will reach net-zero emissions.

What might the place you live in look like in this better future? More to the point, what would you want it to look like? The Interim Devon Carbon Plan and the Devon Climate Emergency website are full of resources which show what might be achieved and how. This is a chance to learn about what is possible, as well as let your wildest imaginations off the leash.

If you have a ‘Vision’ for net-zero where you live, please send it on to us. It can take the form of a piece of art, a story, a video, or even a podcast. Submissions are welcome from individuals or groups. Visions will be hosted on the website and maybe even included in the project book. They will also be plotted on an interactive map, to build up a mosaic of imaginings of a future net-zero Devon.

Together we can start to tell a different story about our collective future, raise a wider awareness of what we must do and what is possible, and show what we value most about the places we live in.

Your Visons will be featured in the gallery and on the map so we can build a mosaic of Visions for Devon. Each month between July-November 2022 two £20 vouchers (under and over 18s) will be awarded to the ‘Star’ Vision of the month. Many Visions will also appear in the Net Zero Book, publication November 2022.

To submit your Visions please click either ‘under 18 ‘or ‘over 18’ below:

Under 18s:

https://plymouth.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/net-zero-public-visions-under-18s-2

Over 18s:

https://plymouth.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/net-zero-visions-public-visions-survey-and-how-to-subm

Devon County Show; Westpoint, Clyst St Mary, Exeter, EX5 1DJ,Thursday 30th June - Saturday 2nd July

Enjoy the best of food, farming and entertainment at the Devon County Show. Join Devon Climate Emergency, Recycle Devon and Suez on Stand 260, Road 8, to learn about the incredible work of community groups helping the environment across the county, and rock out with Weapons of Sound on Saturday!

Design of schools in relation to Indoor Environmental Quality
Online Event via Zoom; Thursday 7 July 2022, 11:00am – 12:00pm

Dr Sepideh Korsavi presents her findings on how the design of schools can optimise indoor environmental quality whilst lowering the carbon footprint and energy bill for schools. This event will be a useful insight for anyone involved in the design or management of schools and how we can optimise school buildings to help pupils be productive and engaged.

Celebrating 60 Years Wild - Protecting our seas - Past and Future; Online; Thursday 7th July, 6:00pm - 7:30pm

Join Devon Wildlife Trust for a fascinating and enlightening illustrated talk about the challenges and achievements faced by those that value our seas. Hosted by Peter Burgess, Director of Nature Recovery, Devon Wildlife Trust with guest speakers; Paul Naylor, marine biologist and photographer, and Dr Lissa Batey, Head of Marine Conservation, The Wildlife Trusts.

Community Climate Conversation; Scala Hall Brixham; Saturday 9th July, 10:00am - 1:00pm

This event is your chance to help shape how Torbay tackles climate change, helping it to thrive. As an attendee you will get the opportunity to hear about what is currently happening in Torbay, what needs to happen to achieve carbon neutrality and the recommendations that have emerged in this process to date. You will be asked to review the work and recommendations and give the opportunity to add other ideas and ask questions. On the day there will also be top tips and advice to help you to save energy (and money) and how to minimise the amount of waste we all create.

Celebrating 60 Years Wild – Wilding our land - the future of conservation?; Online; Thursday 14th July, 1:00pm - 4:00pm

A guided tour and closer look at Devon Wildlife Trust's Wilder Woodah project with Edric Hopkinson, Reserves Team Leader, to discover how changes in land management and the approach taken on this site can be adopted on a larger scale and how that will impact Devon's wildlife in the future.

Nature and Climate - What next for Totnes Constituency?; Kingsbridge Community College; Friday 22nd July, 6:20pm - 8:00pm

This event is being organised by Kingsbridge Climate Action, Wild About Kingsbridge, and Till the Coast is Clear, in collaboration with Zero Hour Devon. It will be an opportunity for residents of the Totnes constituency to participate constructively in how to address the many nature and climate challenges ahead, discussing the local impact of the climate and biodiversity crisis.