Progress on moving to electric and hybrid vehicles

We currently have three electric vehicles at the Council: one car used by our 'doorsteppers' in the Waste and Recycling team and two vans used by our car parking team and our Trees Officer. 

We are now investigating the switch to a range of electric vehicles for the rest of our fleet, from the large waste fleet vehicles to the smaller road sweepers.

• The trial of an electric powered road sweeper was successful and is also extremely quiet - which will please our residents as the team go about their early morning cleaning in Horsham town centre! 
• Work on electrifying more of our fleet is ongoing and in the meantime we have switched to use HVO fuel instead of diesel - see below. 
• We also investigated new hybrid vehicles for our Community Wardens  - see the result in the article below.
• Finally, we are asking all departments which use vehicles for work to carry out reviews to see if any vehicles can either be shared with other departments or given up altogether. 

Keep an eye on future newsletters as we progress this work.

New greener vehicles for our Neighbourhood Wardens

Six new hybrid vehicles have been bought for use by our Neighbourhood Wardens as part of our climate change commitment to reduce our carbon emissions.

Introducing hybrid cars means that the new vehicles will combine a small combustion engine with an electric motor, allowing the vehicles to consume less fuel and emit less CO2 than a comparable conventional petrol or diesel-engine vehicle.

Enabling our neighbourhood wardens to switch to zero-emissions whilst travelling at slow speeds through our local communities also brings real benefits to the air quality of the rural villages and towns that they support.

Our HVO fuel trial is a success

A large proportion of the Council’s carbon footprint comes from the fuel used in its vehicles, so in April 2021 we started using Hydro-treated Vegetable Oil (HVO) in our waste and recycling fleet instead of using diesel.

HVO is a clean burning bio-based liquid fuel. It is significantly better for the environment than regular diesel or bio-diesel.

We are working with one of the UK’s largest suppliers, Certas Energy, who have a provided us with a certificate confirmation of sustainability and calculated that the switch to HVO should reduce our carbon emissions by up to 90% (119 tonnes per month).

To date we have had no issues so we are delighted to announce that all our council vehicles will be continuing with this new more environmentally-friendly fuel whilst we explore alternative options for our fleet for the future.

Switching from diesel to vegetable oil should reduce our fuel carbon emissions by up to 90%

Stay involved after COP26

With COP26, the international climate summit in Glasgow, drawing to a close there are still lots of ways that you can get involved with COP26 and show your commitment to tackling climate change.

1. Make your action count and inspire others to do their bit by sharing what you are doing using #TogetherForOurPlanet on social media and joining others through the Count Us In campaign.
2. Businesses from every corner of the UK can join in the Race To Zero in a transition to a low-carbon world. See more options for business in the article below.
3. The COP26 Schools Pack has lots of ways for classrooms across the country to talk about climate change and become Climate Leaders.
4. #OneStepGreener encourages people to take actions that have a positive impact on our environment - simple steps we can take every day to make life more sustainable. 

Find out how to join the #OneStepGreener Chain (pdf)

Business grants for a greener future

Although COP26 is drawing to a close there are still opportunities for West Sussex businesses to benefit from the conversation at COP26 to boost their own carbon reduction strategies, take meaningful action, and move forward their own plans for sustainability.

Visit the SME Climate Hub to see the expanding list of committed businesses. Is your favourite brand listed? If not, ask them why not!

And for businesses ready to take action there’s a growing amount of support including:

1. LoCASE: grants and support - up to £10,000 for ‘green’ businesses or for businesses across sectors to improve their energy efficiency.
2. Brighton Energy Co-op ‘Community Solar Accelerator’ business grants for Solar Photovoltaics and Electric Vehicle charging points.
3. Innovate UK: Circular economy grants for SME businesses.
4. DEFRA: Farming Innovation programme - including grants for solutions that have the potential to substantially improve sustainability. But hurry, some grants close in November and December 2021
   

A message to COP26 from Steyning, Bramber and Beeding

“We need to build a better future, and we need to start right now!”

That was the message to world leaders at the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow from residents of Steyning, Bramber and Beeding who gathered at Bramber Castle for a big climate march on 6 November 2021.

Long lines of banner-waving marchers, including many children and school students, converged from two directions for a peaceful and high-spirited rally of over 400 at the historic ruins of Bramber Castle - the largest march in Bramber since the Normans arrived!

Watch this short video telling the story of the climate march.

Find out about Greening Steyning and the 2030 project.

Find out how a Horsham garden was transformed to provide increased biodiversity and wildlife

A local Horsham resident got in touch with the Sussex Wildlife Trust, our partner on our Wilder Horsham District project, asking for a few ideas on how to create a wildlife-friendly garden. Piers not only transformed his front garden but the side garden too.

As an individual, it can be easy to feel like you can’t make a difference but, as Piers proves, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The spaces around our houses or in our gardens may seem small but, if they provide valuable habitat, they play a major role in helping to achieve the ‘more’ and ‘joined up’ areas for wildlife that are so vital for nature recovery. 

Find out about the garden's wildlife transformation

Read about the Wilder Horsham District project

• See how we are tackling climate change
• Horsham District Community Climate Fund
• Learn more about Wilder Horsham District (WHD)
• Read our latest Climate News blog posts