 Sheffield City Council was given the exciting opportunity to submit a proposal for the UK Net Zero Neighbourhood Prospectus, led by Cities Commission for Climate Investment (3CI). Gleadless Valley was included, setting out opportunities for investment into the Net Zero Neighbourhood approach at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP28.
 On Monday 15 January, Astrea Academy became the first secondary school in Sheffield to launch a School Street trial. The 18-month trial will see Andover Street, from it’s junction with Fox Street, closed from 8am to 9.15am and 2.30pm to 3.45pm Monday to Friday during term times. The trial will last up to 18 months.
Astrea Academy joins 12 other School Streets in the city, that will see improved road safety and cleaner air next to school entrances.
A group of dedicated student Active Travel Ambassadors have also been working with Modeshift to encourage active journeys and help make the journey to school safer, leading to an accreditation through ModeshiftSTARS.
 Did you know that in the UK we use 7 million disposable coffee cups every day? That’s 2.5 billion every year, with only 1 per cent recycled.
Sheffield Action on Plastic, has partnered with Delete Cups to make a change in Sheffield, by launching a reusable coffee cup scheme.
The scheme allows customers the option to have their takeaway hot drink in a Reusable Revolution cup. You pay an extra £2 deposit, which is refunded to you when the cup is returned to a participating venue, or you can simply use it for your next drink.
The scheme already has five cafes on board, which provide all reusable cups, hardware and cup return points for free! No need to download any apps, pay via cash, or to queue up to return your cup!
 Cllr Tom Hunt, the Leader of Sheffield City Council, has called on the Government to ban moorland burning. In a letter to Steve Barclay MP, the Secretary of State for Environment, Cllr Hunt has asked for legislation to be introduced to outlaw the practise of burning on the moors around the city.
Cllr Hunt highlighted that the burning of the moorland contributes to the destruction of the biodiversity in the uplands and can lead to an increase in flood risks, hence the urgency to this to be addressed by national legislation.
 Following the launch of Sheffield’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) earlier this year, data shows there has been a significant decrease in the number of polluting vehicles driving in the CAZ boundary and wider areas of the city.
The class c charging zone requires the most heavily polluting, non-compliant vehicles to pay a fee to drive into the zone, with a view to encourage motorists to upgrade their vehicles to cleaner ones. Private passenger cars and motorbikes are not affected. The proportion of more polluting vehicles driving through Sheffield has fallen by up to two thirds as a result.
 Can Do South Yorkshire is a brand new website developed by the South Yorkshire Climate Alliance. Funded largely by a National Lottery grant, the website is devoted to promoting positive, practical, community-level climate action. It shares stories about South Yorkshire projects and the people and organisation responsible for them, showing how anyone and any organisation can do their bit to tackle the climate emergency.
Get home energy advice and grants
As winter continues to bite, Warm Homes Sheffield is providing home energy advice and grants to help local people to reduce energy costs and keep their homes and families warm and well. Depending on individual circumstances, Warm Homes Sheffield can help with insulation, solar panels, air source heat pumps and much more.
Accessing funding for community energy projects
If you’re working on, or interested in working on, a community project requiring funding, then this interactive session led by the Northern Powergrid might be for you.
Speakers at the training session will advise attendees on how best to set up community projects, including hearing from:
- A funding application expert on how to write a successful application.
- The North-East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub on how to strengthen your application to the Community Energy Fund.
- A leading community energy organisation with their experience of writing funding applications, and top tips.
There will also be opportunities to ask questions, meet other practitioners and discuss the training in breakout groups throughout the session.
The training session takes place on Friday 8 March at 10am.
Support for businesses to reduce their carbon emissions
Sheffield's Low Carbon Business Support Project provides support and funding for eligible businesses to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. It is now open for enquiries and businesses will be accepted onto the project on a first come, first served basis.
Through the project, you could:
- Reduce your energy costs.
- Make your business more competitive, resilient and productive.
- Potentially safeguard and create jobs through improved profitability and reinvestment of savings.
- Become a more environmentally friendly business.
Grants for community and voluntary organisations to reduce their emissions
Local organisations have the opportunity to save money on bills and reduce their carbon footprint through the council's Low Carbon Community and Culture Project - with energy assessments, advice and grants of up to £15,000 available.
For cultural organisations looking to carry out higher budget work to reduce their carbon emissions, Groundworks' VCES Energy Efficiency Scheme is a new national scheme offering energy assessments and grants for between £2000 and £150,000 for voluntary and community organisations and social enterprises. This is likely to be highly competitive, and organisations are encouraged to apply early.
Tree planting in February and March
It's tree planting season, and several Sheffield organisations are hosting community tree-planting events (as well as other nature-based volunteering opportunities). These include Sheffield City Council Community Forestry, Kids Plant Trees (check out their Facebook for their events) and Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust. It's a great way to get the whole family outdoors whilst making a positive difference to the environment. Go along to some of the free events this winter season, no experience needed.
Sheffield Street Tree Partnership ‘Wild Night In’
The Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust is hosting a FREE ‘Wild Night In’ event focusing on the Sheffield Street Tree Partnership (SSTP). In this session, Nathan Edwards, current Chair of SSTP, will set out some of the Partnership's key achievements so far and detail the next steps for Sheffield’s Street trees.
There will be an opportunity to ask questions to a panel of Partnership members, including representatives from Sheffield City Council, Amey, Sheffield Tree Action Groups, and Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust.
The event will take place on Zoom, on Thursday 8 February at 7pm.
Celebrate Sheffield's Sustainable Food City award
Sheffield's Food Partnership, ShefFood, is proud that Sheffield was recently awarded the Sustainable Food Places Silver Award and to celebrate they are holding a party with delicious food, drinks and music to thank the people of Sheffield. All are invited to the party which is being held at Hagglers' Corner on Queen's Road on Wednesday 28th February at 7pm.
Expanding community energy in South Yorkshire
The Sheffield Community Energy Group are hosting a day of inspiration, practical learning, and connection to empower Sheffield about renewable energy. The event will bring individuals, communities and organisations together to learn, connect, and become part of the solution.
The event will take place on Saturday 16 March from 10am to 4pm at Cemetery Road Baptist Church.
Sheffield Festival of the Outdoors
Sheffield's annual celebration of the Outdoor City has a range of sustainability themed events taking place across the month of March. These include:
- Kit swaps and repair sessions at Sheffield Adventure Film Festival.
- Walks at nature reserves.
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Sheffield Urban CX return to the iconic Park Hill on Saturday 23 March to offer bike challenge event with a difference. There will also be cargo bike race, with cyclists challenged to load and race their cargo bikes in the quickest time.
Recycling and waste collections survey
Have your say about your waste and recycling services. There are a number of surveys you can answer, with feedback helping tailor the services to better meet residents' needs and contribute to a more efficient and effective waste service in Sheffield.
The Government are seeking views on its Heat Network Zoning Proposals
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero are seeking views on proposals for heat network zoning in England, which aims to attract investment and give local communities access to cheaper, greener heat sooner.
Under zoning, central and local government will work with industry and local stakeholders to identify and designate zones where heat networks are the lowest-cost solution to decarbonising heat.
This consultation provides detail on the role of central and local government, zone identification, requirements in zones (consumer protections, emissions, requirements to connect) and zone delivery (selecting developers and ensuring construction).
The deadline to have your say is Monday 26th of February.
Have your say about parks and green spaces
There are a range of opportunities to have your say about Sheffield's parks and green spaces and services, including investment in Carterknowle Park and Spring Wood. Check out the Communities Parks and Leisure Hub on Have Your Say Sheffield.
Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission consultations
The Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission is working with local authorities and organisations across the Yorkshire and the Humber region to tackle the climate emergency. They relaunched their programme in December 2023 and their website gives more information about their work as well as the opportunity to get involved in a range of consultations on issues including transforming businesses for a thriving future, upskilling the region's workforce for a greener future and how nature can help us.
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