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Thank you for subscribing to this newsletter. This is a place for us to update you on what we are doing at West Devon Borough Council and what things are going on around the borough.
It will tell you what's going on nationally and things you, our residents and businesses can be doing to reduce your carbon footprint and manage your land to improve the environment and its biodiversity.
If you have anything you would like to include in this newsletter, contact our Climate Change Specialist by email here
Eat it Up - Deadline 21 July
Eat It Up is a new grant fund aimed at finding and supporting creative approaches to reducing food waste.
The £200,000 fund, launched by Hubbub in partnership with Starbucks, is offering grants of up to £40,000. The aim is to support projects that have either been tested and need funding to support their expansion, or are at an earlier stage with a concept ready to trial.
Projects need to do some or all of the following:
- address pre-farm gate waste
- prevent food from being wasted at manufacturing and processing stage
- minimise food waste from retailers
- find ways to use surplus food in creative ways in communities or at home
UK organisations can apply including registered charities, social enterprises, Community Interest Companies, schools, universities, colleges, local authorities and small businesses with a clear social purpose. Click here to find out more and apply.
Time after Time e-Waste Fund - Expression of Interest Deadline 20th October 2023
Hubbub and Virgin Media O2 have announced a second round of the Time after Time e-Waste Fund. The £500,000 fund will support innovative initiatives that promote digital inclusion while reducing electronic waste and supporting the circular economy.
The fund will focus on digital inclusion projects utilising smartphones, tablets and laptops. This could be a research project to help understand how the issues are connected, a campaign to redistribute devices, a project to fix old devices to be used by more people, or a project that aims to tackle the root causes of these problems.
The fund will support a range of projects with grants between £25,000 and £100,000. You can apply if your organisation is one of the following:
- charity
- academic body
- Community Interest Company
- social enterprise
- registered company
- local authority
The fund is seeking innovative projects that help to tackle the digital divide and at the same time help to reduce waste of electronic equipment, for instance through repair and reuse
Click here to find out more.
Adaptation: taking evidence-based action - Wednesday 19 July, 2 p.m to 3 p.m
The Met Office will be hosting a webinar called Adaptation: taking evidence-based action.
They will be joined by speakers from Grantham Research Institute/Climate Change Committee, Clinton Devon Estates and JBA Consulting.
Click here to find out more and register
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Hidden voices: Why inclusive storytelling is critical to accelerating climate solutions - Wednesday 19 July, 5 p.m
According to climate scientist Katherine Hayhoe, one of the most important things we can do when it comes to climate change is talk about it. While conversation is a step in the right direction, how we talk about climate and whose voices we uplift also matter. Too often the voices of those on the frontlines of the crisis—including Black communities, Indigenous communities, and communities of color (BIPOC)—are overlooked or ignored. How can we use stories to “pass the mic” to those who frequently go unheard – and, in the process, bring effective solutions to life?
In this webinar, join director of storytelling & engagement Matt Scott to learn how and why Project Drawdown is embracing storytelling and “passing the mic” to unheard voices. Learn about the work of the Drawdown Stories program and the Drawdown’s Neighbourhood documentary series, which has featured nearly 50 everyday climate heroes to date across the United States.
Click here to register.
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Energy Saving Devon - supporting the upgrading of Devon’s homes. Energy Saving Devon is delivered by Cosy Devon, a partnership between all of Devon's local authorities, their strategic partners and local community energy organisations.
It is administered by Devon County Council. Energy Saving Devon is your one stop shop for all things retrofit in Devon.
You can access help, resources and create your own refurbishment plan with its plan builder tool.
Click here for more information.
Decarbonise Devon - Decarbonise Devon supports organisations to undertake the entire process of developing and delivering a project that saves energy, reducing costs and carbon emissions.
Decarbonise Devon carries out the whole process for you: planning, project management, financing, finding trustworthy contractors, even verifying your impact.
Click here to find out more and get in touch.
Workplace Charging Scheme - The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) is a voucher-based scheme that provides eligible applicants with support towards the upfront costs of the purchase and installation of electric vehicle (EV) charge points.
Click here to find out more and apply.
South Hams Town and Parish Guide to Net Zero - While parish and town councils may have more limited resources than the district or county authority, parish and town councils can still be a very important force for good in their local areas to address the climate and ecological emergency.
We have curated a guide to get you started and provide tips here.
A new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) has indicated that clean energy is outpacing fossil fuel energy.
In 2023, low emissions power is expected to account for almost 90% of investment in electricity generation.
This momentum is partly due to the pandemic and the energy crisis, which has resulted in new investment streams resulting from an alignment of costs, climate and energy security goals and industrial strategies such as the US Inflation Reduction Act.
However, only a small fraction of the oil and gas industry's increased cash flow resulting from the energy crisis is going to clean technologies.
The increase in clean energy spending is highly concentration in a handful of countries, China, European Union and United States.
To read the findings in full, click here.
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A new study published in Earth System Science Data has found that greenhouse gas emissions have now reached an all-time high.
The study shows that human-induced warming reached 1.14 [0.9 to 1.4] ∘C averaged over the 2013–2022 decade and 1.26 [1.0 to 1.6] ∘C in 2022.
In short, the carbon budget to remain within 1.5 ∘C above pre-industrial temperatures is rapidly running out.
Despite this, there is evidence that increases in greenhouse gas emissions have slowed. However, because of the continued rises, the annual rate of decline for emissions will now have to be much steeper to stay within the 1.5C limit.
This highlights just how critical this decade is for climate change.
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