I had an amazing day in Birmingham and it was fantastic to speak to so many different groups of people – schools, community leaders, the University, the Housing Association amongst others - who were so passionate about doing their bit to reduce their carbon footprint.
Climate change is obviously a key commitment for Birmingham City Council and they are being very proactive in supporting various initiatives in this area. Last year they saved 70,000 tonnes of CO2 from homes by installing energy efficiency measures and had the largest programme of solar water heater installation in the UK.
Over 350 systems were installed in a neighbourhood called Summerfield, creating the city’s first eco-village. The great thing about this project is that it is acting as a pilot for future approaches in the improvement of the existing housing stock. In what used to be quite a poor area, they are helping to tackle fuel poverty by installing solar panels, increase recycling, install high energy efficient boilers and improve central heating and insulation.
What I saw was a real collection of tangible, visible projects that were actually making a difference in terms of the City’s footprint and should stand them in good stead to help them with their target to reduce their CO2 emissions by 60% by 2026. That means that this year, each person in Birmingham needs to reduce their own CO2 emissions by 100kg.
Go for it, Birmingham!
Ellen
