The third annual Carbon Literacy Action Day (CLAD) will take place on Monday 4 December this year. The Action Day coincides with COP28 – the largest international climate event of the year.
To mark CLAD, Horsham District Council is pleased to announce that from January 2024 parish and neighbourhood councillors and community leaders will be offered free training to become ‘Carbon Literate’ in a bid to reduce the region’s carbon footprint, protect the environment and become a net zero district.
Run by Horsham District Council using toolkits provided by an organisation known as The Carbon Literacy Project (CLP), the training will include an explanation of climate change, why taking action is so important, what is already taking place locally, and what actions can be taken on both a personal level and a community level.
It is intended that training parish and neighbourhood councillors will help to further develop and embed their Climate Action Network, whilst community leaders with influence in their local area will feel empowered to become climate advocates, helping to instigate change and support new carbon reduction initiatives.
The training will also be rolled out to Heads of Service and Departmental Community Champions at Horsham District Council to give them the tools to consider how to further integrate climate considerations into the Council’s day-to-day work priorities.
Individuals who receive the training will be required to complete a group and individual action which will contribute to tackling climate change. If completed, they will be accredited as Carbon Literate by the Carbon Literacy Project as a symbol of their commitment towards the goal of reducing their carbon footprint.
Colette Blackburn, Horsham District Council Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Nature Recovery commented,
“We are delighted to be able to support this new climate initiative in the coming year.
Becoming Carbon Literate means that Parish and Neighbourhood Councillors, Council managers and community leaders will be given the tools to understand climate change better and to develop ideas and skills to reduce carbon emissions both at work, at home, and within their local communities.
Find out about climate action work being delivered by Horsham District Council via the website.
This work on carbon literacy is being rolled out in association with several local authorities across West Sussex with the shared aim of reaching net zero by 2050.
To find out what the other West Sussex councils are doing around carbon literacy please visit:
*Arun District Council
*Chichester District Council
*Mid Sussex District Council