Free Trees Scheme 

After the success of our 3 Free Trees Scheme in 2020, we offered 6 free trees to every parish council that signed up.  

• in 2020, 54 parishes accepted 3 trees; that's 162 trees planted  
• in 2021, a further 227 trees were planted around the district   
• in 2022, parishes were given the choice between 6 smaller trees (whips) or 1 larger, tree. 144 trees were planted. 
• In 2023, parishes also had the choice between 6 smaller trees and 1 larger tree. 146 trees were planted. 

Zero Carbon Communities Grant 

Since being set up in 2019, over £500,000 has been allocated to 71 different community groups through our Zero Carbon Communities Grant. We supported projects in the community promoting: 

• cycling  
• tree planting  
• energy efficient lighting 
• food production 
• distribution 
• waste reduction. 

Cambridge Carbon Footprint got funding from this grant to set up training programme ‘Net Zero Now’, which has been empowering community leaders to take climate action. This has led to one parish council declaring a climate emergency.   

Reducing emissions for homes 

We’ve helped reduce the carbon footprint of homes through our schemes for:  

• eco-friendly homes: through the ECOFlex scheme, we helped 204 homes improve their energy efficiency. We're also working with nearby councils to deliver Action on Energy Cambridgeshire, a service that helps people make their homes more energy-efficient. This service includes free insulation and other energy improvements for low-income households. It is funded through government schemes and provides a trusted route for retrofitting. 
• solar power: we partnered with Cambridgeshire County Council for Solar Together Cambridgeshire, which installed 1.93 megawatts (MW) of home solar photovoltaic (PV) panels across the district. In 2021, 2,144 people signed up for the scheme, about 42% of all registrations in Cambridgeshire that year. In 2022, 535 households installed solar panels, adding another 2.3 MW of solar power. Once again, South Cambridgeshire's share of installations was the highest of all districts.  
• Electric Vehicle (EV) Charge Point Grants : this grant helps to install electric vehicle chargers in village halls and community buildings. So far it has helped fund chargers at 4 rural locations in the district.

Engagement and events 

We send a quarterly newsletter with tips on reducing emissions and sharing environmental news. This is shared with around 600 people. 

Our Climate emergency toolkit also gives people ideas on what they can do to reduce their emissions.  

We host events and workshops to inspire and educate on climate action. So far 150 members of the public have engaged through 5 sessions.   

A list of what we’ve done so far includes:   

• Climate and Environment events: we’ve run a fortnight of events to celebrate district-wide climate action. In 2021, these events attracted 707 people, and a further 1,872 people watched the videos from the event online.  
• COP26: at this conference we encouraged the community to send us climate change questions which were answered by our local climate change experts.
• Local Action Climate Conference: in 2023, we hosted a conference for parish councils and community groups to share knowledge and celebrate progress in taking action on climate change at a local level. Cllr Brian Milnes (Lead Cabinet Member for Climate and Environment) led the event. There were also guest speakers who discussed topics such as community energy projects, recovering local nature, and public electric vehicle charging.  

Awards and recognition 

Since August 2021, the Local Government Association has featured us in 3 case studies for our Zero Carbon Strategy, Zero Carbon Communities Grant Scheme, and Greening of South Cambridgeshire Hall projects.   

In 2021, the iESE Public Transformation Awards awarded our "Green to our Core" work a certificate of excellence.    

We continue to take action on climate change and help nature recover in South Cambridgeshire.