'People and communities are key': National Lottery publishes community-led climate action guide
Guide shares expertise from community groups across the UK taking action on the environment and provides practical tips on mobilising local climate action
The National Lottery Community Fund has today released a guide for community-led environmental action, in an bid to inspire citizens, charities, councils, and non-environmental groups across the UK to champion local green initiatives.
The guide compiles insights from National Lottery-funded community projects that have successfully reduced waste and cut carbon emissions, while improving community health and wellbeing and boosting local skills, training, and jobs.
Among the recommendations set out in the new guide are proposals for community groups to establish a network of advocates and enthusiasts, to take steps to be diverse and inclusive, and to harness people's desire to connect with their communities.
It also recommends that community groups anticipate that behaviour change occurs incrementally, embrace the "power of good example", and carefully measure and demonstrate the difference being delivered by programmes.
The National Lottery Community Fund is a major funder of community activity in the UK and has invested more than £340m in environmental initiatives since 2013. Last month, the Fund awarded £14m to green projects, in the first tranche of funding as part of a new plan to channel £100m into community-led climate action over the next decade.
John Rose, environment lead at the National Lottery Community Fund, reflected that 25 years of funding environmental projects had underscored that "people and communities are key to reducing our carbon footprint and tackling climate change".
"This report emphasises the well-established links between the environment and physical and mental wellbeing, as well as the co-benefits environmental action can bring to communities and individuals," he said. "From saving money and reducing carbon emissions, to gaining new skills and knowledge and having a greater sense of belonging - communities can learn from each other and have an impact within and beyond their communities."
The National Lottery Community Fund also revealed today that a pilot project launched last year which saw £10,000 of National Lottery funding allocated to non-environmental organisations in Wales looking to 'top up' their climate activity had helped participating projects save roughly 56 tonnes of carbon dioxide since its launch.
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