Climate Emergency

The Climate Emergency facing our world is a very real issue, but there is plenty we can do to take action to help protect our planet.

Cheshire West and Chester Council declared a Climate Emergency in the borough in 2019 and put forward its Climate Emergency Response plan, which aims to help the borough become carbon neutral by 2045.

This is a space to share ideas, stories and tips about what you are doing locally to reduce your carbon emissions and impact on the environment. Now's the time to react and play your part to make our borough carbon neutral.

The Climate Emergency facing our world is a very real issue, but there is plenty we can do to take action to help protect our planet.

What are you doing to tackle the Climate Emergency?

Residents, community groups, schools and businesses across the borough are busy playing their part to protect our local environment and reduce their impact on the planet by reducing their carbon emissions.

Lots of people taking action together can make a big impact and we want to hear all about the things you are doing. It could be a short tip, a blog or vlog on a certain topic, a pledge to say what you hope to achieve or about an event you’ve organised.

By sharing your story, you could inspire others across the borough to take action today and help us achieve our ambition of being a carbon neutral borough.

Please add your story here

You can add text, photos and videos to your story
Please ensure you have permission to share anything featured here
Please remember this is a public space, so please do not share any personal information about yourself or others in your comment.

We may occasionally contact people who have uploaded an inspiring story to ask if we could share it wider, such as on the Council's social media channels or our Climate Emergency enewsletter. We will always ask permission before we do this and we will only share stories with your approval.

Thank you for sharing your story with us.

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Chester Zoo Wildlife Champions

by Hannah Brooks Chester Zoo, over 4 years ago

Chester Zoo in collaboration with partners has recently launched the Nature Recovery Network. A key aspect of this project is to train local Wildlife Champions in Chester to upskill and empower community leaders to take action to improve their local greenspace for wildlife and for people, involving their local community in the process. We’ve just announced the dates for our first course which will start on 20^th November, and there will be 5 more courses running in 2022. We would love to hear from anyone who would like to participate either in the first course or in 2022... Continue reading
Chester Zoo in collaboration with partners has recently launched the Nature Recovery Network. A key aspect of this project is to train local Wildlife Champions in Chester to upskill and empower community leaders to take action to improve their local greenspace for wildlife and for people, involving their local community in the process. We’ve just announced the dates for our first course which will start on 20^th November, and there will be 5 more courses running in 2022. We would love to hear from anyone who would like to participate either in the first course or in 2022. We’ve previously delivered this training with friends of groups, teachers, youth group leaders, care home workers and we want to support a whole range of different audiences to engage, all you need is a green space to improve and a community to engage in the process. The Green Recovery Challenge Funding is enabling us to deliver this training for free and to provide ongoing support for the trained Wildlife Champions. Details for getting in touch are in the attached flyer and it’s here on our website - chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/viewer.html?pdfurl=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.chesterzoo.org%2Fsites%2F3%2F2021%2F11%2Fwildlife-champions-flyer-2021-final_removed.pdf&clen=10771439
Share Next stage of project to reduce flood risk in Tattenhall is completed on Facebook Share Next stage of project to reduce flood risk in Tattenhall is completed on Twitter Share Next stage of project to reduce flood risk in Tattenhall is completed on Linkedin Email Next stage of project to reduce flood risk in Tattenhall is completed link

Next stage of project to reduce flood risk in Tattenhall is completed

over 4 years ago

The second phase of a project designed to harness the power of nature to reduce flood risk to the people of Tattenhall in Cheshire was recently completed.
Delivered by the Environment Agency working in partnership with the Bolesworth Estate, Tattenhall Wildlife Group, Environmental Land Management Associates (ELMS), The Mersey Forest and Pownall Plant Ltd, the project has seen the creation of three water storage areas, using earth bunds, where up to 4,500 cubic metres of water will be held upstream of the village when flooding might occur.
The areas have been created using banks to temporarily hold water back in... Continue reading
The second phase of a project designed to harness the power of nature to reduce flood risk to the people of Tattenhall in Cheshire was recently completed.
Delivered by the Environment Agency working in partnership with the Bolesworth Estate, Tattenhall Wildlife Group, Environmental Land Management Associates (ELMS), The Mersey Forest and Pownall Plant Ltd, the project has seen the creation of three water storage areas, using earth bunds, where up to 4,500 cubic metres of water will be held upstream of the village when flooding might occur.
The areas have been created using banks to temporarily hold water back in existing fields, reducing the amount of water that travels downstream during heavy rain and helping to protect local communities from the devastating effects of flooding.
The latest round of works followed on from Phase 1 of the scheme which created 1.5 hectares of new habitat including reed beds and wet grasslands that will also hold water back in addition to helping local wildlife to thrive.
David Brown, Senior Flood Risk Management Advisor with the Environment Agency said: “The commitment of these organisations to work together and explore nature based solutions alongside traditional flood defences, is a powerful component of our response to the Climate Emergency.
“There has already been some great work delivered in partnership across Cheshire over the years to help slow the flow of floodwaters but we need to do more. We hope that our work at Mill Brook will be a catalyst for more of these measures to be installed elsewhere in Cheshire.”
Andrew Hull Chair, Tattenhall Wildlife Group (TWiG) said: "Since the flood event of January 2021 every effort has been made to protect the local community from further inundation. Phase 2a of the Mill Brook flood defence scheme provides a potential solution and our thanks go to all partners involved in a very successful outcome."
Nicky Hall, ELM Associates said: “The natural flood management measures implemented on farmland along Mill Brook will make an important contribution to reducing flood risk in Tattenhall village, and may also deliver other benefits such as improving water quality and providing habitat for protected species such as water voles. This small-scale project working with farmers, landowners and the local community is a great example of collaborative efforts to implement a practical and cost-effective solution to achieve better community flood resilience. ELM Associates will be working with the land managers to support ongoing management of the site through future Environmental Land Management Schemes.”
Nina Barbour, Managing Director of Bolesworth Estate, said: “Tattenhall has been integral to Bolesworth since the estate was established, hundreds of years ago, and we are proud to be a part of the village’s community. It therefore remains vitally important to us that we maintain our support of crucial projects like this which are designed to help protect the community and improve habitat for wildlife. We can all well remember the heart-breaking scenes which we witnessed at the beginning of this year, where people, including some of our tenants, saw their homes, businesses and lives severely affected by the flooding in the village.
“That’s why we are pleased to be working in partnership to drive this environmentally conscious, innovative scheme forward and it is terrific to see another part of the project has now been completed.”
The natural flood management project at Tattenhall forms part of the Environment Agency’s overall vision to develop flood management schemes that will not only reduce the risks to local communities, but also tackle climate change through carbon capture and new habitats for wildlife. Cheshire West Council, who have declared a climate emergency, also supported the project during community consultation and in consenting the watercourse works.
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Responsible Investment: our pledge to climate change

by CheshirePensionFund, over 4 years ago

Many of you will know that a Local Government Pension Scheme is what’s known as a defined benefit (DB) scheme, meaning an individual’s pension benefits aren’t linked to investment returns, rather they are guaranteed with the cost shared between scheme members, their employers and ultimately the taxpayer
Local Government Pension Funds have historically been invested across multiple areas to achieve strong investment returns to meet their fiduciary duties - to pay pensions, and in turn minimise the cost of the benefits that fall back on to the local taxpayer.
In recent years there has been an increased focus on ESG... Continue reading
Many of you will know that a Local Government Pension Scheme is what’s known as a defined benefit (DB) scheme, meaning an individual’s pension benefits aren’t linked to investment returns, rather they are guaranteed with the cost shared between scheme members, their employers and ultimately the taxpayer
Local Government Pension Funds have historically been invested across multiple areas to achieve strong investment returns to meet their fiduciary duties - to pay pensions, and in turn minimise the cost of the benefits that fall back on to the local taxpayer.
In recent years there has been an increased focus on ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) and climate change factors informing investment decisions. This is also becoming part of a normal day to day routine for many people - whether they are shopping, investing, or looking at their lifestyle choices.
Cheshire West and Chester Council, as manager of the Cheshire Pension Fund, is working to ensure the Fund’s investment meet ambitious targets for reducing the Fund’s carbon footprint, ensuring we’re a responsible investor overall, whilst still meeting our fiduciary duties.
We have aligned to the Paris Agreement, probably the most well-known and globally accepted as a way in which we can positively impact climate change. We’ve also started to steadily decarbonise our listed equities portfolio.
The Council is working alongside like-minded organisations to support the ambitions of the Paris Agreement. We have already committed to investing in sustainable and low carbon products, as well as working with other LGPS funds to use our holdings in companies to influence and encourage positive behaviours.
Ensuring that our investment managers are holding discussions with companies who aren’t taking climate change seriously, and influencing behaviours is another way that we are taking climate change seriously.
We have committed to setting ambitious targets to reduce the carbon footprint of the Fund’s listed equities portfolio. These are already 30% below the general market, with a target to be 50% below by 2023. We mean what we say.
Going further, we have also committed to reducing the carbon footprint of our listed equities portfolio by 7.6% each year ensuring the Fund is aligned with the United Nation’s recommendation, which stated that ‘global greenhouse gases must fall by 7.6% each year between 2020 and 2039 to achieve the Paris climate target of reducing the rise in global temperatures to 1.5c.’
The Council will also seek to invest an increasing proportion of Fund assets in low carbon and sustainable assets.
Put simply – we believe in action by responsible investors to change the way we invest, and the way major corporations and organisations behave towards the environment. It’s not something we can simply do overnight but it’s something we’re striving towards, setting meaningful and achievable targets along the way.
We will keep you updated on our website www.cheshirepensionfund.org/members/
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Video recorded by Newton Primary School pupils promotes the benefits of recycling

over 4 years ago

Pupils at Newton Primary School have collaborated to record a video that promotes the benefits of recycling and delivers a strong anti-littering message.
Pupils at Newton Primary School have collaborated to record a video that promotes the benefits of recycling and delivers a strong anti-littering message.
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Ashton Hayes Going Carbon Neutral Project

by Ashton Hayes Community Energy, over 4 years ago

The Ashton Hayes Going Carbon Neutral Project was launched to the public on 26th January 2006 and since then we have met hundreds of communities, formed a village energy company (Ashton Hayes Community Energy C.I.C.) and have enjoyed global media coverage. Everything we have done is available via our website www.goingcarbonneutral.co.uk including a timeline summarising our activity over the past 15 years.
We have 30kWp of PV panels on our village school:
We also have 10kWp of PV panels on our environmentally-friendly sports pavilion, which have just clocked up 100,000kWh since installation in 2011.
The Ashton Hayes Going Carbon Neutral Project was launched to the public on 26th January 2006 and since then we have met hundreds of communities, formed a village energy company (Ashton Hayes Community Energy C.I.C.) and have enjoyed global media coverage. Everything we have done is available via our website www.goingcarbonneutral.co.uk including a timeline summarising our activity over the past 15 years.
We have 30kWp of PV panels on our village school:
We also have 10kWp of PV panels on our environmentally-friendly sports pavilion, which have just clocked up 100,000kWh since installation in 2011.
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BBC NW Live from Ashton Hayes

by Ashton Hayes Community Energy, over 4 years ago

Judy Hobson, environment correspondent, will be live from Ashton Hayes on BBC North West Tonight at 6:30pm this evening. She will introduce a piece about young people in the village and their views and concerns about climate change.
Judy Hobson, environment correspondent, will be live from Ashton Hayes on BBC North West Tonight at 6:30pm this evening. She will introduce a piece about young people in the village and their views and concerns about climate change.
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Soft plastics recycling and composting

by Gerry Holton, over 4 years ago

In addition to the current arrangements within West (and East) buildings for recycling paper, bottles and tins, I have spoken to a BSO and the cleaners and there is now the facility on my floor in Nicholas House for recycling food waste, crisp packets and, most recently, soft plastic.
The food waste caddy I empty regularly and take home. The Envirosip cups and spoons go in here!
Crisp packets I collect separately (as they are greasy) and take to Chester Zoo (when they take them - a bit of a hiatus during the pandemic.)
Soft plastic (as long as it... Continue reading
In addition to the current arrangements within West (and East) buildings for recycling paper, bottles and tins, I have spoken to a BSO and the cleaners and there is now the facility on my floor in Nicholas House for recycling food waste, crisp packets and, most recently, soft plastic.
The food waste caddy I empty regularly and take home. The Envirosip cups and spoons go in here!
Crisp packets I collect separately (as they are greasy) and take to Chester Zoo (when they take them - a bit of a hiatus during the pandemic.)
Soft plastic (as long as it is clean) can now be recycled at Tesco and Co-op stores, so I take a bag there every week or so. All that clingfilm, sweet wrappers, bags and plastic lids that would otherwise be binned.
I try to do my bit. Whilst it is important to aim to recycle as much as we possibly can, we should however strive to use less packaging in the first place.
Thanks.
Gerry Holton (Cheshire East ICT Services but based in Nicholas House)
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Climate Action for Small Businesses

by CWBusinessGrowthProgramme, over 4 years ago
The University of Chester is hosting a free Climate Action for Small Businesses event on Wednesday 3rd November in partnership with Positive Planet.
The event is designed for small businesses, charities, social enterprises and organisations who support them - essentially any individual tasked with leading on the climate agenda and sustainability or who wants to understand more. It will help you understand why and how to get started with your organisation's journey to carbon neutral or net zero.
Tackling climate change and your emissions now will also help you to future-proof your organisation through reduced energy bills, improved marketing and... Continue reading
The University of Chester is hosting a free Climate Action for Small Businesses event on Wednesday 3rd November in partnership with Positive Planet.
The event is designed for small businesses, charities, social enterprises and organisations who support them - essentially any individual tasked with leading on the climate agenda and sustainability or who wants to understand more. It will help you understand why and how to get started with your organisation's journey to carbon neutral or net zero.
Tackling climate change and your emissions now will also help you to future-proof your organisation through reduced energy bills, improved marketing and branding and attracting/retaining customers and talent.
- Demystifying frequently used climate terms.
- A simple guide to measuring your carbon footprint.
- Reducing your carbon footprint (and offsetting options).
- Behaviour change and engaging your stakeholders.
- Certification routes.
Book your free place via Eventbrite https://climate-action-for-small-businesses.eventbrite.co.uk
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How to move your money out of fossil fuels

by Jones80, over 4 years ago

The world's 60 biggest private banks have funnelled nearly £2.8 trillion into fossil fuels since the Paris Agreement was struck in 2015. The UK's five biggest banks - Barclays, HSBC, Natwest, Lloyds Banking Group and Standard Chartered - invested nearly £40.4bn into the coal industry alone between 2018 and 2020 (according to campaigners Urgewald and Reclaim Finance)
Banks can use your money - whether held in an account, pension or other investments - to loan to or invest in businesses around the world. This can mean your money could go toward for example, building an oil pipeline, or funding deforesting... Continue reading
The world's 60 biggest private banks have funnelled nearly £2.8 trillion into fossil fuels since the Paris Agreement was struck in 2015. The UK's five biggest banks - Barclays, HSBC, Natwest, Lloyds Banking Group and Standard Chartered - invested nearly £40.4bn into the coal industry alone between 2018 and 2020 (according to campaigners Urgewald and Reclaim Finance)
Banks can use your money - whether held in an account, pension or other investments - to loan to or invest in businesses around the world. This can mean your money could go toward for example, building an oil pipeline, or funding deforesting projects.
By 'divesting' your own personal finances and moving away from companies that are still funding fossil fuel projects, it is possible to make an immediate impact. This could include switching your current account, savings accounts, cash ISAs, investment funds and pensions.
For more information, please visit:
- How to move your money out of fossil fuels | Friends of the Earth
- https://bank.green/
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TB Electrics - Giving you back the Power- Because we care

by LouB@TBE, over 4 years ago

We are a Northwich based, family run business and have been installing energy efficient technologies for over ten years. At TB Electrics we saw, many years ago, that investment in these technologies was the way forward and over the years we have installed many Solar PV systems for businesses and residential customers to be able to generate their own electricity - reduce their carbon emissions and save money in the process. Pre lockdown we started our own initiative and spoke to local Northwich businesses about this - many came on board and made changes to areas such as lighting, to... Continue reading
We are a Northwich based, family run business and have been installing energy efficient technologies for over ten years. At TB Electrics we saw, many years ago, that investment in these technologies was the way forward and over the years we have installed many Solar PV systems for businesses and residential customers to be able to generate their own electricity - reduce their carbon emissions and save money in the process. Pre lockdown we started our own initiative and spoke to local Northwich businesses about this - many came on board and made changes to areas such as lighting, to help them become more energy efficient, reduce their carbon emissions and save money on their energy bills as well. Unfortunately lockdown put a stop to us visiting many premises, however we are back on it now and we will keep you informed of businesses that are making the change and showing you what difference they are making.
Wright Marshall Estate Agents were one of the first to take us up on our offer and they have a bright shiny well lit office to showcase how LED Lighting makes a difference - here is a copy of the certificate that we issued at the time, however with the big hike in electricity costs I am sure that the savings they are making are even higher than this now
I will keep you updated with other businesses or people that have made their mark - let me know if you would like to have a chat about how we could help you to reduce your carbon emissions - you can reach us on 01925 407273