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Foreword

From Councillor Blake Pain,
Lead Member for the Environment and the Green Agenda.

Leicestershire County Council is committed to working together with partners, landowners and the people of Leicestershire to ensure a better future for our trees and woodlands, as well as preserving these for the benefit and enjoyment of our residents. You can play your part by helping us identify and manage diseased Ash trees and planting even more trees.

We're also looking ahead to COP26 - the UN's climate conference - where countries around the world will set out their actions to limit global warming. As a county councillor and cabinet member, I believe we can all take small actions locally to make a huge difference to reducing climate change. From getting involved in this year's Recycle Week to attending a Great Big Green Week event to becoming an Environment Action Volunteer, there are plenty of ways you can help us towards our goal of being a net zero county by 2045.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Environment Matters and join us in creating a cleaner, greener and healthier Leicestershire.

'STEP IT UP' THIS RECYCLE WEEK

From Monday 20 September to Sunday 26 September 2021, Leicestershire County Council will be supporting Recycle Week and its message to Step it Up to fight climate change through small but powerful habits like recycling!

We'll be posting on Leicestershire County Council's Facebook and Twitter pages. Please share the messages on your own social media accounts, by tagging us and using #recycleweek in your posts.

You can also visit the Less Waste website for more details about what's going on.

RACE TO ZERO CAMPAIGN

The council is part of the Race to Zero - a campaign to work towards a healthy, resilient future. To join, the council had to meet a set of minimum criteria:

Pledge: Pledge to reach net zero Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions as soon as possible to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

Plan: Explain what actions will be taken by the council in the first year.

Proceed: Take immediate action toward achieving net zero GHG emissions.

Publish: Commit to report publicly about the organisation's progress and actions taken every year.

Learn more on this website.

CLIMATE FUNDING AVAILABLE!

The National Lottery Community Fund have a new funding programme, Together for Our Planet. The fund offers grant of between £1,000 and £10,000 to support community-led climate action.

Building on interest and excitement around COP 26, this funding programme will help nurture and develop local ideas to support climate action. The fund is now open for applications and will close at 5pm on Thursday 18 November.

To find out more, visit the Together for Our Planet webpage.

LEICESTERSHIRE'S NATURAL CAPITAL ASSESSMENT

The Leicester and Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) have identified the need for a greater understanding of Leicester and Leicestershire's natural capital. This is the elements of nature that provide direct or indirect benefits to people, such as air and land.

This assessment will inform future plans and you can read it on the LEP website.

LET'S GET PLANTING!

The council is committed to planting 700,000 trees - one for every resident - and have partnered once again with the Woodland Trust to offer tree and hedge packs for planting on private and publicly owned land. This forms part of the Action for Nature commitment.

100 tree packs (45 trees per pack) and 50 hedge packs (250 per pack) will be given away to Leicestershire residents. The deadline for applications is end of October 2021.

Landowners who wish to create woodlands no less than 0.5 hectares are encouraged to get involved.

To find out more about this initiative and to apply, please visit the council's website.

CALL FOR NEW WILDLIFE VERGES

The council are now looking for more villages and towns to join its green scheme which is a key part of its wider work to tackle climate change and its commitment to becoming a net zero county by 2045.

The initiative encourages the reduction of cuts and the collection of grass cuttings to allow wildflowers and native insects to flourish.

If you are interested in joining the scheme, you can find out more on the council's website, or you can email at: environmentteam@leics.gov.uk .

LOCAL NATURE RECOVERY

The Government are consulting on Local Nature Recovery Strategies.

These are strategies that will establish priorities and actions to drive nature's recovery and provide wider environmental benefits.

Have your say before 2nd November by visiting the DEFRA website.

LET'S START LOVING OUR CLOTHES

As seasons begin to change, it is a good time to reflect on our wardrobes.

Research has previously shown that on an average UK household nearly a third of our clothes haven't been worn in the last year, but for many of us that figure will have increased dramatically over the last 18 months while we haven't been able to follow our usual routines.

Currently over 5% of the UK's total annual carbon and water footprints result from clothing consumption and one of the best ways to reduce this is to increase the active life of the clothes we wear. By keeping our clothes in active use for a further nine months we could reduce the carbon and water footprint by 20-30%.

We can all make a huge difference to the environment by taking small steps and taking action against clothing waste.

For top tips on making the most of our clothes, visit the Less Waste website.

LEARN ABOUT CARBON LITERACY THIS AUTUMN

This project involves people and organisations from all sectors and walks of life working together to understand and take action on climate change.

The council has been delivering Carbon Literacy training to its staff and senior managers and has trained 48 officers to date and is working with others to promote Carbon Literacy training across Leicester and Leicestershire.

Transition Loughborough is also running Carbon Literacy courses, which have been funded by the council's SHIRE Environment Grants scheme.

Any Leicestershire resident can sign up to the October and November courses today.

BECOME A #ONESTEPGREENER AMBASSADOR

Do you or someone you know have what it takes to be a #OneStepGreener Ambassador?

These ambassadors will become the voice of the UK public on climate change and will work closely with the government in the lead up to COP26. They will showcase how steps - big or small - can create wider action.

You can apply until 3 October 2021 on the COP26 website.

BE COMPOST READY FOR NEXT YEAR

Autumn is the time to get out into the garden, prune, trim and prepare compost for next year.

Effective composting provides an excellent environment for a variety of life. Bacteria, fungi and microscopic organisms share the bin with larger creepy-crawlies, such as beetles, ants and millipedes. They all play their part in transforming the waste matter into a rich soil enhancer.

If you haven't tried making your own compost yet, then this year we would really encourage you to give it a go.

There's plenty of guidance and support available on the Less Waste website and you can buy a subsidised compost bin here.

PLAY YOUR PART IN OUR NET ZERO AMBITIONS BY VOLUNTEERING

The council is currently recruiting Environment Action Volunteers (EAVs). They help Leicestershire residents to reduce their environmental impact.

We would love to hear from you if you are a Leicestershire resident (excluding Leicester City) aged 18+ and:

- you have an interest in waste, the environment or sustainability

- you are interested in actively encouraging and helping others to make simple and positive changes.

No previous knowledge or experience is necessary as full training is provided.

For more information and to apply, please visit the Less Waste website.

HAVE A WASTE FREE HALLOWEEN

From decorations and costumes to pumpkins and excess food, the amount of stuff that goes into the bin each Halloween is truly frightening.

Many Halloween items simply aren't built to last and are manufactured using inexpensive non-recyclable materials. The environmental impact is high and dealing with the waste afterwards can be a nightmare.

If you are planning a celebration this Halloween, check out our handy tips to minimise waste, and to appropriately dispose of any unavoidable waste.

Find out more on the Less Waste website.

THE NEXT ROUND OF SHIRE ENVIRONMENT GRANTS ARE OPEN UNTIL 29TH OCTOBER 2021

We are keen to support projects that can maintain or build on some of the positive environmental benefits that have arisen from the current COVID-19 situation, such as reduced carbon emissions, increased biodiversity, improved air quality and greater appreciation of nature and green spaces.

Recently, an community sports centre funded by the grants won an environmental award for their work.

If you're a community based organisation looking to reduce household waste or support the local environment you could also be eligible for a grant of up to £3,000. A simplified application process is also available for small grants up to £300.

The next round for applications closes on Friday 29^th October 2021.

Further details about the application process, including virtual workshops and information about previous successful projects, can be found by visiting the Leicestershire Communities website.

GOOD NEWS FOR SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL IN LEICESTERSHIRE

The launch of the E-bike scheme - run by the Choose How You Move team - was well received with 500 expressions of interest and full subscribed training sessions.

The scheme, funded by the Department for Transport, has allowed us to provide e-bike training and information sessions, as well as, issue money off vouchers towards the cost of an e-bike.

Residents will be encouraged to see e-bikes as a form of transport, helping to reduce the number of 5 miles or less car journeys that are being made. According to the government 68% of all car journeys made fall into this category.

Since June, 92 out of 200 people have been trained with several £300 vouchers redeemed already!

The CHYM team will be working with colleagues at the Spinney Side site of British Gas to help to launch their scheme as staff begin to return to the office. They will be looking to encourage a 'Commute back better' ethos.

This message was sent to emily.fox@leics.gov.uk.

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