The partnership has agreed the following 10-point action plan. Each action theme will be progressed by an interest sub-group. It is a dynamic action plan that will be amended as the sub-groups develop their detailed strategies.
Inform, Educate and Change Behaviour
- Work with CCC and KCC to develop Climate Emergency information packs including a comprehensive guide to recycling and good practice case studies; produce electronic and hard copy and seek to upload onto CCC website
- Information packs in the pipeline
- What is the Climate Emergency and what needs to happen
- A comprehensive guide to recycling and composting
- How to work towards a net zero carbon house or business
- Seek funding for information pack hard copy/distribution and other CCAP actions where funds are required
- Work with local schools and universities to engage pupils and students
- Organise an “Climate Action Week” of sustainable celebration of achievements and thinking about goals
- Organise “Climate Action Awards” for business, schools, organisations and communities
- Organise “green drinks” and “sustainable suppers” for informal networking on climate action and the environment
- Hold climate surgeries
- Learn from other cities, both in the UK (such as Bristol, Oxford, Norwich and others) and internationally (such as Sint-Truiden, Belgium and Freiburg, Germany) and encourage CCC to join a sustainable city network(s)(such as the Place Based Climate Action network (PCAN), C40Cities, the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Network (CSCN) and the South East Climate Alliance(SECA)
Campaigning/Advocacy
- Develop an advocacy action plan/campaign
- Start and maintain a 10-year media campaign focused on our aims
- Campaign for our local universities, businesses, schools, neighbourhoods, police, NHS Trusts, supermarkets and other organisations to declare a Climate Emergency and prepare carbon reduction plans. Build on synergies with these organisations
- Campaign for the regeneration of our local ecology and biodiversity
- Campaign to “Shut that Door”
Land Management
- Advocate for a more sustainable land management strategy based on a low carbon future – including a reduction in intensive farming and environmental and sustainable approaches to water management, which enhances resilience to flooding in coastal and river areas
- Seek to protect and enhance our nature, green spaces and green corridors to improve its ecological and social value and ensure that there is universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces
- Organise a community tree planting programme for wildlife, carbon capture, pollution absorption, shade and wellbeing and apply for sustainable funding, e.g. the Urban Tree Challenge Fund
- Encourage councillors to compete to plant the most trees in their ward each year
- Seek to promote community cohesion and wellbeing
Economy and Business
- Get the private sector on board
- Support local green business
- Seek to expand local employment and training as a means of reducing levels of commuting and to encourage young people to stay in the area
Sustainable Transport
- Advocate for safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems
- Encourage CCC to set up a low emissions zone(s) and tackle air quality hotspots; ensure that all council vehicles are ultra-low emission/electric by 2030; provide incentives for private bus and taxi services to do the same; and Install more electric vehicle charging points
- Encourage a modal shift by calling for improving pathways and cycle ways and developing an integrated transport hub at Canterbury West Station
- Promote the designation of car free days at least once a month
- Encourage car sharing
Buildings and infrastructure
- Encourage CCC to ensure that all new building gaining planning approval in the District by the end of 2020 are zero carbon, include solar panels and are designed for wildlife as well as people.
- Encourage CCC/KCC to provide financial/other incentives to households/businesses so that existing buildings in the District can become be zero carbon by 2030
- Promote sustainable building techniques
- Encourage CCC/KCC to ensure that all street lights are LED
Sustainable Food Supplies
- Advocate for more allotments, community gardens and greenhouses and growing of our own food
- Buy sustainably produced food produce with a low carbon footprint and create an award for local restaurants/food outlets who use local/sustainable produce
- Promote a reduction in meat consumption and shifting towards vegetarian and vegan diet and support research into production of meat-substitutes
Waste Avoidance and Recycling
- Work to drastically reduce waste generation through a reduction in consumption, recycling and reuse
- Open a repair café – Reduce, Reuse, Repair – could be a useful “shop window” for information and education
- Encourage the use of compost at home and as a community and encourage CCC to set up a commercial composting facility
- Promote reduction in fossil fuel derived plastic use and the eradication of single-use plastics leading to a “Plastics Free Canterbury”
- Provide drinking water fountains in public spaces
Affordable and Clean Power
- Encourage CCC to develop a Collective Green Energy Switching Scheme (5 Kent Councils already have a collective switching scheme in place; the Scheme needs to engage 100% renewable energy companies/tariffs and help to eradicate fuel poverty)
- Support smart and innovative energy systems, including heating networks and micro/small-scale CHP
- Support opportunities for the generation of renewable energy locally
Monitor and Evaluate
- Work with CCC/KCC, leading local experts and the universities to commission a baseline carbon emissions study and a carbon reduction scoping study/plan for CCC and the District to reach zero carbon by 2030
- Establish a practical monitoring, evaluation and learning system linked to a carbon reduction scoping study/plan
- Develop a logical framework containing behavioural outcomes and “smart” indicators and evaluate progress annually
Physical outputs could include:
- Total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions – and by sector
- Concentrations of particulate matter in the air
- Number of days of moderate or high pollution levels
- Total energy consumption – both renewable and non-renewable – and by sector
- Number of ultra low emission vehicle registrations
- Percentage area of green space and woods/forest
- Number of trees planted
- Number of species present and any new species
- Number of cycle trips made
- Number of households in fuel poverty
- Number of new zero carbon homes completed
- Energy Performance of homes
- Total renewable energy generated – and by sector