PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT
Carbon net zero On track for Five years ago, Telford & Wrekin Council declared a climate emergency in the borough and committed to making all council activities and operations carbon neutral by 2030.
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The council is pleased to say it’s still on track to achieve this, having already reduced carbon emissions by 61 per cent since making that commitment in July 2019. As well as making improvements to buildings and leisure centres, the council has recently completed a £1.9m walking and cycling route between Oakengates and Telford Town Centre to encourage more active travel, and is also installing 140 electric vehicle (EV) charging points in public car parks too. Through its housing company Nuplace, the council is building affordable, energy efficient homes with solar panels to reduce energy bills and carbon emissions and has also given out more than 9,000 energy efficient LED lightbulbs to As well as working hard to decarbonise its operations, Telford & Wrekin Council is also encouraging local businesses and community groups to do the same. At the end of last year the council held a Climate Change Conference attended by almost 40 partners including local businesses like Schwalbe Tyres and community organisations like Telford Climate Action Hub, all committed to tackling climate change. The conference focused on updates from partners on their climate change initiatives, plans to mitigate against more frequent extreme weather events due to global warming and enabled delegates to share ideas. Examples of successful initiatives included ten primary schools in the borough receiving funding to reduce carbon emissions through reduced food waste, and help for almost 3,000 households to cut their home energy bills, saving a total of £40,000. vulnerable residents around the borough. Conference shares climate change successes
Solar panels As part its carbon reduction work, the council has been installing solar panels on offices, leisure centres and commercial units. In total they generate around 370,000 kWh of energy and save almost 145 tonnes of CO 2 every year – the equivalent of around 123 return flights from London to New York. The council has its own solar farm too, at Wheat Leasowes, which has generated £5.68m in electricity since it was switched on in 2014.
“Climate change continues to be one of the biggest issues affecting our residents and businesses and remains one of the Council’s top priorities. I am proud of the progress we have made towards our ambition of reducing carbon emissions to net zero across our own operations. We are taking action wherever we can to make our buildings more energy efficient and the money we save is being ploughed back into vital services.” Councillor Carolyn Healy Telford & Wrekin Council Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Planning and Sustainability
Check out some of the solar panel sites www.telford.gov.uk/ solarpanelvideo
Decarbonising leisure centres Telford & Wrekin Council is
continuing to work hard to make its buildings more energy efficient as part of its commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2030. It recently completed £2.2m in decarbonisation improvements at Oakengates Leisure Centre, including installing heat pump technology, improving the building’s energy efficiency and insulation. This work is reducing carbon emissions as well as cutting energy use by an estimated 114,000 kWh annually, enough energy to run 37 houses in Telford and Wrekin for a year. With Oakengates now open again, and Newport completed in 2022, the Council has already started similar work at Wellington Leisure Centre to reduce carbon emissions and energy use there too and hopes to complete this work by the summer.
Find out more about what else the council is doing to tackle climate change www.sustainabletelfordandwrekin.com
Find out more about this work www.telford.gov.uk/ LowCarbonLeisure
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