Community

A fleet of improved buses is to aid the county in reducing its carbon footprint - while also cutting costs.


Lincolnshire County Council, working together with bus operator Stagecoach, is having 11 buses modified for dual-fuel operation. This will allow the buses to run on a combination of diesel and biomethane gas, which is expected to significantly cut carbon emissions and airborne pollutants, helping reduce the impact that the service has upon the environment. The improvements will also lead to significant savings in terms of fuel costs, which is particularly important in these difficult economic times.

Anita Ruffle, Public Transport Strategy and Development Manager, said:
"This innovative project will be a real benefit to all residents. The improved buses will not only be cheaper to run, but also more environmentally-friendly. The significantly lower carbon emissions will result in cleaner air for local people, while there will also be a reduction in noise levels. This is particularly important as many of these buses will be used on routes that pass through the Cathedral Quarter of Lincoln. This means they will also help protect the city's heritage and could benefit the tourism industry.

The improvements, being part funded by EMDA, will be carried out by bus and coach manufacturer Optare, and are expected to be completed by the end of March next year.

The Government has today launched the £10 million Low Carbon Communities Challenge - a two-year programme which will allow communities to build on existing low carbon schemes.

The Challenge will cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and offers the chance to be in the forefront of moving to a low carbon economy. Twenty successful communities will each receive support of up to £500,000 to pay for measures selected by the local residents themselves. These could range from a local biomass plant to electric car charge points.

For towns to be eligible they must demonstrate they are already making changes and are committed to developing both infrastructure and behaviour change that results in carbon reduction such as wind farms, electric car infrastructure or home energy refurbishments. A specialist support squad made up of partners with funding and expertise from inside and outside government, including The Energy Saving Trust, The Carbon Trust, WRAP and the third sector, will work together with each community to offer help on anything from negotiating in planning debates to identifying personalised low carbon answers.

The deadlines for applications to the two phases are as follows:
• Phase 1 deadline: 27 November 2009.
• Phase 2 deadline: 30 December 2009.
All applicants are requested to register their interest by noon on 28 October 2009.
The Challenge is scheduled to start in February 2010 with a series of workshops.

For more information go to www.decc.gov.uk/

Stay Solvent, Sane and Sustainable ...


Lincoln Skills Sharing event

Saturday 19th September 1pm - 4pm at

LINCOLN DRILL HALL

Workshops, demonstrations and displays so you can pick up tips and learn more about a wide range of skills including bread making, quilt making, bee keeping, making your own greenhouse out of plastic bottles, knitting and lots more (see attached for full list ). This is a free event suitable for all the family, so come along and learn something new or share some of your own tips with others!

For more information about the workshops please see the timetable attached to this email. Places on the workshop are limited so if you would like to attend please contact either Hazel or Kate to book a place. . For more information about this event contact Kate Bell on 01522 873311 or email kate.bell@lincoln.gov.uk or Hazel Swan on 01522 551683 email hazel@volunteercentrelincoln.org.uk

Energy Saving Week

Monday 19th- Sunday 25th October 2009

• Energy Saving Week is the Energy Saving Trust's nationwide campaign week to encourage people to save energy and help reduce their carbon emissions.
• A week long series of activity driven by Energy Saving Week and official partners
• This is its thirteenth year and is the longest established event of its kind
• Energy Saving Week is designed to help people adopt energy saving measures to reduce their impact on climate change.

This year's theme, WASTE examines how people are simply wasting money, energy and time - by bad home habits. The Energy Saving Trust will research, uncover and identify key areas in which we waste as well as create a compelling campaign to engage consumers to curb their wasteful behaviour and start saving energy through measures such as insulation, transport, Energy Saving Recommended, recycling and water saving.

Each day of Energy Saving Week will have a 'mini- theme' uncovering our wasteful behaviour in the following areas. Partners will be encouraged to support the whole week, but partners can also support a day that lends itself to their specific interest.
• Monday: Wasteful behaviour & Launch day
• Tuesday: Warmer homes day (Improving insulation)
• Wednesday: Smarter driving day (Transport)
• Thursday: Switch off, turn down, turn off day
• Friday: Buy better day

The Energy Saving Trust can offer
• On site Energy Doctors to advise customers on how to be energy efficient within the home
• One of our spokespeople will support and assist your Energy Saving Week media campaign
• Access to exclusive events as part of the week
• Home Energy Checks for residents in your area
• A wide range of literature to use as you please

If you are interested in working with the EST this year throughout Energy Saving Week, please contact:

Simmy Bilkhu on (0115) 959 7716
simreth.bilkhu@est-eastmidlands.org.uk

Get your community recognised

The Energy Saving Trust in association with The Guardian is pleased to announce the very first Green Community Heroes awards. The purpose of the awards is too recognise those community groups who are getting together and making a real change in their community by reducing their carbon footprint.
From renewable energy projects, street by street home insulation programmes to climate change awareness events to get ideas off the ground, there are people out there who are making a difference, people with bright, innovative and scalable ideas and the Energy Saving Trust's Green Community Heroes are here to salute them.
The winners will get featured in Society Guardian, providing national press coverage for your project.
There are 5 categories that community groups can enter:
Best Rural Community Project and Urban Community Project
These categories are aimed to find the best community projects in the country based in a rural or an urban community. In order to determine the winner the judges will review the relative success and scale of the project - and ultimately the amount of carbon saved.
Most Innovative Project
For this category the judges will be looking for projects that have taken a fresh approach to the challenge of reducing carbon emissions through a community run project.
Most Sustained activity by a community group
This category aims to recognise community groups that have been active and working on energy saving projects for a long time and have committed to and completed projects that have had long lasting effects in their community and significantly reduced their carbon footprint.
Outstanding contribution by an individual
It is often the drive and commitment of one person that brings everyone together and their ideas that bring community energy project to life. This category will recognise one outstanding individual and the contribution they have made to their community.
Apply Now
or for more information visit
www.guardian.co.uk/greencommunityheroes

The Communitybuilders £70m investment fund will help build more cohesive, empowered and active communities.

The fund will provide a mix of loans, grants and mentoring support to a range of community anchor-type organisations across England. It is designed to help empower citizens and communities by strengthening the resilience of multi-purpose community-led organisations across England through a mixture of financial and advisory support.
The Communitybuilders Fund will be organised into three investment packages:

•A development package consisting of bespoke business support based on an initial needs assessment and leadership grants of £2,000 for staff development and training. Each investee will be assigned a Supporter who will lead them through an honest exploration of the health of the organisation; help develop foundations around governance, financial systems, and leadership as well as core functions.
•A feasibility package consisting of further business support of up to 5 days and grants of up to £20,000 to use towards project development of a growth plan. Grants of up to £75,000 and 30 days of support will be available for larger projects.
•Investment packages tailored for investees who are ready to develop, grow and expand their role within the community. Investment will consist primarily of loans between £50,000 and £2,000,000 offered at 5% for an initial three year period of a ten year loan term.
Organisations can find more information on the fund, including investment packages and full associated eligibility criteria, and register their interest at the website below or by calling 0191 261 5200.
For more information contact:
•Karen Keany (020 7842 7700, Karen.keany@futurebuilders-england.org.uk) or
•Shaheena Sachedina (020 7403 2230, shaheena@forster.co.uk)

Faith in Nature - multi faith action for the environment


Thursday 8 October 2009, EPIC Centre, Lincolnshire Showground

Are you a member of a faith or community group? Are you looking to do something practical to improve the environment?

The Environment Agency and Lincolnshire Chaplaincy Services are co-hosting a follow up to last year's successful Faith in Nature debate which took place at Lincoln Cathedral.
This year's event is aimed at faith and community groups in Lincolnshire and surrounding areas, who have an interest in taking practical steps in creating a sustainable environment.
The event will again be hosted by the Bishop of Lincoln, the Right Reverend John Saxbee and will feature keynote speakers and breakout sessions where participants can get practical information on taking forward environmental projects whether large or small.
We would like you to come along with an idea for an action or project that you and members of your faith or community group can implement.
The event is free and will run from 10:00 - 16:00. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
If you wish to register an interest in attending, please send your name and contact details to:

Janita Elton, Project Co-ordinator, Environment Agency, Waterside House, Lincoln LN2 5HA or email janita.elton@environment-agency.gov.uk
Places are limited for this event, so please register early