Green living Leicestershire

Green Living Leicestershire is a partnership between Leicestershire councils to deliver projects supporting sustainability and net zero - the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible.

Green Living Leicestershire partnership members are:

• Blaby District Council
• Charnwood Borough Council
• Harborough District Council
• Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council
• Leicestershire County Council
• Melton Borough Council
• North West Leicestershire District Council
• Oadby & Wigston Borough Council

The partnership works together on projects which support delivery of objectives in relation to environmental protection and improvement, including energy efficiency, carbon reduction, climate adaptation and resilience, nature recovery and resource efficiency, sustainable transport, circular economy and community engagement.

Projects run by the Green Living Leicestershire partnership may include all or a group of the above local councils.

All members have signed the Leicestershire Climate and Nature Pact. The success of the pact depends on residents, businesses, local councils and other organisations in the county all working together. The pact calls upon organisations and groups across the county to sign the pact and play their part in combating climate change and ecological decline.

Partnership projects to date:

• Sustainable Warmth, the provision of grant funding to private residents to improve the energy efficiency of their homes
• Solar Together, a group buying scheme for solar panels

Current projects:

• Solar Together, a second group buying scheme for solar panels
• Home Upgrade Grant, the provision of grant funding to private residents to improve the energy efficiency of homes that do not have mains gas as the primary heating system

Net Zero toolkit

The net zero toolkit aims to provide a starting point for town, parish councils and community groups to address net zero in their local community. It has been developed in partnership with Green Living Leicestershire and aligns to the Leicestershire Climate and Nature Pact.

Communities across Leicestershire are being given the chance to play their part in tackling climate change and help Leicestershire become a net zero county.

More support has been made available to parish councils, community groups and residents who want to get involved and make a real difference with the creation of a new easy-to-use online toolkit.

The online resource has been developed by the Green Living Leicestershire Partnership, which comprises Charnwood, together with all other Leicestershire district councils and Leicestershire County Council.

Including helpful tips and advice, the toolkit has been designed to help kick-start community action, including guidance on how to identify sources of carbon emissions in their local area, setting clear reduction targets, getting the community involved in supporting initiatives, working with communities and signing up to the Leicestershire Climate and Nature Pact.

For those involved with village halls and community buildings - see the ACRE net zero design guide (published March 2024) which aims to help groups improve the quality and performance of community building by making them more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. It is a simple and practical guide and explains different technology options, sharing practical examples and experiences of halls.

Leicestershire Climate and Nature Pact

Charnwood was one of the first organisations to sign up to the Leicestershire Climate and Nature Pact. Led by Leicestershire County Council, working with partners and stakeholders from across the region, the pact sets out a commitment to tackle climate change, nature decline and carbon reduction. The pact is based on the principles of the Glasgow Climate Pact, signed by the UK government in November 2021. 

It brings together the private and voluntary sectors to work with local government, education sector and local communities to make environmental changes. The core requirements of the pact include the need to act quickly on reducing the impacts of climate change, reducing carbon emissions to net zero, halting ecological decline, supporting climate recovery, and working together to deliver effective action on climate change. T

he pact was officially launched and signed on Tuesday February 28, 2023, attended by representatives from more than 40 organisations who gathered to share their ideas on how to work together towards common net zero carbon goals.

Charnwood has committed to reduce its carbon footprint and looks to encourage our residents, business and communities to do the same. Signing the Leicestershire Climate and Nature Pact further demonstrates our commitment to do all we can to reach our net zero aims and support the shared aims of our county council colleagues.

Find out more about the Leicestershire Climate and Nature Pact and sign up