A new electric powered lorry will be used to collect waste in the local area as North Northamptonshire Council continues its work to become carbon neutral.The all-electric vehicle has been tried and tested on routes and will carry out the same role as the previous diesel vehicle and residents shouldn’t see much difference, apart from a quieter vehicle doing the rounds.Over the vehicle’s lifetime, it will save 60,000 litres of diesel and £75,000 in fuel costs.Cllr Matt Binley, the council’s Executive Member for Highways, Travel and Assets, said:“The arrival of this new electric vehicle is a step towards a cleaner...

17 July, 2024

This week’s meeting of North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive will receive a report on a decarbonisation project that will help contribute towards the council’s green targets.Three facilities - Corby Cube, Corby Swimming Pool and Desborough Leisure Centre - are all set to have works completed to help the sites reduce carbon levels and be more energy efficient.Following the completion of energy surveys of council buildings, the authority made a grant bid under the Public Services Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) for energy improvement works at the three properties.The council has been awarded a grant of £3,858,419 against a total project cost of £4,384,568.08...

08 July, 2024

A Northamptonshire based organisation is launching a global initiative to help businesses adopt sustainable practices in the face of increasing regulations and public demand for brands to address growing social and environmental threats.The Sustainable Business Alliance (SBA) is working with the University of Northampton Centre for Sustainable Business Practices and two local firms, Be. Partners Ltd and ActNow Consulting to introduce the 'Business Towards Sustainability Programme'.The programme will provide structured tools, training and support to help organisations to build and implement simple strategies and action plans so that they can take action where it is needed most.Speaking about the programme,...

20 June, 2024

The first workshop in the NN2NZ Boost for Business (NN2NZ B4B) programme—a pioneering initiative designed to support SMEs in North Northamptonshire on their journey towards sustainability has been announced. This workshop is a gateway to understanding and implementing effective carbon reduction strategies in local businesses.The NN2NZ B4B programme is led by Electric Places in partnership with North Northamptonshire Council.The Net Zero 101: Carbon Reduction Workshop will be led by Electric Places in collaboration with ActNow Consulting.What You Will LearnDuring the workshop, you will develop a simple, practical set of carbon reduction actions for your business. Our expert-led session will equip...

17 June, 2024

An annual snapshot of the work North Northamptonshire Council is doing to become carbon neutral will be showcased at the authority’s Executive this week.The Carbon Management Plan Annual Progress Report 2022-23 notes the good work that has taken place as well as future projects to work towards carbon neutrality.In July 2021, the Council declared a climate and environment emergency, with the authority then committing to become carbon neutral by 2030. The Council’s Carbon Management Plan, which sets out the roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality, was approved in December 2022.Additionally, as part of the 2021/22 budget setting process, the Council earmarked...

10 June, 2024

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), along with Towcester Women’s Institute, are taking part in the Great Big Green Week this June to highlight the need for urgent action on climate and nature.Taking place between 8 and 16 June 2024, the climate action campaign known as the Great Big Green Week will see thousands of people across the UK organising local festivals and events.Now in its fourth year, the campaign events will draw attention to climate change and destruction of the natural world, while also making a connection with these issues in local communities and highlighting the positive impact that local residents...

04 June, 2024

Plans are under way to deliver a climate change summit in the autumn which seeks to provide businesses and residents across West Northamptonshire with the tools they need to reduce their carbon footprint.Representatives from West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), Climate Action-West Northants (CA-WN), Northampton Town Council and parish councils across the area have joined forces to work in collaboration to consider how they can provide people with the tools they need to meet the target of becoming net zero in West Northamptonshire by 2045.Sustainability is high on the agenda for WNC with work already underway to make West Northants a sustainable...

15 May, 2024

Businesses in West Northamptonshire can now access a new decarbonisation support programme aimed at helping them to reach net zero and achieve their sustainability goals, including free business support, tailored energy audits and match funding up to £20,000 to implement energy efficiency measures.The programme is specifically tailored to help small and medium sized businesses make the transition to net zero and implement their sustainability plans and has received £630,854 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), a central part of the Government’s Levelling Up agenda.The Net Zero West Northants project combines technical advice and diagnostic work with access...

15 April, 2024

In 2019, the UK became the first major economy to adopt a legal commitment to achieve ‘Net Zero’ carbon emissions by 2050. Closer to home, West Northamptonshire Council has set a net zero target for its own emissions by 2030 and those of residents and businesses by 2045. North Northamptonshire council has committed to becoming a carbon-neutral council by 2030 and aligns to the national net zero goal of 2050.Targets and pledges are well and good, but the majority of climate experts state that the UK, along with all developing nations are not nearly on track to achieve these goals...

10 April, 2024

The Northants B Corp Community, made up of 14 certified B Corporations, held a well-attended B Corp and Sustainable Business Event, in conjunction with the Centre for Sustainable Business Practices (CSBP) at the University of Northampton. Over 40 businesses and business support representatives took part in engaging round table discussions and enjoyed networking and learning from each other.What is a B Corp?Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies verified by third party B Lab to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. B stands for Benefit for all. The B Corp movement is a global...

10 April, 2024

North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) will receive a funding boost from central Government to help deliver a network of publicly available electric charging points across the local area.The council were provisionally allocated £2,895,000 of funding and had to provide a business case on how the funding would be spent. This business case has now been approved and NNC will receive all of the allocated funding.The funding will be used to deliver a network of publicly available electric vehicle charging points to all 12 towns across North Northamptonshire, with a particular focus on supporting residents who are not able to charge an electric vehicle...

18 March, 2024