Carbon Literacy Cartrefi Cymru
Carbon Literacy Cartrefi Cymru (CLCC) was a consortium of Welsh registered housing associations, which ran from 2019 until 2024. During that time, more than 30 RHAs were members, over 140 Carbon Literacy trainers were certified within the consortium, and a fully accredited Carbon Literacy training course was delivered to 598 people in Wales.
Carbon Literacy is defined as a day’s worth of learning around the causes and consequences of climate change, empowering learners to make individual and group actions personally and professionally.
The Carbon Literacy Project has defined the standard of Carbon Literacy and accredits courses and learners.
Cynnal Cymru – Sustain Wales was the secretariat for CLCC, organising meetings, holding funds for use by the consortium, providing support around Carbon Literacy and facilitating Community of Practice sessions for CLCC trainers.
CLCC history
In 2019, a group of representatives from registered housing associations across Wales sat down around a table with one aim: to find a way to work together to help alleviate the climate emergency.
They agreed that understanding their carbon impact, both as individuals and organizations, and being able to make informed decisions on reducing carbon emissions, had the potential to be transformative for the social housing sector and communities. Thus Carbon Literacy Cartrefi Cymru was born – a consortium that would provide a platform for knowledge sharing across the sector, collaborative problem solving, and peer to peer teaching to deliver Carbon Literacy training to staff across Wales. One phrase in the meeting notes from the earliest days of the CLCC succinctly summarised what the approach would be: “This consortium is about reaching you where you’re at and helping from there.”
Five years later the CLCC was brought to a close, having achieved exactly what it set out to do. The consortium’s flagship project, a fully accredited Carbon Literacy training course tailored to the social housing sector, had been delivered to 598 people across Wales, thanks to the enthusiasm and dedication of the CLCC trainers who passed on their knowledge to their peers and colleagues. The course had received two substantial updates, and been fully translated into Welsh; its final iteration will continue to be used by members to certify their staff as Carbon Literate. Many of those housing associations are now certified Carbon Literate Organisations, and continue to champion carbon reduction in the workplace.
As was inevitable with a large group of disparate organisations, not everyone’s time as members of the CLCC looks the same. Each had their own priorities, their own challenges to overcome. But the consortium’s ethos of looking at where each member was and guiding them to where they wanted to be played a huge role in the success of the project.
Bron Afon Community Housing was a part of the CLCC from the start, and remained as members throughout the lifetime of the consortium. Nadine Davies, Community Decarbonisation Officer at Bron Afon, said, “The CLCC has enabled us as an organisation to come together and learn about the importance of climate change and carbon emissions. It provided us with valuable skills, networks, and guidance for us to deliver the course to our colleagues successfully.”
Reflecting on her term as Chair of the CLCC between May 2023 and the consortium’s closure in October 2024, Nadine added, “The CLCC created a space for us to discuss and share in confidence what was going well and what our struggles were when delivering Carbon Literacy. I found the regular meetings and coming together with others delivering the course useful and it was good to listen and take on board points raised. I very much enjoyed my time as Chair of the CLCC and without it I don’t think we would have had as much success with the delivery of Carbon Literacy as we have. I look forward to continuing to deliver Carbon Literacy to the rest of our staff and the wider community to help tackle climate change.”

What next for the CLCC?
Although the consortium has now closed, its positive impact will continue long into the future. Many former members are planning to roll out Carbon Literacy to their tenants – and with more than 100,000 houses owned across the consortium, that’s a lot of people. For some member organisations, certified Carbon Literacy training is now mandatory for all new staff. Cynnal Cymru also created a Climate Essentials course to help trainers pass on key knowledge in a shorter, more accessible format, and encourage interest in the full training. For those housing associations who want customised training or advice, individually or collaboratively, Cynnal Cymru’s team can work with them to ensure that the success of the CLCC is just the first step on their carbon reduction journey.
The relationships that were built through the consortium, and the knowledge that was gained and shared, will continue to provide the foundation for Carbon Literacy and a greater awareness and understanding of the impact we all have on the world around us.
If you would like to know more about the CLCC please contact: Shwmae@cynnalcymru.com
If you’re interested in Carbon Literacy training for your organisation or a collaborative project, please contact our training team: training@cynnalcymru.com
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