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Projects more than 2 years old

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.”

CLCC members in 2023

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

Carbon Literacy Cartrefi Cymru Read More »

The Wales We Want National Conversation

For over two years Cynnal Cymru worked with the Welsh Government and the former Commissioner for Future Generations, Peter Davies, to help develop and grow Wales’s biggest National Conversation on ‘The Wales We Want’.

The Conversation was launched on 18 February 2014 with the support of award-winning Welsh actor and UNICEF supporter Michael Sheen at a high profile event in held in Cardiff.

In the first year we organised 20 events, 3 launch events, recruited 150 Futures Champions, helping to bring together 6474 individuals, who took part in over 100 conversations across Wales resulting in almost 1000 responses in the form or reports, videos, postcards, drawings and surveys.

Putting People at the Heart of the Campaign

 ‘I want a Wales where….’ campaign video featuring our first Futures Champions and ambassadors for the campaign.

Working closely with the Welsh Government, Cynnal Cymru identified the need to develop and strengthen the brand identity, placing people at the heart of the conversation. To enable the conversation to reach as wide an audience as possible, a network of Futures Champions was established – identifying key champions and influencers to represent different geographical areas and communities of interest.  As part of the recruitment strategy, Cynnal Cymru was able to recruit new champions through its own networks and contacts.

This approach proved vital in helping people to relate the campaign, and take ownership of the conversation and brand. Many also took it to the next level with spin-out Conversations such as The Llanelli We Want and the Carmarthenshire We Want.

Working with a design agency Hoffi, we developed the campaign website, where the primary focus was to encourage people to take action by signing up as Futures Champions or sharing their views online.

Infographic showing the network of 'Future Champions' and participants who took part in the conversation.

Throughout the campaign Cynnal Cymru was responsible for developing a number of milestone events, including the launch of final report in 2015, held in Cardiff and Llandudno. The report was the culmination of a year-long conversation with the people across Wales, attended by the Minister for Natural Resources, Michael Sheen, Iolo Williams and other notable speakers. This high profile event was supported by a successful social media campaign #futurecymru which trended on Twitter with over 1500 tweets during the launch day.

The Wales We Want National Conversation Read More »

Project Sylfaen

In 2019, Cynnal Cymru, in partnership with Wales Co-operative Centre, won funding from the Co-op Foundation to take six community-led environmental organisations in Wales on a development journey. The aim was to deliver a bespoke programme of capacity-building support to help enhance the engagement, governance, business planning, income generation and other skills needed to sustain a successful community venture.

The six organisations that joined the programme were:

Each received a root and branch review of their skills and development needs. These identified common challenges around things like governance structures and resisting mission-drift amid pressure to generate income.

These insights were used to create a tailored 12 month programme of development support, complemented by virtual gatherings to share learning and experience. Sessions ranged from covering the basics – Financial Planning and Record-keeping – to the exploratory and aspirational – Rethinking Income Streams and Enterprising Leadership. Other topics included marketing, safeguarding, strengths mapping and business planning.

In order to maximise the benefits of the programme, each of the six ‘core beneficiaries’ were invited to bring along there other local community environmental partners to training and networking sessions. As a result, 15 other organisations were able to share in these capacity-building sessions with 102 training places being taken up by 40 staff members, councillors, project volunteers and trustees.

Although almost all of the programme had been expected to be face-to-face pre-Covid, inevitably the majority of the training, peer-learning and networking activities moved online. Some project visits and Open Days – the most eagerly-anticipated aspects of the Sylfaen programme – did take place however towards the end of the project.

Whilst feedback about the whole programme has been positive, The response to these visits has been the most inspirational, highlighting the importance of connecting environmental visionaries with others striving for similar aims and experiencing similar barriers.

“Thank you, Cynnal Cymru. I think it is a truly worthwhile project and one that I feel needs to continue.”

Robbie Bowman, Coed Dylan

For these organisations, Sylfaen provided not only “..a renewed faith in humanity” (Melissa Dhillon, Llyn Parc Mawr Community Woodland) but “.. a sense that we are part of a larger group” which makes “travelling this, sometimes lonely, road a nicer experience.” (Robbie Bowman, Coed Dylan)

This joining-up of minds and actions is something that Cynnal Cymru routinely enables – whether it’s through our awards, newsletters, summits or networking events. This is because, as neatly summed up by another participant, “There are many people doing amazing things, often in isolation.”

Breaking new ground, undertaking pioneering projects, or even struggling to maintain tried and tested methods in the face of austerity can be daunting. Bringing people together, not only to share ideas but to remind them that they are not alone, generates a tremendous energy and refreshes the determination to continue. Cynnal Cymru has been delighted to be a part of the Sylfaen programme because, as another participant shares, it is initiatives like this that boost not only individual projects but progress towards sustainability at a national scale.

“One of the best aspects of the Sylfaen project is finding out about other projects across Wales that are contributing to sustainable development and meeting the people who are behind them.

If there is to be a greater movement across Wales towards sustainability, it is important that initiatives like Sylfaen continue to facilitate this bringing together of people … to work collaboratively towards a sustainable future.”

Mara Morris, Denmark Farm

You can read more reflections about the Sylfaen project in the Resources section below.

Project Sylfaen Read More »

Nest Nyth – Branding and messaging for a new fuel poverty scheme

As part of the new scheme Cynnal Cymru, along with partners, was commissioned to create a new brand mark and communication messaging.

Through a series of interactive workshops, the bilingual branding, Nest – Nyth, was created, a reassuring brand which was designed to give the target audience confidence in the scheme.

Nest was a word chosen by people in focus groups to describe how they feel about their home. It was developed together with the bird box branding which is easily identifiable, bold in colour and has the comforting wording ‘Making Wales Cosy.’

Nest offers free advice about:

  • Saving energy
  • Money management
  • Making sure you’re on the best fuel tariff for you;
  • And whether you are entitled to any benefits to boost your income

The scheme can be accessed by visiting www.nest.gov.wales or calling freephone 0808 808 2244

This project was commissioned by the Energy Saving Trust (EST) and was managed by Cynnal Cymru in collaboration with Climate Outreach and branding design agency Hoffi.

Nest Nyth – Branding and messaging for a new fuel poverty scheme Read More »

Cardiff Council Transport and Clean Air Green Paper

From January to July 2018 we worked intensively with Cardiff Council on their Transport and Clean Air Green Paper. We were tasked with conducting research to inform the drafting of the paper, and helping with consultation once it was published.

Desk-top research looked at reports compiled within the last five years, emerging trends in transport, and the activity in other cities around the world. Seminars and conferences included Cynnal Cymru’s 2016 “Future Car:diff” event, “Car Futures Wales”, and the Innovate UK “Transport Challenges” workshop. Interviews took place with Innovate UK’s Transport Systems Catapult, Arup, Jacobs, The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Living Streets, and Cardiff Civic Society.

As drafts progressed, a team of Council officers and Cynnal Cymru staff was formed under the leadership of Cabinet Member for Transport, Councillor Wild. This team began to blend existing Cardiff Council transport research and strategies with new information gleaned from the research. The team included representatives from the Transport department, Economic Development, City Services, Shared Regulatory Services, Research and Customer Services, Policy, and Operations, and was chaired by the Director of City Operations. The end result ensured innovative practices from other cities was combined with existing strategic and policy commitments and an awareness of emerging trends to meet the specific needs of Cardiff.

Following publication, we worked with the Transport Team, Customer Services, The Cardiff Research Centre and FOR Cardiff to undertake a variety of consultations events and communications. These included an event for businesses and targeted engagement of specific locations.

Cardiff Council Transport and Clean Air Green Paper Read More »

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