Working with others to take environmental action

We cannot take effective action to tackle climate change and reduce environmental impacts on our own. That’s why we work with other local authorities, businesses, communities, charities and more, on our projects to collaborate and share knowledge about what we do.

We also try to design our projects so there are benefits for you. That means working with you to find out what you want to see in Colchester to support your lifestyles, whether that be cycling infrastructure to more trees and green spaces.

Alongside working with you and other organisations, we also want to enable you to take action for yourself and your community.

Projects that you are enthusiastic about are likely to have the biggest impact and have a legacy to continue in the future. Our environmental work strives to embed the ‘Communities Can’ principles’ that we have developed.

Projects with partner organisations and the community to improve environmental outcomes:

• Offering activities for schools to engage with our projects. This includes the CAReless Pollution Schools toolkit with activities for a variety of school age groups to learn about air quality.
  
  We are also working with schools on improving Bikeability cycle training for children in the later years of primary school. 


• Holding regular meetings with Colchester Institute, Colchester Sixth Form College and University of Essex to share information about projects we are working on and work together on some of these where useful.


• Producing a monthly newsletter of environmental grant funding opportunities that may help fund environmental projects for community groups and town and parish councils. We publish community funding opportunities online. 


• Work with other local authorities in Essex to collaborate on projects of shared importance or relevance, alongside sharing knowledge on projects we are working on.
  
  We work closely with a group of councils in the north of Essex, in the North Essex Climate Partnership (NECP).
  
  In this group we have discussed ways to report on greenhouse gas emissions effectively and are exploring the opportunities for creating local area energy plans to better understand energy supply and demand in the future.