Our Environment To meet the challenge of climate change; ensuring integration and delivery of the Climate Action Plan across all NK Plan priorities
£1m
further investment in our climate action agenda for the District
This additional boost will be used to fund high priority actions from our Climate Emergency Strategy and Action Plan, which is currently being reviewed. It’s a huge investment but also just the start of meeting the cost of reaching net-zero. The intention therefore is to use this money to ‘prime the pump’ for the big-impact projects we have in store to help take positive and tangible action on climate for our District. We’ll share more as the monies are officially allocated to specific projects. It’s coupled with the allocation of another £1 million in measures to build up reserves and resilience for post-Covid recovery and a further £1 million for investment in leisure assets, visitor venues and broader economic activity.
Don’t forget - you can see us at Heckington Show this year for more on how we’re acting on climate across our Council.
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Could you Be More Hilda? Could you answer the call to ‘Be More Hilda’ by rediscovering the thrifty things that were once common – and could now help the environment? Mrs Smith’s Cottage Museum has a six-month campaign calling on all of us to ‘Be More Hilda’; to rediscover a simpler and more sustainable lifestyle for the 21st century; just like Mrs Smith herself. The aim is to reacquaint people with traditional lifestyle habits, with the added benefit that they can naturally lead to more sustainable choices such as seasonal eating, make-do-and-mend, growing your
Visit
own food and reducing waste – and so shrink our carbon footprint. A season of workshops, talks and events is on offer at the cottage, online, and around North Kesteven. The programme will culminate in creating an almanac-style guide to be sold at Mrs Smith’s Cottage giving practical advice inspired by Mrs Smith’s life, interspersed with relevant quotes from her diaries. For the full Be More Hilda events list, please visit www. mrssmithscottage.com/bemore Having been saved by the local community, Mrs Smith’s humble
cottage in Navenby was first opened as a museum in 1999. The museum was closed in 2012 when serious structural issues and deterioration of the building became apparent, however the Council worked to secure funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to see Mrs Smith’s Cottage brought back into use as a popular heritage attraction and today it’s run with the help of a team and dedicated volunteers. Mrs Smith’s Cottage is open Friday to Monday from 12 noon until 4pm. Visitors can drop in, but bookings are recommended.
www.n-kesteven.gov.uk/actonclimate to see more climate news Photo: Chris Vaughan
As part of our aim to help the District reach net zero by 2030, we plan to invest in more solar panels on the Council office roof. The installation is expected to reduce our electricity bill by as much as 25% and save over 20 tons of C02 per year. Upon completion, the project would see 230 solar panels installed on our Kesteven Street building at an estimated cost of £150,000, drawn from the Council’s ‘Invest to Save’ reserve – a fund specifically earmarked for projects that reduce long-term overheads. They could pay for themselves in as little as five years. The new panels would add to the Council’s existing, smaller, installation that currently provides
a modest contribution to energy usage and carbon footprint. Investing in projects like this is vital to maintaining a strong and resilient financial footing that allows us to protect and enhance public services. The Council faces electricity bills more than doubling, with no action. Money saved on running costs is ploughed back into our wider operations, and the panels would help cut our costs and carbon footprint for years to come. The proposal will go through the planning process, but could be operational before next winter. Already the Council draws free excess heat and hot water from Sleaford’s Renewable Energy Plant. For energy saving tips and support, turn to page 17.
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