Cumbria staff receive accredited carbon literacy training

Staff at Cumbria County Council are taking part in carbon and climate literacy training that will help to increase their knowledge and understanding of the issues and challenges of climate change.

The accredited training is available to all staff and elected members as part of the council’s commitment to achieving a low/net zero carbon economy by 2050. The sessions, delivered online by expert trainers from the council’s training provider Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS), have already resulted in staff putting their learning into practice and making carbon savings in their day-to-day work.

The council also has plans to introduce a new e-learning course as part of the induction programme for new members of staff joining the organisation. The course will be included as part of a core learning package alongside other essential topics such as Health and Safety, Equality and Diversity, and Information Security and Data Protection.

Celia Tibble, cabinet member for Environment, said: “Climate change remains one of the greatest challenges to this generation and for many generations to come. It is already a threat to Cumbria and is one of the greatest threats to humanity globally. We recognise the key role our staff and members have to play in helping to reduce our carbon footprint, and this accredited training will ensure that all of our services understand their carbon footprint, and what is required to reduce it.

“There has been a fantastic uptake so far with an inspiring number of council staff eager to learn more about how they can help tackle climate change, both at work and home. I have completed the training myself and found it very informative and useful in taking our policy forward.”