Forest of Dean

Building confidence: Forest of Dean’s people-powered path to Net Zero

In the Forest of Dean, momentum for Net Zero has grown by building confidence in its local benefits.

With support from the Net Zero Living programme, the District Council launched Forest Fast Followers and appointed Simon Richards as Net Zero Officer. He helped reimagine Carbon Literacy training, introduced ‘climate basics’ sessions for councillors, and began tracking staff pledges against the council’s Climate Emergency Strategy.

Extending this approach, town and parish councils were engaged as rural climate champions, and Community Climathon events, co-hosted with the University of Gloucestershire, helped residents explore how climate action could improve transport, farming and energy.

With increased confidence, plus support from Net Zero Living Technical Assistance Partners Regen and City Science, the council is embedding climate action into joint strategies with neighbouring authorities, to ensure their long-term delivery beyond planned local government reorganisation.

Find out more

If you are interested in learning how to transform your community, town or city, then read the Enable Embed Enact – Maximising the Value of Local Net Zero Planning report. If you would like to speak to someone about this project, contact the Net Zero Living team.