Renfrewshire Council

Volunteers create planters for community garden "During Scotland's Climate Week (25 Sept - 1 Oct) I wanted to highlight Renfrewshire's Plan for Net Zero, which was launched in August 2022, and provide an update on how we've been working together with council colleagues and partners to inform our collective approach towards our 2030 target. As a Council. we play a leading role locally and we consider the impact that all our decisions will have on the climate.

"Before I go on to cover all the great work underway, I'd like to invite colleagues to help shape our roadmap by sharing ideas in our RenZero Staff Survey.  Your local knowledge and understanding of service delivery can really make a difference to how we work and drive innovation, so please take some time to complete the survey by Friday 13 October. If you'd like to get more involved, even better, just email me at climate@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

"In terms of taking action for a sustainable future, many innovative projects are well established, with teams across the council working on measures such as the sustainable transport pilot. Some of our larger vehicles are now powered by hydro treated vegetable oil which has reduced their carbon emissions by 90%.

"Our Community Climate Fund has awarded grants of up to £3,000 to develop a number of green initiatives, including local rewilding and food growing, energy efficiency projects, skills development and repair workshops, the climate Cooking Challenge and a transformative Charity Hub Garden developing a  a disused area of land into an outdoor eco space supporting community wellbeing.

"We've also been working with local businesses and community partners to encourage those who live and work in Renfrewshire to choose sustainable travel options like walking or cycling in return for rewards and discounts through our Not Far? Leave the Car campaign.

"The first eight of our planned 33 new wildlife-friendly environments can now be seen in Linwood, Erskine, Johnstone, Inchinnan, Lochwinnoch and Paisley and include beautiful roadside wildflower corridors, wildflower areas and native tree planting.

"Not to mention we have a first of a kind in Scotland in our innovative district heating network that provides low carbon heating using waste heat recovery at our Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS).

"I'm confident that we are on the right track, and that by continuing to deliver environmentally friendly changes, we can reach our net zero goals while making a positive impact on our communities and local areas." 

About RenZero

Renfrewshire's Plan for Net Zero aims to end Renfrewshire's contribution to climate change within a generation.  We are committed to working towards net zero by 2030 for the whole of Renfrewshire to ensure a safer, healthier, greener and fairer place for everyone to live, work and spend time in.

Read more about our approach to climate change and see a summary of Renfrewshire's plan for Net Zero.

Published Friday 29 September 2023