Lewisham LBC

This award is open to a single council or where appropriate a partnership of councils, or a council-owned company. Private sector or public sector partners can enter on a council’s behalf, with the permission of the council itself. Councils are uniquely placed to effect change in response to the climate crisis. This award is intended to mark excellence in any aspect of a council’s work in addressing the carbon footprint of the council, its services and its broader local area. Entries may include work to capture climate benefits from changed behaviours or work with local businesses and communities to address the climate crisis, to both enable economic growth and secure environmental improvements. Entries will be judged on the innovation of their submissions, the extent to which it has delivered measurable change, the quality of evidence of support from local communities, and the ability for other councils to replicate the work.

Lewisham's Net Zero Carbon Schools programme aims to bring investment into the 84 schools across the borough and empower young people to care about, and take action against, climate change. Through a series of interactive, educational workshops, including a pupil-led audit of energy performance, the actions needed to cut onsite emissions in schools across the borough were identified, and the processes for reducing schools to net zero were initiated. The outcome of this programme has not just been reducing the carbon emissions of schools, but engaging a generation of pupils with the importance of tackling climate change.

We believe in a world where transport is sustainable and accessible to everyone, so that future generations can continue to enjoy the benefits that transport delivers, wherever they live, without causing lasting damage to people and our fragile planet. We believe that this can be achieved by delivering a safe, accessible and reliable public charging network, as reputable and trusted EV charging infrastructure is critical to the switch to sustainable mobility. That is why we are sponsoring this award – to celebrate the councils that are leading the charge to ensure EV infrastructure matches the rising demand for sustainable transport.