Greener Kirkcaldy is officially a Gold Carbon Literate Organisation!
Greener Kirkcaldy is accredited as a Gold Carbon Literate Organisation. This award highlights our dedication towards tackling the climate emergency, reducing carbon emissions and our commitment to working towards a zero-carbon future.
Greener Kirkcaldy first engaged with Carbon Literacy through our bespoke Fife Climate Knowhow training. We developed this course as part of the Climate Action Fife partnership. It is delivered to Greener Kirkcaldy staff and volunteers and to individuals and community groups across Fife. The course allows people to confidently discuss the climate emergency and describe the actions we can all take to tackle it.
Greener Kirkcaldy first became accredited as a Gold Carbon Literate Organisation in 2022. We recently renewed this status for a further three years. To help achieve the accreditation, 90% of staff and a growing number of volunteers received training and became formally certified as Carbon Literate.
Greener Kirkcaldy has also made significant progress on our Climate Action Plan, which sets out action to be carbon-neutral by 2030. This includes encouraging active travel, making our community building at 8 East Fergus Place more energy efficient and engaging people across Fife in climate action.
Being a Gold Carbon Literate Organisation helps Greener Kirkcaldy demonstrate that it is a trusted voice that can provide reliable and practical information to help people and organisations to tackle the climate emergency.
Ea O’ Neill, Community Development Manager, Greener Kirkcaldy said: “We want to be a leader in climate action in Fife. Being a Carbon Literate Organisation is important to us and it is fantastic to be able to renew this accreditation.
“This award helps Greener Kirkcaldy demonstrate that we know what we are talking about when it comes to the climate emergency.
“Greener Kirkcaldy is taking practical steps to become net zero as an organisation by 2030. And through our Fife Climate Knowhow training and Climate Action Fife partnership, we want to encourage individuals and other organisations to do what they can to tackle the climate emergency.”
Dave Coleman, Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Carbon Literacy Project, said: “Carbon Literacy is an essential skill, vital to every workplace, community and place of study. It is the foundational knowledge, and a catalyst to empowering people to act on climate, however, Carbon Literacy is only the first step.
“The actions taken and pledged by learners as part of their Carbon Literacy have an immediate impact within their organisation. However, it is the maintenance of these and further actions, supported by Carbon Literate organisational culture, that reaps the greatest rewards for both participants and their organisations.
“By becoming a Gold accredited Carbon Literate Organisation, Greener Kirkcaldy has demonstrated its commitment to genuine low carbon action, environmental and economic impact and the building of a low carbon future for us all.”
What is Climate Literacy?
Carbon Literacy is defined as, “An awareness of the carbon costs and impacts of everyday activities, and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions, on an individual, community and organisational basis,” and revolves around a day’s worth of learning and action on climate change.
A Carbon Literate Organisation is an organisation that has been accredited by The Carbon Literacy Project as being “culturally Carbon Literate”; maintaining a substantial proportion of its workforce as Carbon Literate and demonstrating its Carbon Literacy through its organisational behaviour.
Accreditation is a tiered system with Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels, requiring increasing levels of commitment to action on climate change and creating a low-carbon culture.