I have recently completed Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS) Carbon Literacy course and now want to share it with you. It’s a day’s online course, split into two half days, designed for the public on the climate crisis.
Full of insightful digestible facts, it has really boosted my knowledge and my confidence, and enabled me to act in those areas of my life where I can make changes and have a meaningful impact. But not only did the course give me the knowledge I need to take action and the tools to do it, most importantly it gave me hope.
I am passionate about sustainability but I previously struggled to take action or make considered decisions about sustainability because the information I had was often mixed or contradictory and that left me quite confused. I was aware we are in a climate emergency but I didn’t know exactly what that meant for me, which made me feel helpless.
The aim of the course is to give everyone the knowledge required to understand what the climate crisis is with factual information, so everyone has that same baseline understanding to be able to make sustainable decisions based on facts.
The idea is that once the course is completed and you have become carbon literate, applying your knowledge will be second nature to you. You will re-appraise where you shop at, how you commute, what you will have for dinner, who you bank with and what search engine you use: in all these daily decisions, sustainability has a huge part to play, and as for most decisions we make, it has a direct impact on the planet.
I found the course absolutely mind-blowing. I gained so much knowledge and insight which has made me make big changes to my personal life and at work. I also met similar minded people who also have the same drive for change.
A tool I found very helpful was the WWF carbon footprint calculator. It gave me a brief overview of my carbon footprint. Of all the things I own and do, I discovered that my car, takeaways and flights have the biggest negative impact. Since then, I made drastic changes, so now I walk to work, I use my bike to get around town and travel by train to long distance locations, dropping my car usage dramatically. I have less takeaways and I only fly to visit family abroad.
I now feel empowered, because not only do I have the knowledge and confidence to share this invaluable information with friends, family and colleagues, I can also share it with you! For up-to-date information on Carbon Literacy courses look at the CAfS website. And if you want to know more about Sustainable Keswick go to our website: https://sustainablekeswick.org.uk/
Elle Jervis
Sustainable Keswick
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