Green Communities
Green Communities
Promoting and supporting community-based energy projects with a major national programme
Green Communities is a programme from the Energy Saving Trust that aims to support, facilitate and promote community-based energy projects.
Green Communities is the new name for Community Action for Energy (CAfE); CSE is the managing agent of the programme.
Above all, Green Communities is a network of 'members' - who might be individuals, schools, communities, groups or organisations involved in energy projects (see case studies below).
There are around 4,000 members as of summer 2009, and the number continues to grow as more and more people become interested in starting energy projects in their community. Membership is free.
Community groups, organisations, local councils, schools and other groups from across society are benefitting from what the Green Communities scheme has to offer
You can read much more about the programme on the Green Communities pages of the Energy Saving Trust website: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/cafe, or continue reading below for a brief overview.
What can Green Communities offer me?
There are lots of benefits to joining the network - all designed to help you make a success of your ideas and projects
- unique training courses and workshops
- a national database of community energy projects
- regular newsletters and e-news updates
- a free annual conference
- information about sources of grant funding
- support from a panel of experts
- community bursaries to cover costs of the small outgoings of community projects
- information about new community energy projects
- a website packed with resources
What is a 'community-based energy project'?
All sorts of projects are part of the network. You can find several case studies on the Green Communities web pages, but here is a quick taster:
Hyde Farm Climate Action Network
Cockermouth School Eco Centre
Newmore House Group
To contact Green Communities directly, call 0844 848 0077 or email us at greencommunities@est.org.uk.
What is CSE's role in Green Communities?
CSE was the managing agent for Community Action for Energy (CAfE) and is delighted to be playing the same role in CAfE's successor, Green Communities.
We plan and deliver the training programme using our expert in-house trainers, we organise the annual conference (up to 250 delegates), we staff the helpline and act as first point of contact for phone and email queries, provide advice and support to network members and contribute to communication materials.
To find out more about CSE's role contact Verity Saunders, Green Communities project manager.