12.03.2019

From 35,000 litres of oil a year to Renewable Heat at National Trust's Wimpole Estate

It previously took 35,000 litres of oil a year to heat the Grade 1 listed mansion house and restaurant at National Trust’s Wimpole Estate, but newly installed renewable heat pump technology has taken this figure down to 0. The heat pump uses around one third of the energy needed by the previous oil boilers, and has reduced carbon emissions by 47 tonnes per year as well as saving over £8,000 a year in fuel costs.  Fit for the Future practitioners from Guide Dogs, RSPB, Historic England, English Heritage, Diocese of Ely and National Trust headed to Wimpole to find out about the installation and related successes and challenges first hand.

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28.02.2019

Adaptation in a Warming Nation- We team up with Met Office and RSPB

This week we have experienced some of the highest winter temperatures ever recorded in the UK, with record temperatures for February broken twice and a high of 21.2C at Kew Gardens on Tuesday. The Met Office announced on Twitter that they would be doing an attribution study to ascertain how the temperatures were affected by climate change, and went on to point out that a Met Office analysis in 2014 already showed that, “since 2000, there had been 10 times as many high temperature records broken as cold temperature ones”. This May, Fit for the Future will team up with the Met Office and RSPB to bring the charities, heritage organisations and others in our membership the latest insight into how the UK climate is projected to change, how it might affect them, and how they can put a strategy in place to adapt and build resilience.

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13.02.2019

Show The Love- Putting Collaboration at the Heart of Change

The Climate Coalition’s 'Show the Love 2019' is now in full swing, with hundreds of thousands of people across the UK showing their love for the things they want to protect from climate change. Fit for the Future has been in the business of environmental matchmaking for six years now, and during this time we’ve brought together hundreds of sustainability professionals from diverse organisations. Whether they are working for the love of wildlife, education, historic buildings, art, mountains, canals- our members have one important thing in common: they know that climate change poses a significant threat to what they do and want to do something about it. 

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05.02.2019

Practical Behaviour Change with Manchester University and National Trust

Representatives from Field Studies Council, Manchester University and National Trust got together in Manchester last week to discuss behaviour change and gain insight into two diverse projects. We share some of our key takeaways from the day.

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23.01.2019

An Empowering approach to Behaviour Change- 10,000 Actions and Beyond

Behaviour change, often behind the scenes when it comes to saving energy and reducing environmental impacts, has the potential to create a more value-led shift in how organisations operate from the bottom-up. The question is, how do we approach this notoriously challenging area effectively?  In true Fit for the Future style, we advocate learning from those who’ve already got it right.

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03.01.2019

Reactions to the Draft Environment Bill- What Our Members are Saying

A draft of the highly anticipated Environment Bill, which will be central to England’s post-Brexit environmental law, was published by DEFRA on 21st December 2018. The first bill of this nature to be published in 20 years, it is hugely significant and will determine how our environment is protected upon leaving the EU. It will also build on the ambitions of the government’s 25 year environment plan, which covers targets relating to a myriad of environmental factors including mitigating and adapting to climate change.

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31.12.2018

Fit for the Future- Forging Ahead into 2019

2018 was a busy year for Fit for the Future, and we'd like to thank all our members and supporters for making it a successful one too. Hundreds of practitioners have been linked up to share knowledge and to get projects off the ground in order to become climate-friendly, adaptive and resilient organisations. We identified lots of opportunities to do even more for our members and build on what we offer in 2019. We'd like to take this opportunity to share some of our plans, and to wish you all a very Happy New Year. Let's forge ahead in 2019 and harness the power of people and practical solutions to achieve vital positive change. 

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06.12.2018

COP24 Poland- The Week in Brief

COP24, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, is currently underway in Katowice, Poland. Over the next two weeks, thousands of negotiators will undertake climate talks, and over 30,000 people will attend hundreds of conferences and side events. At the opening ceremony, world leaders underlined the need to act now to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement after yet another year of climate disasters. We bring you a brief look at key points from the conference so far.

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05.12.2018

From Beer to Bees and Biodiversity- Adnams Tour in Pictures

Last week, Fit for the Future members took a behind-the-scenes tour of Adnams brewery in Southwold. We were given insight into their four-pillar sustainability model, and a look at how innovative and practical projects covering areas as diverse as beer production, bottles, bees and biodiversity have been implemented. 

Water and Waste, Energy Efficiency
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05.12.2018

Older Buildings & the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards

42% of the UK's carbon footprint is somehow attributable to the built environment with 10% coming from heating buildings alone. Encouraging landlords and property owners to improve the energy efficiency of buildings is therefore great in theory, but the recently updated Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) pose challenges, particularly when it comes to older buildings. We teamed up with STBA on 26th November to give members the low down on what the changes to the regulations are, the associated challenges, and how to respond to MEES practically. 

Energy Efficiency, Eenergy efficiency: heritage retrofit
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