Coalville Library will be one of the venues to launch Leicestershire County Council's Net Zero Strategy and Action Plan next week.

With the ambitious goal of making Leicestershire a net zero carbon county by 2045, the County Council has approved the blueprint for residents, businesses and other groups to work together on an updated plan.

After almost 1,400 people had their say during a consultation, the Net Zero Strategy and Action Plan sets out the approach to delivering the council's ambitious desire to work with residents, partners and businesses to achieve net zero carbon emissions in Leicestershire by 2045 or before.

The strategy is accompanied by an action plan which highlights the actions the council will lead on and those which it will ask and influence others to deliver on over the next five years.  

Some of the priority next steps for action to make the county-wide target a reality include: 

• Delivering the Sustainable Warmth Programme to improve energy performance of homes, reducing emissions and fuel poverty
• Working with partners to develop a new programme of business support for carbon reduction 
• Generating local renewable energy through the development of Quorn Solar Farm and successful rollout of Solar Together Leicestershire, to provide more than 1,000 households with solar panels 
• Working with partners to reduce the carbon impact of food production, distribution and waste through the Sustainable Food Plan
• Bringing organisation, businesses and residents together to tackle climate change through the Leicestershire Climate and Nature Pact

The Net Zero Strategy & Action Plan is being launched with a six-week campaign that covers the six key action areas that are identified within the plan.

The launch will be a showcase of net zero activities for residents to get involved with, from e-bike training to community carbon literacy training, tree giveaways to energy efficiency competitions. 

It will start with a 'switch off, keep warm' event at Coalville library on Wednesday (January 18).

• A week of "switch off, keep warm" library events, good news stories and sharing social media content for Buildings and Energy Week, starting from 16 January
• A Love Your Clothes information talk and insight into recycling during Resources and Waste Week, starting 23 January
• E-bike training and Choose How You Move reward scheme during Transport Week from 30 January
• Insights into the efforts of partners to go green, plus tips and advice for businesses, will be delivered for Business and Economy Week, from 6 February
• Celebrating Environment Action Volunteers and other brilliant community groups taking steps to help reduce the county's environmental impact, alongside a young people's poster-making competition to persuade and inspire the public to lead more environmentally friendly lives, from 13 February
• Tree giveaway and nature activities for Nature and Land Use Week, from 20 February
• First Net Zero Leicestershire Stakeholder Forum takes place on Tuesday 28 February

Councillor Blake Pain, cabinet member for the environment and green agenda, said: "The Net Zero Leicestershire launch will be a fantastic showcase of net zero activity, involving many teams across the council and external partners.

"It highlights the fact that we can't reach net zero on our own – we need a team effort. Hopefully by encouraging our residents, partners and businesses to get involved, we will help shape a greener future for the county, and for generations to come."

The Net Zero Leicestershire Strategy and Action plan can be found on the Council's new Net Zero web pages HERE, which have been developed to make the Council's Net Zero information and resources easier to access and to increase involvement with residents.