Environment Minister Dan Norris today announced a £1million ‘Inspiring Sustainable Living’ fund, available to third sector organisations that help the UK to live more sustainably. The fund is part of the Government’s plan to use the power of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to encourage sustainable lifestyles.
The funding will be made available to projects in a range of areas: energy efficiency and usage in the home; waste and recycling; water efficiency and usage in the home; promoting more active travel via walking and cycling; greener spaces and sustainable consumption.
Third sector organisations in these areas will need to show how they can create real behavioural change within communities. Projects operational anywhere in the UK can apply in the run up to, during, and after the Games.
Dan Norris said: ‘The London 2012 Games will no doubt inspire many people to think not only about their health but also the environment they live in…Goverment alone is not able to deliver change and embed greener living behaviours, so by working with the third sector and using their networks it enables greater reach and the potential for longer lasting pro-environmental behaviour change.’
The fund is just one of the Defra actions in the recent report Shaping our Future, which was published by the joint ministerial and third sector Task Force on climate change, the environment and sustainable development.
Further information on the ‘Inspiring Sustainable Living’ fund and Shaping our Future can be found here.
