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.

Since the Degrees Cooler programme began at the start of the academic year, students and staff at 20 universities across England have really thrown themselves into NUS’s exciting 2 year behaviour change programme.

The success of the project and enthusiasm with which staff and students have engaged in promoting behaviour change through peer to peer communication is highlighted in this inspiring short film that the Degrees Cooler team have recently produced. The film was showcased at the EAUC (Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges) Annual Conference last week, where behaviour change was the hot topic of the day, with delegates really keen to learn from each other and share good practice.

Click here, to see the film and how the 3 interrelated behaviour change projects (Student Switch Off, Going Greener, and Green Impact) which make up Degrees Cooler have all been making impressive progress across the four behaviours that the programme aims to positively impact upon; recycling more, saving energy, eating local sustainable food and reducing flying.

For a write up of the launch event please visit Defra’s Third Sector blog.

You can download the report here.

The City Mill is situated in the heart of Winchester. 2004 saw the completion of major restoration to bring the mill back into working order as a a corn mill powered by the River Itchen. They now produce and sell their own wholemeal flour.

Hilary got the opportunity to walk around the mill and see the millers in action producing the flour, he then joined the local Brownie pack in the mills demonstration kitchen to make and bake bread rolls using the freshly produced flour. Eat Into Greener Living has provided the mill with enough money to purchase more baking equipment and an upgrade to a better bread oven to make sure even more fresh bread can be produced.

Visitors to the property will now be able to take part in more baking lessons over the next year and learn all about the on site flour production and other local sustainable food produce available in the area. Events such as bread and honey days and cake baking will be held regulalry and visitors will be given their own recipe cards to take home to carry on baking!

For more information about Winchester city Mill click here.

Photo courtesy of Professional-Images.com