Film series celebrates our sustainability successes
From floral give aways to plant room renovations, we have been making great strides to tackle climate change and realise our ambition of being net zero by 2040.
A new series of short films available to watch on Youtube showcases the different ways our services have embraced sustainability, and are supporting a cleaner, greener environment for people living, working and visiting the town.
Featuring examples from housing, leisure, highways and waste management, the series features ten films looking at innovations including, the installation of over 400 solar panels on the Dolphin Centre roof, our move towards autonomous houses and trial which has seen five refuse vehicles reduce their diesel use by over 2,000 litres in less than a year.
The films also explore other initiatives including the planting of over 48,000treessince 2021, the installation of 50 vehicle charging bays across our car park network and works to retro fit social housing with energy efficient windows and better standard insulation.
Other simple changes employed by our services have included using local suppliers where possible, removing single use plastics, using recycled, reused and borrowed materials, installing motion sensitive and LED lighting and reducing the amount of printed promotional material by making better use of digital channels.
Margaret Enstone, sustainability and climate change lead officer, said: "The changing climate has an impact on all of our lives, from increased risk of flooding and more extreme weather to health impacts for our most vulnerable residents. The film series showcases the cross-council approach we have adopted to lessen our impact on the environment which we hope will inspire and motivate others to make changes in their lives, businesses and organisations. Even the smallest changes have the potential to make a lasting impact and the services featured are a great example of how we are working together to deliver a greener Darlington."
Cllr Chris McEwan, deputy leader and cabinet member for economy, said: "Tackling climate change is one of the over-riding principles in our council plan and we are committed to being a carbon neutral organisation by 2040. However, we also want to support our partners, local business and communities to adopt initiatives that will make Darlington a cleaner, greener, more sustainable place to live, work, learn or visit. This film series showcases some of the things we are doing in terms of carbon capture as well initiatives that are helping to build our energy resilience and is a celebration of the small changes which are helping us to build a more sustainable, healthier borough that offers a better quality of life for all."