Cambridge City Council Strategy and Resources committee yesterday approved more than £30,000 of Sustainable City Grants to seven local environmental groups for projects ranging from maintaining wildlife habitats to recycled fashion.

Cllr Sian Reid, Leader of Cambridge City Council said, “It is very encouraging to see how many enthusiastic and dedicated groups we have working to protect and enhance our local environment for the benefit of us all. I am so pleased the Council is able to provide this extra support to projects that echo our commitment to climate change reduction and sustainable living.”

Sustainable City Project Grant funding will be awarded after the Council’s budget is confirmed on 23rd February. There is still money available from the grants budget for 2011/12 for a few more projects – and it is not too late for local groups to apply for funding for 2012/13 projects.

Successful applicants include:

• The Cambridge City Greenways project, run by the Wildlife Trust, received £17,000 as part of a 3-year funding agreement to maintain the City’s local nature reserves.
• Cambridge University Botanic Garden – to host a striking climate change sculpture by artist Marcos Lutyens entitled ‘CO2morrow’ at the Hills Road entrance to the Garden. The sculpture, inspired by a carbon molecule, will highlight the important role of carbon dioxide in the environment. It will record CO2 levels in the Gardens, which should drop as a crop of sunflowers planted around the sculpture grows. The sculpture will be the centrepiece of an outreach programme for schools and resident groups on how climate science informs the climate change agenda.
• Cyclestreets – for improvements to a web-based toolkit and layered map for cyclists to plan journeys, look for amenities along their route and make them aware of potential hazards and examples of good practice, for example wide cycle paths. The toolkit will also make it easier for cycle groups to gather and share information, for example on collisions and cycle theft, planning applications and promoting safer cycling.
• Transition Cambridge – the ‘Growing Spaces’ urban food project will transform underused and unloved spaces across Cambridge into community food-growing spaces. These spaces could be a garden of any size or shape, but they could also include the creative use of space, such as containers, raised beds, or fruit trees. The project aims to inspire residents to grow their own food, reduce waste and become less reliant on imported food.

Continues…

• Mill Road Winter Fair HATS! – Mill Road Winter Fair 2012 will again include in its programme the very popular HATS! competition and parade, where people can design and create a hat for themselves reusing materials that might otherwise have been thrown away. A professional milliner will be on hand to offer advice and design tips, and hopefully many people, both participants and spectators, will be inspired to see ‘waste’ in a different light.
• Cambridge Past, Present & Future – to provide environmental education activities in Wandlebury Country Park for children, young people and families from the Easter Holidays onwards. The activities will increase awareness and understanding of local wildlife and the environment and will include nature discovery sessions for the under 5’s, a birdbox day, tree identification, and an apple and orchard day.
• Oblique Arts – to create recycled clothing in a series of public workshops. The clothes will include stylish screen prints incorporating waste or recycling facts and advice on how to reduce waste. These items will then be displayed at a community event such as the Strawberry Fair to generate awareness about environmental issues.