Reducing the Council's carbon footprint

We have been working to reduce the climate change impacts of our activities for many years. You can find out more more in the download Climate change strategy.

Achievements include:

• the environmentally friendly redevelopment of the Council House along with the construction of its own hydro-electric power station on the River Derwent; providing 50% of the building’s electricity needs
• the development of an extensive programme of energy efficiency measures for rented housing stock by Derby Homes; including the installation of solar panels
• the development of various programmes to actively engage and support small and medium-sized enterprises to reduce carbon emissions, save costs and become more sustainable
• converting street lighting into more cost effective and energy efficient LED technology; reducing annual CO2 emissions by 244 tonnes
• the development of new and enhanced flood defences along the river Derwent. The section Our City Our River has information about preparing the city for extreme flooding events.

It is important that we lead by example in doing what we can to reduce our carbon footprint but we cannot meet the challenging zero carbon target on our own. We can influence a further 35-40% through planning, regulation and procurement, but the final 60% comes from government policy, the market and individual consumer decisions.

Reductions in emissions require significant change in the way we do things, coupled with practical actions by community, business and individuals.