Aim

Improving air quality and tackling the climate crisis in our communities, by supporting the transition to cleaner, greener transport.

Who are we?

Action Net Zero is a Community Interest Company that is addressing the climate crisis through accelerating behavioural change.

We passionately believe that a collaborative approach is critical in reducing the deadly carbon emissions that are impacting both our health and our planet.

Background

In 2020, over 1,300 places in the UK had illegally high levels of air pollution, primarily from road traffic emissions. These emissions are not only dangerous for our health, they're also contributing to the changes in our climate that are potentially devastating for our planet.

Improving air quality through transport decarbonisation will not only help to address the climate crisis, but it will also help reduce the 28,000-36,000 deaths in the UK each year from air pollution related illnesses.

Measures such as the introduction of Clean Air Zones and the cessation of new petrol and diesel car manufacturing are vitally important in addressing this. However, there is still a lack of information and systemic understanding about how air pollution affects us, and what we can all do about it.

So we're on a mission to inform, inspire and help people take easy, affordable steps to reduce their carbon footprint, thereby improving air quality for the benefit of our health and our planet.

What have we done?

Last year, we ran our 'Bristol's Driving Change' campaign, which highlighted the link between improved air quality and sustainable transport choices.

The impact of our campaign is described in this report and brief video:

What are we doing now?

This year, we're increasing our reach and are working across the South West of England to raise awareness of air pollution and support transport decarbonisation at a local level.

We're doing this by encouraging the transition to electric (e-bikes and electric vehicles) within the community, as well as highlighting other sustainable transport choices.

We're already talking to community groups and know there are barriers to people making the switch to cleaner, greener transport. So we want to help break these down by improving accessibility to charging points and highlighting the affordability of "going electric".

How will we use the Community Fund?

Through collaboration, we will co-create community activities to:

• install an EV- bike charger and an EV car charger at a community site 
• give people the opportunity to try different electric modes of transport (e-bikes, e-cargo bikes, electric vehicles)
• raise awareness of the link between air pollution, climate change and transport decarbonisation
• listen to concerns and gain local insight into perceived barriers
• understand accessibility needs and promote inclusivity 
• debunk the myths around going electric
• highlight the benefits of active travel within the sustainable transport hierarchy
• encourage behavioural switches

Following these activities, we hope to facilitate the installation of a charger in a key location to fully support the community's transition. Our intention is to work with other groups across the South West to support clean air in our communities.

This project closed unsuccessfully on 10th May 2022