People living in Birmingham will be reducing their carbon footprint thanks to a joint venture between the city council and the University of East Anglia.

From switching off lights and turning the heating down to recycling and using public transport, the community will be encouraged to make simple pledges to reduce carbon emissions.

The university’s Low Carbon Innovation Centre (LCIC) is helping the council meet its target of reducing carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2026* through its Community Carbon Reduction scheme – CRed.

The ‘Birmingham Cutting CO2’ drive will follow the CRed blueprint to communicate the issue of climate change, help people reduce their carbon emissions and record the results.

The CRed system has been in operation since 2003 and launched with just seven simple pledges. It now has more than 70 pledges and has developed a unique system of pathways to provide people with guidance along their low carbon journey.

With many partners from individuals and businesses to local authorities, government departments, schools, colleges, universities and other public bodies, CRed has helped more than 50,000 people lead more environmentally friendly lifestyles.