Image credit: Cynnal Cymru

Cynnal Cymru, a Welsh charity championing sustainability and environmental responsibility, has been at the heart of bringing Carbon Literacy to Wales since 2017.

Offering courses in both English and Welsh, Cynnal Cymru empowers individuals and organisations to take meaningful climate action, and their expertise in delivering quality training has been recognised in their accreditation as a Carbon Literacy Training Organisation.

We spoke with Sustainability Trainer Chris Woodfield about his experience delivering Carbon Literacy training.

Why did you choose to implement Carbon Literacy training? 

Cynnal Cymru has a rich history of partnership with the Carbon Literacy Project which has helped us to train and accredit over 600 learners. This is perhaps most evident through the Carbon Literacy Cartrefi Cymru (CLCC), where we have worked with Welsh social landlords to embed Carbon Literacy within the social housing sector.

For Cynnal Cymru, Carbon Literacy isn’t just about raising awareness— it’s about enabling change. When people and organisations have the knowledge and tools to reduce their carbon emissions, they’re better equipped to make decisions that support a sustainable future .

As a trainer, what has your experience been like delivering Carbon Literacy training, and what aspects have you found most rewarding?

Carbon Literacy is a very important educational tool for us because it aligns directly with our mission to promote sustainability and support Wales’ transition to a low-carbon economy, with the well-being of future generations in mind, particularly as we have a legal obligation in Wales through the pioneering Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. We’ve found the training to be very impactful and engaging, and have received lots of positive feedback.

What have you found learners are most excited and enthusiastic about?

The Carbon Literacy course can be a bit of a rollercoaster for some learners, as they learn stark facts of the climate science and the impacts we are already seeing both worldwide and locally. However, as the day progresses, the focus shifts towards optimism. Learners have particularly engaged positively with the parts which inspire action and offer practical solutions, such as communicating about climate change and understanding the co-benefits of climate action.

What are some stand out actions that you have seen from learners or changes implemented by organisations? 

I’d say that actions which really integrate climate into decision-making and where learners use their influence in the workplace are the most interesting and impactful.

I’ve found that there is a growing need for organisations to assess projects and proposals from the point of view of emissions reductions and environmental improvements. More and more businesses are having to consider these things as part of their own work and their procurement processes but often individuals lack the knowledge to effectively engage.

Carbon Literacy can sit nicely alongside these wider sustainability goals and also helps promote accountability i.e. equipping people with the knowledge and confidence to query the ‘green’ credentials of others in their supply chain.

Do you have any advice or tips as a trainer?

When it comes to supporting learners to devise their actions, I find it useful to embed this throughout the training i.e. prompting learners to start thinking about and honing their actions throughout the day as they absorb the material.

I always make sure there is sufficient time for both self-reflection and group-reflection through designated break-out groups. For those finding it more challenging, simple prompts and examples of previous actions for inspiration can be helpful.

What are your Carbon Literacy plans going forward? 

The CLCC consortium of social landlords is formally coming to an end this year, however this was a vehicle to kick start Carbon Literacy amongst Welsh Housing Associations back in 2019, so it doesn’t mean that we won’t continue to cascade Carbon Literacy in the future.

We have recently updated our social housing course to account for recent policy changes and additions and are looking forward to continuing delivering both online and in-person training.

If you work in a Housing Association, we offer Toolkits for both staff and tenants to get you started. Please contact housing@carbonliteracy.com for more information.

If you are based in Wales and would like to get in touch with Cynnal Cymru about a Carbon Literacy course, please contact them via contact@cynnalcymru.com.

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