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Theme 5: Environmental impact

CVLLP is a programme of interlinked projects that sit within the following themes:

Environmental Impact

Reduce travel: Public transport will be used where feasible; we have a number of community, youth and training opportunities within the project, in order to facilitate travel for these people we will identify a Churnet Valley Project – HQ within reach of public transport.

Project staff: Manager, Admin Assistant, Practical Projects Officer and Woodland Officer will all be based within the area to reduce travel as far as practicable. Outsourced staff and contractors will be offered facilities within the project (ie office desk) to allow them to undertake clerical elements of the project locally where possible. Our Practical Projects Officer will have access to a minibus for transporting volunteers and placements, reducing the need for multiple car journeys.

Maintain discipline: Every project element within CVLLP has a requirement to identify the impact of actions in relation to their carbon footprint.

Innovate within the project: we will be looking to maximise local markets for woodland products, whilst reducing the market for imported (to the valley) woodland based products. In addition, our woodland support project will identify carbon savings through transport hubs for road and look at alternative export routes via the heritage railway and canal network.

Green Procurement: Within our project we will identify and 'economise' the biodiversity resources of the Churnet Valley, by purchasing/using woodland based products to deliver other elements of the project.  For the appointment of external contractors we will make use of the EU Green Procurement Toolkit to maximise environmental benefit.

Follow Environmental Policy: All staff, contractors, volunteers and placements will be expected to adhere to the relevant beneficiary’s environmental policy:

  1. Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust – Environmental Policy
  2. British Waterways – Environmental Policy
  3. RSPB – Environmental Policy
  4. Staffordshire Wildlife Trust – Environmental Policy

Biosecurity: Each individual project within the Churnet Valley Living Landscape Partnership programme has been required to describe how it will impact invasive species and biosecurity issues. The public consultations particularly highlighted concern throughout the community of the valley for the invasion of Himalayan Balsam; while the Canal / River Vegetation project will target species as a budgeted element of the project. The Participation team, in partnership with others in CVLLP, will coordinated a cross disciplinary “Big Balsam Bash” each year.