Making Birmingham Greener

At its last meeting Birmingham City Council adopted the "Birmingham Declaration" to make our city greener. Ahead of the Copenhagen climate talks, this was a commitment to use purchasing power and influence to promote green initiatives and provide new employment opportunities.

Proposed by Councillor Paul Tilsley (Leader of the Lib Dem Council Group), the declaration received cross-party support. It states that by 2015:

• All vehicles procured by the Council should be electrically powered or run on liquefied petroleum gas.
• There will be at least 500 electric cars running on the streets of the city as the electric charging infrastructure develops.
• 50% of electricity used by the Council should be generated from renewable sources.
• The City Council's energy consumption will be reduced by 25%.
• 10% of Birmingham homes will be linked to district heating systems.
• 10% of Birmingham homes will have retrofit insulation.
• There will be at least 10 "low carbon communities" similar to the successful example of Summerfield Eco-neighbourhood.

The declaration is intended to help Birmingham meet its target of reducing CO2 emissions in the city by more than 60% by 2026.