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Challenges
- Engaging the community and encouraging residents to participate in the campaign.
- Budget constraints while ensuring the campaign’s effectiveness.
- The complexities of working with multiple stakeholders.
Approach
Discussions about climate change at the Barnet’s Citizen Assembly, led to five themes to help drive Barnet’s transition to a net zero carbon future:
- Waste and sustainable consumption
- Learning, communication and partnerships
- Nature and biodiversity
- Travel
- Housing, buildings and renewable energy
The campaign’s success is grounded in meticulous planning across five key strands, each with a focus on community collaboration:
- Innovative branding, with real people
- The launch of Barnet’s first-ever Citizens’ and Young People’s Assemblies
- Projects such as the UK’s largest electrical vehicle charge point initiative
- Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration
- Innovation in the field of sustainability
Outcomes and benefits
Beyond its initial objectives, BarNet Zero achieved outstanding:
- Awareness and recall: Topping awareness polls among residents (in the council’s communications survey) with over 46% acknowledging the net zero ambitions.
- Community involvement: Fostering an inclusive approach that empowered diverse groups to actively participate in content creation.
- Academic and community interest: Gaining interest from Middlesex University for a case study on place branding.
- Media coverage: Featuring in prominent industry-recognised publications, enhancing visibility on a national level.
- Transparency and innovation: Setting a high standard in sustainability communications through community involvement and innovative branding.