The project, which started in September 2008, has EU funding of €1.8 million through the Interreg IVB North Sea Programme. This will be used to support an ambitious programme developing new approaches to reducing carbon emissions across the partner regions. Suffolk County Council is the lead partner on this innovative project which aims to develop communities across the North Sea Region with increased awareness of environmental issues and reduced carbon emissions. This aim will be achieved through a range of actions to be implemented by partners in Germany, Belgium, Denmark and Norway, as well as the U.K. Importantly, all the partners involved in the project will learn from each others' experiences, helping to promote a more sustainable North Sea region.
The ANSWER project offers support to communities and businesses looking to reduce their energy consumption and CO2 emissions. All activities will be evaluated so that at a key project legacy will be a robust body of knowledge that can be shared across the North sea Region and beyond.
Below shows the key activities in each of the workpackages (WP):
| Lower Carbon Communities (WPA) | Lower Carbon Businesses (WPB) | Communications (WPC) |
|---|---|---|
| A ground-breaking tool for public display of real-time energy consumption/carbon footprint | Business awards schemes | Maintain strong lines of communication between partners to facilitate the sharing of experience and knoweledge, as well as the development of common resources |
| A programme to support individual actions to reduce energy consumption | Business networks for collaborative learning | Effectively engage communities and businesses, raising awareness and promoting action to improve energy efficiency through targeted communications. |
| An innovative local off setting project to provide funds for carbon reduction | An energy charter and benchmarking process for SMEs | To deliver the project in as low carbon a way as possible, including the use of technologies available to enable sustainable collaborative working. |
| Evaluated pilots within schools and community groups | Tools to support business action and audit of benefits | Engage other North Sea Interreg programme projects to influence their practices for transnational communication and project delivery to ensure that as many projects as possible can demonstrate and quantify their low carbon impact. |
| Feasibility test of collaborative solutions for sustainable energy |
Project Ethos
Project activities are linked by an ethos of “Inform, Incentivise, Assist”. This approach is designed to overcome identified obstacles that have hindered previous attempts to deliver reduced energy consumption. Read more about the ethos
Uniting the best for Success
The partnership involves a wealth of experience covering business and community engagement and energy management. By bringing this expertise together, the partnership aims to maximise the benefits of their activities and develop a template for future activity by other regions struggling with the same challenges. Read more about the expertise