Celebrating 10 Years of DEG!
On the 13th of January, we reached a special milestone – DEG turned ten years old (it sounds better in Welsh, because “ten” in Welsh is “deg”, as well as “fair”)!
It’s hard to believe that we have come so far. We started with the hope of kick-starting conversations about sustainability and bringing more people to work in green jobs. Now we can say we’ve worked with over 150 community groups across North Wales, employ 14 people in green jobs here in Caernarfon (not to mention the other jobs that have been created through our partner organisations) and have been part of hundreds of conversations with the public about the future they want to see.
What has changed since we started? When we started back in 2014, words like “sustainability” and “renewable” weren’t in such wide circulation – today, it feels like awareness of the environment and the impact we have on our planet has grown massively.
Locally, over the last 10 years we have seen things like the Abergwyngregyn, Bethesda and Llanberis Hydro Schemes develop, and we have helped communities to save on their energy bills and to use energy more efficiently. We have seen communities become more keen to generate their own electricty; Cyd Ynni, which is still a key part of our work, was created almost 6 years ago by bringing 5 groups together to look at how they can support each other with their community energy projects.
Being part of our community is very important to us, so we are very proud to have been able to do things to “give back” – things like donating £2000 to the Banc Bwyd over Christmas 2022, raising over £7500 to donate food boxes for the vulnerable around town during the pandemic, or more recently offering our time to help the O Law i Law shop to be warmer.
So what else is happening at DEG?
Cartrefi Clyd: Catrefi Clyd is part of our Energy Service, which offers advice on renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, and reducing carbon emissions, as well as offering retrofit and energy assessment for both domestic and non-domestic buildings.
Cartrefi Clyd will support the decarbonisation of homes, mainly through retrofit assessment of residential buildings: looking at how to make existing homes more energy-efficient. DEG will be working across Gwynedd, Ynys Môn, Conwy and Denbighshire. Cartrefi Clyd offers advice and support throughout Wales on how to keep your home warm. https://www.cartreficlyd.cymru/
Prosiect Sero Net Gwynedd
DEG is a partner on Prosiect Sero Net Gwynedd, funded through the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, working with Adra, Cyngor Gwynedd, Grŵp Cynefin and other community organisations Partneriaeth Ogwen, Ynni Llŷn, Cyd Ynni, Yr Orsaf, and MaesNi. We lead on the part of the work addressing and alleviating fuel poverty in Gwynedd, with the added aim of decarbonising Gwynedd.
The project’s Energy Officers, who are currently being recruited and trained, will provide tailored advice on how to reduce energy use and improve efficiency in their homes, supporting them in applying for appropriate benefits/grants and offering immediate support (e.g. fuel vouchers) depending on the situation.
If your community has a building – such as a village hall or a sports club – you can get in touch with us about our energy assessments: this is where we come and visit your building and provide you with a report and tips on how you can improve energy efficiency, lower your bills and reduce your carbon footprint.
You can get advice on reducing energy use in your home by getting in touch with one of our Energy Officers today – contact Gwenno, Energy Officer at gwenno@deg.cymru or Bharadwaj Raman, our Energy Service Coordinator at b.raman@deg.cymru
GwyrddNi
GwyrddNi has brought together 6 community initiatives and over 500 people and school children to imagine and move towards solutions to one of the biggest problems we face – climate change – and to create sustainable, decarbonised communities with thriving local economies. Over the past three years, our facilitators worked with a group of residents from five areas (Dyffryn Ogwen, Dyffryn Nantlle, Dyffryn Peris, Pen Llŷn and Bro Ffestiniog) and with schools to create a set of Community Climate Action Plans (you can see them here).
We are very happy that GwyrddNi has recently received a second round of funding from The National Lottery Community Fund’s Climate Action Fund to continue for another four and a half years – so we have been busy preparing for the Community Action Phase since late last year! The task now will be to bring the ideas in the Community Climate Action Plans to life. Read more on the GwyrddNi blog here.
Having employed 5 new people to complete the team, we are certain that a lot of exciting things will start to happen over the coming months: from a pickling shed in Dyffryn Nantlle, a Climate Festival in Dyffryn Ogwen and a bike hire and repair scheme in Pen Llŷn, there are many things in the pipeline.
Cymru Wledig LPIP Rural Wales
DEG is part of a partnership led by Aberystwyth University that recently received over £5 million in funding to research and explore solutions to rural challenges.
Cymru Wledig LPIP Rural Wales, the Local Policy and Innovation Partnership for Rural Wales, connects researchers, communities, and policy-makers to support inclusive, sustainable development (read more here).
Researchers and policymakers will work with communities from across rural Wales to explore innovative solutions to a range of major challenges faced by rural communities, such issues as the “rural premium” on poverty.
Funded by UKRI, the research partnership aims to fill evidence gaps, explore innovative solutions, and enhance the use of research to support effective policies to foster a ‘wellbeing economy’.
It will focus on the challenges of building a regenerative economy, supporting the net zero transition, enhancing health, wellbeing and access to services, and empowering communities and culture, including Welsh language revitalisation.
We’re very proud that our Director, Grant Peisley, will be leading the Net Zero Thematic Group.
The next 10 years
So what will the next 10 years look like? It’s hard to say of course, but one thing that is important to us at DEG is to make sure that we have learned something before rushing forward. That is why we will spend a lot of time in 2024 on measuring the true social impact of our work over the last decade. By talking to our partners, staff, and others who have been part of our work, we will get a better picture of how much we have really helped – and that will help us decide how we go about the next decade!
Whatever happens, we will aim to carry out meaningful work that creates local benefit, that puts people at the centre of positive change, building their skills and confidence to make those changes, and to bring environmental, economic, community/social and cultural benefits.
But, in the meantime, we’d love to hear your ideas too – is there an energy project you’d like to see near you? Send a message to phil@deg.cymru with your ideas. Other ideas or thoughts? We are keen to hear them – send a message to post@deg.cymru with your suggestions!