Top ten things Three Rivers District Council has done to tackle climate change

Updated: 3 March 2022

Our environment has long been at the top of the list of priorities for Three Rivers District Council – to protect the world we live in today, and for future generations.Here’s our top ten list of the things we've done to tackle climate change and improve our environment:

Our environment has long been at the top of the list of priorities for Three Rivers District Council – to protect the world we live in today, and for future generations.

Here’s our top ten list of the things we've done to tackle climate change and improve our environment:

1. Ahead of many others, we installed our own ground source heat pump at Three Rivers House, Rickmansworth. Buried beneath the Rose Gardens opposite the building, the system provides low-carbon heating in winter and cooling in summer for the main Penn Chamber.

2. We are improving more than 150 homes in the district to be cosier during the cold months, and cooler during the summer, helping to save on average one tonne of carbon per home every year, and save on fuel bills.

3. We have worked to enhance natural habitats across the district; Leavesden Country Park was awarded a national Bees’ Needs Champion Award by DEFRA for creating pollinator-friendly environments which attract and nurture local bee populations.

4. We convert the district’s food waste into electricity and fertiliser at a local Anaerobic Digestion plant.

5. We have launched a scheme to make free reusable period products available at locations across the district, helping reduce the amount of menstrual waste going to landfill and helping reduce the cost associated with periods.

6. We purchased and restored the Withey Beds – one of the few remaining wetland habitats in Hertfordshire – protecting and enhancing it today and for future generations to enjoy, and helping wildlife to thrive.

7. Our Better Buses programme provides essential local bus services which up to 2020 had replaced nearly 80,000 car journeys annually (saving an estimated 40% of carbon emissions with the same journeys made by a small car). And we have created cycle parking spaces at Rickmansworth Station to provide rail users with the highest quality of two-tier cycle parking.

8. In our management of parkland across the district we have adopted conservation grazing. In the Chorleywood House Estate and the Withey Beds nature reserve, grazing cattle help promote different heights and structures of grasses and plants. This helps form different micro habitats for insects and birds.

9. In 2015 we installed 65 solar panels on the roof of Three Rivers House, as well as installing them at William Penn Leisure Centre and Watersmeet theatre.

10. We have helped residents to recycle, compost and reuse over 64.1% of their waste – the highest proportion of waste recycled, composted or reused in England (2019/20) and we continue to be in the top three authorities in the country.

Find out more in our

Climate Emergency and Sustainability Strategy

which sets out how we can improve and lead by example. We are continuing to work hard today so that we can all enjoy a bright green tomorrow.