The INTENSIFY Project is not directly about water, the focus is on reducing carbon emissions.

This project is managed by the same team who manage the POWER MK water communities and would like to bring news of other projects to the citizens of Milton Keynes.

The Intensify project will reduce carbon emissions from all sectors by providing communities with the tools and methods required to make significant changes.

This project addresses a key challenge for European cities and regions: how to empower citizens and communities to achieve more carbon reduction.

The EU regions and municipalities are committed by international treaty to achieve ambitious carbon reduction targets.

Public authorities cannot do this alone for four main reasons:

• Local Authorities directly control only a small percentage of emissions
• The EU targets are ambitious and require citizens to choose to make significant behaviour change.
• Policies are created by politicians incorporating the will of the people. The pressure to make changes is citizen led.
• Coordinated action can provide opportunities for innovative financing and building consensus can create major changes.

Citizens and communities will be supported by their public authorities making improvements to regional policies.

Policies reform will determine what the city communities would like to see and what they need to make carbon reduction actions that make a difference.

With public authorities, businesses and communities working together to build consensus on carbon reduction goals, the necessary benefits to the environment can be achieved.

The Sustainability Strategy 2019- 2050 contains the key actions required to meet zero carbon emissions in Milton Keynes.

The Intensify project started in April 2018 and will run until 2023. More information can be found at www.interregeurope.eu/intensify/

Intensify is funded by the Interreg IVC EU programme. Total combined Interreg IVC EU funding for all partners is 1.74 million Euros of which Milton Keynes is eligible receive 212 k Euros.

Latest News

The first newsletter provides an overview of the project and introduces the Project Partnership Group. Newsletter #1 is in the documents section below.

The second newsletter provides an overview of the project partner meetings in 2019 and links to the presentations shown at these events. Newsletter #2 is in the documents section below.

Meetings have been taking place in Milton Keynes to co-create the action plan for the Sustainability Strategy. The consultations heard evidence from experts and their contributions have been included in the Action Plan, due to be launched in Spring 2020. 

For more information contact the Sustainability team by email to carbon@milton-keynes.gov.uk

In early March 2020 the Milton Keynes Sustainability Conference took place at the Sky Room, Milton Keynes Gallery, 900 Midsummer Boulevard, Central Milton Keynes MK9 3QA.

The Conference delivered an overview of actions taking place in Milton Keynes Council to meet carbon reduction targets and deliver key messages:

Use less fossil fuels

Find alternative ways to travel so we use the car less

Increase biodiversity

Build renewable energy capacity

Work together to achieve carbon reduction targets

The keynote speaker for the Conference was the MK Council leader Peter Marland. Peter spoke in depth about our need to work together and ask ourselves ‘What can I do to reduce carbon emissions?’.

Milton Keynes Council leader Peter Marland opened the Conference.

On the right hand side of the photo above you can see Matt from Drawnalism working to produce visual summaries of the key messages. Matt attended all the INTENSIFY thematic events and created some excellent overviews of the speakers presentations. You can see Matt’s work in the INTENSIFY newsletters at https://www.interregeurope.eu/intensify/library/  and https://milton-keynes.power-h2020.eu/?location=challenge&loadP=5500 . The links to the newsletters are also on the MKC INTENSIFY webpage https://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/environmental-health-and-trading-standards/mk-low-carbon-living/intensify-project and in the documents section below.

The Conference was well attended with 94 people booking a place for the event. Social gatherings were not banned by Government guidelines until the 23^rd March so the Conference went ahead as planned. 

The conference was financially supported by the Interreg POTEnT Project but the continuing work in the INTENSIFY project was presented and built upon at the Conference. POTEnT and INTENSIFY are sister projects dedicated to reducing carbon emissions.

The agenda featured a mix of local experts, project delivery partners and MKC Heads of Service.

All the people who took part in Sustainability projects and workshops were invited as well as all MKC Councillors, environmental groups and charities. Invitations to the event were also offered to all MKC twitter readers.

The electric cargo bike created a lot of interest. MKC is considering use of e-cargo bikes to help deliver goods.

The Conference went well with lively question and answer sessions after every speaker.

If you would like more information and to see all of Matt’s posters please visit the Conference page https://milton-keynes.power-h2020.eu/?location=challenge&loadP=5560 or email carbon@milton-keynes.gov.uk

The April 2020 newsletter #3 and press release #4 are in the documents section below.

These documents provide an update of the INTENSIFY project and describe the progress the project partners are making towards updating their respective low carbon plans.

August 2020

Newsletter #4 has been published this month.

There is an article about the great projects of Transition Town MK in this that you will find interesting.

The newsletter is in the documents section below or you could click on this link INTENSIFY Newsletter #4

November 2020

Press release #5 was released on 02 November and can be found in the documents section below.

March 2021

Press release #6 and newsletter #4 can be found in the documents section below.

April 2021

Newsletter #5 is in the documents section.