Our energy improvements and carbon savings include:

• LED lighting upgrades
• heating control upgrades
• solar power system upgrades to reduce national grid electricity demands
• 2 new solar carports at main office sites
• Sustainable Procurement (PDF 1.4MB) in purchasing decisions
• trialling cross-pavement electric vehicle charging to increase access and options for residents.

For new builds, we construct to a “net zero carbon in operation” standard specified through our Sustainable Construction Design Guide.

Our Energy Strategy (PDF 4.6MB) and Air Quality strategy (PDF 623KB) details how we are doing all that we can to improve the air quality in Hertfordshire whilst meeting the energy needs of the county.

• We are the Lead Local Flood Authority and offer advice and practical support for those affected by flooding. We support residential funding bids and projects for flood risk reduction and resilience where properties are frequently flooded.
• We work in partnership with Hertfordshire Climate Change and Sustainability Partnership on climate change adaptation and resilience plans and strategies. HCCSP is a strategic group which acts as the lead partnership organisation for partners to collaborate and identify joint work programmes on environmental, climate change and wider sustainability issues across Hertfordshire.
• We worked with HCCSP to deliver a housing retrofit project to reduce energy bills and carbon emissions across Hertfordshire and to reduce the risk of overheating in homes.
• We advise planners and developers on reducing flood risk, and work with businesses and developers to ensure that new and existing buildings are resilient to the impacts of climate change.
• The forthcoming statutory responsibility for Heat Network Zone co-ordination will sit with the county council.

The Hertfordshire Nature Recovery Partnership which includes the county council, has developed Hertfordshire's first Local Nature Recovery Strategy which monitors and delivers on nature recovery projects.

We identify land on which environmental improvements can be realised via our Rural Estates Strategic plan (PDF, 3.3MB).

We have successfully secured £1.92m funding for Hertfordshire's public green spaces. This money has been invested in 96 sites across Hertfordshire.

We have published our first progress report detailing activities relating to our Biodiversity Duty (PDF, 318KB).

We have also implemented a Tree and Woodland Strategy (PDF, 15.4MB) to increase tree planting and expand best practice woodland management across Hertfordshire.

We have enabled residents to plant over 287,000 trees across Hertfordshire through the Your Tree Our Future initiative from launch in 2022 and still going strong, with another 100,000 trees being offered in the 2026/27 cycle.

56,300 hours of volunteer engagement in service delivery have helped deliver far more than we could without the help of our dedicated volunteers.

82 greenspaces have been improved for nature and people.

We have enabled 56,800 attendance on Hertfordshire Health Walks.

Over 3,204km of Public Rights of Way have been assessed through our Public Rights of Way Improvement Plan (PDF 918KB) with 85% assessed as easy to use.

Air pollution is the biggest environmental threat to people’s health in the UK. There is no safe level of air pollution, and it impacts every organ of the body. Our vision for Hertfordshire, set out in the Healthier Air Strategy is to ‘work together to create healthier air for all’.

We are delivering this vision by:

• cleaning the air our children breathe every school day through our Hertfordshire Schools Ventilation Project – providing air purifiers for classrooms
• raising awareness through campaigns such as Clean Air Day and Clean Air Night
• collaborating with community groups and volunteer networks to raise awareness and empower them by providing tools to take action
• supporting schools to reduce vehicle idling through providing resources and loaning equipment
• supporting catering businesses to adopt a no vehicle idling policy through the Herts Responsible Food Award 
• prioritising healthier air action in areas that need it most
• working with partners to deliver projects which clean the air now and for generations to come.

To find out more about Healthier Air and what you can do to help, visit Let’s Clear the Air.

We work with a range of public and private sector organisations to make Hertfordshire a healthier place to live.

Through our Transport Plan, we are implementing a “Healthy Streets” approach to improve air quality, encourage active travel, improve greenery and make streets accessible for all.

Hertfordshire County Council is a member of ADEPT and the LGA both of which offer advice, support, industry expertise and a stronger voice for Hertfordshire and its residents.

As members of HCCSP, we regularly come together to share best practice, develop initiatives and build essential networks to best serve our residents.

9 elected members and 245 council officers have been trained and are now Carbon Literate under the Carbon Literacy

We have been awarded Bronze Carbon Literate Organisation Status.

We will implement our sustainability principles fairly - ensuring they reduce inequalities, protect vulnerable groups, and deliver benefits for everyone in our community.

Adaptation and the work being undertaken on Climate Change Risk Assessments looking at vulnerability to all the climate hazards, identify those most vulnerable now and in the future. An Equalities Impact Assessment is carried out on all papers brought to Cabinet Panels to ensure that any disproportionate impacts are identified and mitigated.

Projects use the Sustainability and Equality Evaluation Decision Support (SEEDS) tool, which embeds an EqIA to ensure fair and just decision making, recognising that equality considerations are integral to sustainability but are assessed through a distinct, dedicated process.

We offer Environment Improvement Grants and advice to community-based organisations and landowners/managers to fund nature improvement projects that might not otherwise go ahead due to lack of finance.

We work very closely with young people, mainly through schools, and have a variety of initiatives such as our popular biennial Sustainable Hertfordshire YouthCOP, where we invite secondary schools and further education college students to come together for an interactive day debating climate change, empowering them in our workshops with practical actions that are within their control or influence, and advising them of future pathways at our Sustainability Careers Fair.

For year 6 students, we work with partners in running our successful Eco Warriors Competition where the students have the opportunity to design their ideal eco school for 2030.

We offer support to staff working in a variety of educational institutions across the county, and host a twice termly Schools Sustainable Network Forum where we have interesting discussions and Best Practice showcases to inspire the adoption of practices in other schools. Additional resources include our Sustainability guide for schools in Hertfordshire to provide ideas for teaching and planting within the schools buildings and grounds.

Residents can sign up to our regular Sustainable Hertfordshire Update me newsletter containing the latest news on our initiatives, schemes and opportunities.

We also regularly engage with residents through our Resident Surveys and Sustainability surveys.

Elected members are informed of participative / engagement events to shape policy or strategic direction so they can take a leading role in resident engagement.