Norwich is a city that understands the importance of sustainability. From the City Council, to businesses, to people, this is a city committed to being green.
We wanted to provide a snapshot of the green news and eco-friendly initiatives that are highlighting Norwich’s path to becoming a net-zero city.
One of the greenest ways to get around quickly, is on a bike. “Norwich has one of the highest levels of walking and cycling in the country”, and it’s easy to see why. With cycle routes all the way through the city, it’s easy to get anywhere in Norwich on a bike.
The city works as the perfect hub for some fantastic cycle routes, it’s a great place to cycle for fun! One of our favourite Norwich cycle routes is Marriott’s Way, a 26-mile cycle path that follows disused railway line from Norwich all the way to Aylsham. There’s many more exciting routes from Norwich across all of Norfolk for you to explore! Check them out on the council website here.
Cycling is a fantastic green activity, so it’s no surprise that with its popularity in Norwich, the city is number three on the list of healthiest commutes in the UK.
Commuting via bike in Norwich is made even easier with the availability of Beryl: where you can hire bikes, e-bikes, and e-scooters to take you across the city and beyond. Since 2020, more than 3.4 million kilometres have been travelled on over 1.1 million journeys using Beryl in Norwich alone. With 122 bays and 900 vehicles across greater Norwich, paired up with the Norwich Cycle Map where you can see all the city’s cycle routes, it’s clear how easy it is to make your way to and from the city centre for work in greener fashion.
E-bikes and e-scooters are not the only electric alternatives that Norwich residents are using; First Bus in Norwich have begun the process of replacing their diesel vehicles with 70 electric buses. This means that 60% of bus journeys through the city centre will be electric!
Whilst Norwich does provide alternative and greener ways to travel, it’s sometimes difficult to know what’s the best way for getting from point A to B. Luckily, you can utilise the Travel Norfolk’s journey planner. The planner gives you a variety of options, providing you with information such as your amount of carbon emissions, steps you’d have to take on foot, and how much it will cost to travel from one point to another. Not to mention how to get to your destination! It’s a fantastic tool that helps you take control of your carbon footprint.
The Norwich City Council recently held an open consultation on their development of the climate action plan. Hearing from the public on what they think is important in helping to improve Norwich’s green credentials. They plan on further consultation later this year. Norwich City Council is also part of the Norfolk Climate Change Partnership, a group composing of Norfolk Councils to effectively tackle climate change through energy plans and greener transport solutions.
Always on the lookout for more exciting projects, Norwich is currently looking at transforming the rooftops of the city into a solar farm. The Norwich Solar System is an exciting initiative by Norwich BID, that ‘could avoid the production of 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide’ through solar panels on roofs across the city.
Norwich BID also has also supported the Surplush ‘Buyers Club’: a B2B marketplace where businesses can purchase useful business products that are more sustainable. These products are then delivered using electric or low-emission vehicles, minimising the environmental impact of the delivery.
With Norwich Castle’s long-anticipated reopening and the debut of The Castle: Rebuilding History, we spoke with Charlie Gauvain, Managing Director of Eye Film, to delve into the making of the documentary and examine the current landscape of Norwich’s film industry.
