End of Week Message from Rob

02 October 2026

Helo bawb, 

As we move into October and with the autumn now in full swing – it is also good reminder that while the natural world may be winding down for the winter, our work as caretakers of our environment never stops.  

This week, I’ve been reflecting on the many ways colleagues across the Council are helping to respect and celebrate the environment – especially in the midst of the ongoing climate and nature emergencies – as well as the part that each of us can play in supporting our ambition to become carbon neutral by 2030. 

This work is realised through Project Zero - which is the Council’s roadmap for tackling climate change, reducing our carbon emissions, caring for nature and encouraging positive change across our communities.

It’s particularly encouraging to see that this work is delivering tangible results. As part of our annual carbon reporting to Welsh Government, we measure emissions from across the organisation, including the energy we use across our estates, our fleet of council vehicles, waste, how we travel to work and our supply chain. 

Our latest figures show that our emissions fell by 9% in 2025/26, while the amount of renewable energy generated by our solar PV panels across the Council estate increased by 50% compared with the previous year.  

These are really positive steps and demonstrate what can be achieved when we continue to make changes across the organisation. 

There is much more still to do, of course, and understanding where our emissions come from is an important part of that journey.  

As I mentioned in last week’s message, our new Insight Hub provides an excellent way to explore this information.  

The Carbon Dashboard shows how our emissions have changed over time, while the Procurement dashboard provides more detail about the carbon impact of our spending.  

Our supply chain accounts for around 80% of our overall emissions, so this is an important area where the decisions we make can have a significant impact. 

It’s also encouraging to see Project Zero reflected in some of the major projects taking place across the Vale.

This week, the Welsh Government Cabinet Minister for Education visited Ysgol Llyn Derw – a new additional setting for pupils with Additional Learning Needs - which has been designed with sustainability and the natural environment firmly in mind.

From solar panels and energy-efficient materials to green roofs, new planting and features that support local wildlife, environmental considerations have been embedded throughout the design. Bird and bat boxes, dedicated spaces for insects, trees and wildflowers will all help to support biodiversity, while the green roofs strengthen the connection between the building and its natural surroundings.

It is a great example of how creating sustainable buildings can also create better places for people to learn, work and spend time.

And it is not just the buildings themselves that are helping to raise awareness of our environment. At Barry Island Primary School, pupils have been working with Gwyn Nelson from the Vale’s Coastal Monitoring Centre over a number of years to develop learning around climate change and our local environment.

This summer, they joined more than 200 Year 6 pupils from across Barry and the surrounding areas took part in a coastal fieldwork event at Whitmore Bay, working with Gwyn and his team – with the event also recorded by BBC Radio 3 for a radio feature. 

It is a fantastic example of how engaging children directly with our coastline can help them understand the environmental challenges we face and inspire the next generation to care for the places around them.

That same principle applies to the choices we make in our everyday working lives.

We recently marked World Car Free Day by highlighting the many ways colleagues can travel more sustainably to and from work.  

We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and - through our Level Two Healthy Staff Travel Charter pledge – we are supporting colleagues to choose healthier and more sustainable ways to travel. 

Our annual staff travel survey shows that many colleagues are already making sustainable travel choices, whether every day or occasionally.  

We know that everyone’s circumstances are different and that sustainable travel isn’t always practical for every journey, but with more than 5,000 employees across the organisation, even small changes can add up to a significant difference. 

We are fortunate to have green spaces, active travel routes and the coast right on our doorstep, and there is plenty of support available if you would like to give sustainable travel a try.  

This includes our Cycle to Work Scheme, cycle storage, showers and lockers at the Civic Offices and Alps, free cycle training, route-planning tools and a cycle allowance. Brompton folding bikes are also available to hire from several local transport hubs. 

For journeys where a car is needed, we have electric pool cars available for staff use, with charging points at the Civic and Alps offices for colleagues who drive their own electric vehicles.  

The choices we make, the sustainable projects we deliver and the way we think about the environment in our everyday work can make a real difference. 

Thank you, as always, for everything you have done this week and for the continued care and commitment you show in supporting our communities, the environment and our organisation as a whole.  

I hope you have a restful weekend if you are not working, and that you get the opportunity to enjoy some of the wonderful natural world around us. 

Diolch, 

Rob