What is INTENSIFY?
The Intensify project addresses a key challenge for European cities and regions: how to empower citizens and communities to achieve more carbon reduction.
Citizens and communities will be supported by their local authorities making improvements to regional policies. Policy reform will determine what the city communities would like to see and what carbon reduction actions will make a difference.
- The Intensify project started in April 2018 and will run until summer 2023.
- More information can be found at the Intensify website.
- The total combined Interreg IVC EU funding for all partners is 2.1 million Euros of which Milton Keynes is eligible to receive 212,000 Euros.
Milton Keynes Regional Action Plan
Two actions will form the MK regional action plan. Both will integrate sustainability and carbon reduction into the planning and delivery of the aims of Milton Keynes Council's (MKC) objective to reduce the carbon footprint of the city. The actions will incorporate new knowledge from the exchange of experience in the INTENSIFY project. Engagement with communities is key to increasing the reduction of carbon emissions.
Action 1 is a new collaborative programme with local partners to reduce carbon emissions from buildings. Using a fabric first approach, refurbishment of MKC buildings will include renewable energy and low carbon technologies where appropriate. This will bring down CO2 emissions faster than business as usual and make a valuable contribution to the MKC target of net zero by 2030. Project partners in Treviso have a similar project and shared their knowledge and experience that helped to build the MK partnership.
Action 2 is an exciting new Energy and Carbon Hub. The Hub will be a resource for citizens to learn how to reduce their energy use and subsequent costs. Partnerships will deliver low carbon projects with local communities, organisations and individual citizens. This action will deliver six of the seventy-five aims of the Milton Keynes Sustainability Strategy Action Plan.
Project Updates
- Newsletter #1 (Includes an overview of the project and introduces the Project Partnership Group)
- Newsletter #2 - November 2019 (Includes an overview of the project partner meetings in 2019 and links to the presentations shown at these events)
- Press release #3 - April 2020
- Press release #4 - April 2020
- Newsletter #4 - August 2020 (Includes an article about the great projects of Transition Town MK)
- 2020 Sustainability Conference report - March 2020 (Includes presentation of the work from the INTENSIFY project)
- Press release #5 - November 2020
- Press release #6 - March 2021
- Newsletter #5 - April 2021
- Newsletter #6 - January 2022
The 2021 MK Sustainability Conference
In November 2021 the INTENSIFY project partners organised a regional conference to coincide with the COP26 event in Glasgow. The MK Conference shared ideas on the INTENSIFY Regional Action Plans of Milton Keynes and project partner Treviso.
The MK Conference was opened by the Mayor and the political leader of the Council. We also heard from 14 local low carbon experts and delivery partners.
More information, along with the event recordings can be found on the webpage for Milton Keynes Low Carbon Conference at Saxon Court on November 10th, 2021.