Sustainable Development
 Coventry demonstrates an increasing commitment and emphasis on sustainability in everything, and the way the urban environment is managed is no exception. Last year, the Leader of the Council created a new cabinet portfolio of Climate Change, Housing and Sustainability after signing up to the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change in 2006. Residents have been consulted on the city's draft Climate Change and Sustainability action plan and policy is being shaped following residents' comments.
 Coombe Country Park sits on the eastern side of the city and is one of its greatest assets, attracting visitors from not only the city but all over Warwickshire. It is one of the city's most historic sites and due to the management of the park it is designated to a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and was also awarded Green Flag status in 2007. The park includes a wildflower meadow, heronry and heritage oak woodland with nature walks and formal gardens containing seasonal flower displays and topiary.  There is also a visitor centre that gives information about wildlife in the park and rangers are also on hand to offer assistance and help manage the park. Bird watchers can visit the parks bird hides to enjoy spotting herons, nuthatches and green woodpeckers.
The Country park was also the venue for a three day educational event, ‘2008 and Beyond' that over 40 Coventry schools took part.  The children took part in workshops about fair-trade, composting, energy efficiency, recycling, biodiversity and other sustainability issues. Other schools in Warwickshire were also invited to come along to the event. The current Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Housing and Sustainability, volunteered his time to be a group leader for a day and helped the children get the most benefit out of the activities in the given time.
 Sustainable woodland management is a key objective in the city and active programmes of coppicing, glade creation, pond clearing, path improvements and bridge construction have been undertaken with the help of British Trust Conservation Volunteers. Pupils have also helped to preserve the local genetic identity of the trees at Coombe by collecting and propagating acorns from ancient oaks. Elkin Wood, an ancient bluebell wood, is being restored in partnership with the Woodland Trust and help people with limited mobility access it more easily. Coundon Community Woodland is being restored with the help of a local residents group and the Countryside Project by planting more trees and cultivating an adjoining wildflower meadow with improved paths and drainage.
 Longford Nature Park is being developed under a liveability programme and is another wildlife haven that has large areas managed with biodiversity in mind along with Coundon Wedge countryside area and nature trail, Allesley Village nature reserve and Sowe Valley Green Wedge.
Riverside and canal pathways are being improved with better surfacing, signage and
 access and stretches of the canal towpath have been regenerated and provide an important habitat for breeding butterflies, dragonflies and endangered water voles. In areas such as Sowe Valley, Lake View Park and Longford Park, maintenance teams are trained to not inadvertently destroy suitable water vole and other wildlife habitat by going too close to the banks as part of the Local Biodiversity Action Plan.
 An ‘Eco-schools’ programme has been running in the city 1995. The campaign is supported by Environmental Campaigns (EnCams encourages schools to be as environmentally friendly as possible by educating children at all levels about wildlife in its natural habitat, the importance of recycling, keeping their local environment free from litter and in saving energy to help reduce the effects of climate change. There are now 68 schools registered as Eco-schools in Coventry. Sacred Heart Primary School this year received the city's first permanent Green Flag - the highest Award possible.
 Many roadside verges have also been sown with wildflower seeds to help preserve diminishing wildlife. Along stretches of the A45, poppies now flourish instead of tarmac or simply grass, which can be hard to maintain on busy stretches of road. Such areas are managed in much the same way that a traditional (low maintenance) hay meadow might have been many years ago, thus plants have a chance to set seed before cutting, and the lack of chemical sprays allows a myriad species of wild plants, insects and other animals to proliferate.
Hedges have also been planted at Stoke Heath and Holbrooks Park to improve or replace once existing hedges to improve the habitat for wildlife as well as being visually pleasing.
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Coventry diverts the largest amount of waste away from landfill than any other authority in England (based on latest figures). Energy is recovered from incinerating non-recyclable household waste and sold to the national grid.
Coventry residents recycled over 25% of their domestic waste last year. This amount is set increase as plans are being made for a major expansion of kerbside collection initiatives.
- Over 19,000 tonnes of waste was recycled
- Over 16,000 tonnes of waste was composted
- The recycling rate has more than doubled in the last four years
Every house in the city receives a ‘kerbside’ recycling collection where they can recycle paper and cardboard. Every home with a garden also receives a garden green waste collection on alternate weeks.
 All of the green waste is sent to a local farmer who converts the waste to soil improver, which is spread on land. Local soil improver trials are also being conducted on Coventry’s allotments to investigate maximising the efficiency of this home grown resource. Green waste collected from around the city’s parks is also recycled along with the remains of the seasonal planters at Leasowes Nursery. The end product is then used in any new landscaping or planting projects carried out around the city.
 An additional trial recycling scheme for glass, aluminium cans, and recyclable plastic type HDPE was established across 21,500 homes in 2006 has now been expanded. Coventry's policy decision to reduce its carbon footprint by not sending plastics to the far east has meant finding a local processor in the UK. The trial has been very successful and will continue to run while plans are being made to expand it across the city. Residents not in the trial can also take these types of waste to the Civic Amenity Site where there are special containers to recycle these items or they can use any of the many bottle, paper and can banks around the city.
The Sustainable City team researched the potential for using a variety of sustainable innovations around the city, such as introducing ‘green’ turfed roofs on some properties following consultation with the public through ward forums, online and postal responses.  The team has already raised awareness on the benefits of saving energy at work and at home through the ‘Switch it off' campaign and will be working with a series of community groups and other local authorities, in the annual ‘Switch it off’ day. The team also works closely with some businesses in the region to help them improve sustainable practices and enhance environmental standards. The Cabinet Member has also worked with the team to consult the public and businesses on phasing out plastic bags in the city.
All schools in the city have been offered a recycling service for paper and cardboard. They are also offered garden waste bins/compost bins where appropriate. Virtually all the schools have taken up the offer of paper recycling. All the schools are provided with blue bins, a total of 660 bins all clearly labelled up for paper recycling or blue-lidded wheel bins or a Kappa bank, depending on the size of the school and access.
 Children are very enthusiastic recyclers and respond well to the challenge to use the bins. Several special schools are particularly renowned for the amount of paper they collect and the enthusiasm with which they collect it. Sherbourne Fields school children were encouraging residents to recycle by offering a service to decorate their recycling bins and decorated their own bins in the school. School children also took part in compost making workshops and were explained the importance at the 2008 and Beyond event at Coombe Park.
All seedlings used in displays and landscaping around the city are propagated locally. This helps reduce the environmental effects of transportation and also any risks of bringing disease to plants in from other areas.
Water conservation is very important and has been taken into account when planning the types of plants for displays and also in methods of watering:
- Leasowes Nursery uses a system that collects greywater from the greenhouse roof to water all of the plants in the greenhouse and tunnels and there are also water butts at a number of locations in the city centre that collect rainwater to water the many flowers.
- An effective, electronic, timed watering system is also used in Broadgate to drip feed the hanging baskets with the correct amount of water they need and at a time that there will be less water evaporation.
- A new bed at the railway station was constructed with water conservation in mind.
 Many parts of the city are undergoing regeneration and with this comes the opportunity to plan in pocket green space. This not only provides homes for wildlife and valuable visual relief in an urban environment but also helps reduce the “heat island” effect where local temperatures can be raised to uncomfortable levels if greenery is absent. These green spaces, such as the pocket park on the corner of Hill Street and also by the Toy Museum, stainably assist with flood management considering the predicted effects of climate change.
The Urban Rangers carry out environmental improvements and clean-up operations of the canal and other local green spaces every week. This involves teams of local volunteers from a wide range of cultural backgrounds joining forces to improve their own local environment.
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