Carbon Literacy is defined as “An awareness of the carbon costs and impacts of everyday activities, and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions, on an individual, community and organisational basis.” [1] As a company we’ve seen first-hand the benefits of Carbon Literacy, from our client work and partnerships to lower energy use and more resilient supply chains. But we know the training has had an individual impact too. We asked some of our co-owners to explain why the training is so useful and what effect it’s had on both their professional and personal life.
What impact did Carbon Literacy Training have on you and your role at Turley?
Rachel Bissell, Consultant, Heritage & Townscape:
"The biggest impact the training has had is giving me a renewed sense of hope (and urgency) that there is something we can do to minimise the impact of the climate crisis. It has set me up with key actions I can take that have the greatest effect, and I now make conscious choices both in my personal life and at work. The training was a reminder that we don’t need to be “all-or-nothing” with this and that any actions we take can contribute. It is about choosing the right actions that are sustainable for you."
Lizzie Bolton, Senior Consultant, Sustainability & ESG:
"As a Sustainability Consultant, thinking about carbon and climate change is already a core part of my day-to-day work. What I particularly valued about the training was having the time and space to step back and think about the bigger picture. It reinforced the scale and urgency of the climate challenge and reminded me why I chose a career in sustainability in the first place. The training helped connect the technical aspects of my role to the wider societal impact of climate action, which I found both motivating and inspiring."
Olivia Carr, Director, Planning:
"The training helped me better understand the wider impact of everyday decisions and reinforced the role we can all play, both professionally and personally, in reducing carbon emissions. It also gave me a greater appreciation of how sustainability considerations can be embedded into the advice we provide to clients and the projects we help deliver."
What measures/commitments have you implemented as a consequence?
Rachel:
"At work, I actively make decisions with the climate crisis in mind, particularly in terms of travelling to site visits – my default now is to assume I will get public transport somewhere rather than drive. In my personal life, I’m in the process of changing banks, and my partner and I are moving towards eating less meat. I also now feel confident having conversations with colleagues, friends, and family about this."
Lizzie:
"When calculating my carbon footprint as part of the training, travel emerged as one of my largest sources of carbon emissions. Based on this, one of the personal pledges I made was to go flight-free for at least a year, which I did manage to maintain. Although I did take up flying again during a 3-month sabbatical earlier this year, the experience showed me that lower-carbon travel can be very fun and rewarding. It encouraged me to be more creative with my travel choices. For example, I travelled to France by ferry, spent two weeks cycling, and then returned home via the Eurostar. By choosing the ferry and train, I was able to experience places and moments that I would never have encountered had I simply flown. This summer, I'll be taking the train to Bristol before going on another cycling trip around Wales. For me, it demonstrates that sustainability isn't about being perfect or taking an all-or-nothing approach, it's about making positive choices where you can and recognising that every action contributes to a wider impact."
Olivia:
"The biggest changes have probably been at home. I’ve switched to more environmentally friendly household products , become more conscious of reducing waste, and pay much closer attention to my energy use. They are relatively small changes individually, but together they can make a positive difference."
Would you recommend Carbon Literacy Training to others?
Rachel:
"Absolutely. The training brought a renewed sense of hope that we can collectively do something to minimise the impact of the climate crisis, and set out practical actions we can all be taking to contribute."
Lizzie:
"Yes- absolutely! Even working in sustainability, I found the training valuable because it reinforced the bigger picture and translated climate challenges into practical actions. It left me feeling motivated and empowered, and reminded me that meaningful change can come from lots of small actions taken consistently over time.
"At a time when progress on climate action can sometimes feel slow or uncertain the training provides a positive reminder that individual and collective actions can make a difference."
Olivia:
"Definitely. It’s an accessible and practical course that helps translate what can feel like a complex and overwhelming topic into simple actions that people can take in their everyday lives, both at work and at home."
For more information on Turley becoming a Silver Carbon Literate Organisation or our ESG strategy, please contact Chrysta Poppitt or Snigdha Jain.
24 August 2026
