Carbon Literacy training for archives

About the event

The Carbon Literacy training is a free entry level course designed to build attendees' awareness of the carbon emissions relating to their roles in archives, records management and special collections. We will explore the science of climate change, how this can affect archives, and provide examples of actions that archives have taken to lower their carbon emissions.

This interactive training is divided into four modules covered over two half days (10.00 - 13.30) on 24 and 26 Feburary 2026. By registering you are committing to attend both dates. There will be a small amount of work to complete before the training to help you prepare for the sessions. There will be numerous opportunities for facilitated discussion and break-out groups.

After the course, you will be asked to make two carbon reduction pledges that are relevant to your life, work and sector as an individual and a group. By attending both half-day sessions in full and successfully completing the post-training work you will be certified as ‘Carbon Literate' by the Carbon Literacy Project, joining more than 125,000 others, including business leaders across multiple sectors.

Who should attend

This course will be of interest to professionals working within the record-keeping sector who are interested in raising their awareness of the carbon emissions related to their work and organisation. This course is designed for beginners and you do not need to have priority knowledge in this area. It is also useful to those who are experienced in this area.

Due to the limited number of spaces (15 in total), priority will be given to archive services in England and only one person per organisation can attend. By booking a place you will be agreeing to complete pre-training work, attend both half-day sessions in full and complete post-training work within one week.

If you are certified as 'Carbon Literate', you can become a Carbon Literacy trainer yourself and could run the training for your organisation.

Programme

24 February (10.00 - 13.30)

Module 1:

• Introduction
• Climate change science
• Impacts

Module 2:

• The role of heritage
• Climate justice
• Co-benefits

26 February (10.00 - 13.30)

Module 3:

• The policy position
• Carbon footprints
• Low carbon heritage

Module 4:

• Action planning
• Having conservations
• Wrapping up

Additional information

This course will be delivered online via Zoom. A confirmation email will be sent to you once you have registered your attendance. Joining instructions and pre-course work will be sent 1 week in advance.

If you have any questions please contact us at carbonliteracy@nationalarchives.gov.uk