The five-year project – Together for Tomorrow – will be run by Libraries Unlimited, the charity commissioned to run the libraries in Devon and Torbay.
Library spaces will be turned into hubs where local people can take sustainability-focused action: from establishing repair cafés and community fridges to growing schemes, sewing groups and workshops on low-waste living.
Alex Kittow, chief executive of Libraries Unlimited, said: “Devon faces a range of climate-related challenges – from coastal erosion and flooding to declining biodiversity, poorly insulated homes, and limited public transport, which forces people to rely on cars.
“Tackling these issues requires local, adaptable solutions shaped by the people they affect.
“Libraries are at the heart of our communities, so it makes perfect sense for them to be a catalyst for change.
“Together for Tomorrow will bring people together through collaboration, creativity and shared learning – creating a model of community-led climate action that others across the UK can follow. Real change starts where people are – and for many, that’s their local library.”
The initiative is a partnership with CAG Devon which is a network of grassroots sustainability groups supported by environmental consultancy Resource Futures.
Multiple community organisations are already involved, including Action for Climate Teignbridge (ACT), Blackdown Hills EcoHub, Proper Job, Earth Action North Devon, Sustainable Tiverton, Sustainable South Hams, Transition Exmouth and Uffculme Green Team.
The organisations will contribute skill sharing, networking, toolkit development and peer mentoring.
The programme will also include several outreach organisations including Active Devon, Honeyscribe and Ride-on Cycling.
Additional fundraising and engagement support will be provided by Devon Community Foundation and Devon Communities Together.
Charlie Eddisford, communities lead at Resource Futures, said: “We’re thrilled to be co-leading this ambitious initiative that empowers communities to take meaningful, everyday climate action.
“CAG Devon has shown just how much creativity and commitment exists locally.
“To build on that, and to help new ideas get started, groups need time, space, and opportunities to connect. Together for Tomorrow will help create the conditions to make that happen.”
Funded through the National Lottery Climate Action Fund, the programme supports the goals of the Devon Carbon Plan, which sets out a roadmap to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
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