'Green' projects are shortlisted

The competitions aims to cut down emissions of carbon dioxide

Nine projects in the East of England have been shortlisted to battle it out for a share of £500,000 in a competition to cut carbon emissions.

The Cut your Carbon competition is looking to find innovative and inspiring ways to cut emissions.

The groups shortlisted include a village in Bedfordshire which wants a new cycleway to a nearby university.

Another group from Essex wants help with plans to build a new village hall which is environmentally friendly.

The nine communities shortlisted, in the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) backed competition, are:

• Brickendon Liberty, a Hertfordshire village, which wants energy monitors for everyone taking part in the scheme, which mimics a slimming club and invites villagers to attend meetings, clutching their electricity bills

• Cranfield villagers, in Bedfordshire, hope to create a safe route for cycling and walking between Cranfield village and Cranfield University

• Flitton and Greenfield Carbon Challenge group in Bedfordshire want to win funding towards their school solar energy project and ultimately sell electricity back to the national grid

• Highwood villagers in Essex have applied for funds towards the £1m they need to replace the village hall, demolished in 2004, with a more environmentally-friendly building

• Holt Area Partnership, a group of Norfolk villages, has applied for the funds to change existing street lights to solar powered alternatives

• Othona, an Christian community in Essex, wants to replace a condemned building with a low-carbon, straw bale construction

• People in Reepham, Norfolk, want it to become carbon neutral with a car club to help reduce car ownership

• Sproughton villagers in Suffolk want to breathe new life into its tithe barn, making it the flagship of their carbon reduction project

• Wenhaston Energy Support Group wants to generate energy for the village hall, which provides vital facilities for this community.

The projects will be put before a panel of expert judges on Tuesday.

As well as the carbon cutting potential of the projects, the communities will have to demonstrate a sound business plan, to win funding of up to £200,000 per project.

EEDA chair Richard Ellis, said: "We hope the impact will be much wider than simply those who win funding, as other communities will be spurred on and inspired by the campaign and the actions of those communities who win funding."