An environmental project is winning support from councils and communities across Sussex.

The Greening Project helps people work together to reduce their environmental impact.

West Sussex County Council has pledged funding for 35 communities to take part.

District councils will also provide £1,000 for each scheme.

The South East England Development Agency (Seeda) has already spent £20,000 and a further £60,000 has been pledged in return for a reduction in energy and water consumption.

Five parishes in Chichester are already involved. Oving will launch its Greening Campaign at the village fete on Saturday, June 14. Horsham is set to follow and the district council is looking for five groups to commit to the scheme. Arun and Mid Sussex district councils are also discussing funding.

The project is the brainchild of green campaigner Terena Plowright who launched it in her home town of Petersfield, Hampshire.

She said: "I got up one morning and the radio was talking about climate change and I thought, I need to do something.' It was so successful in Petersfield that neighbouring villages asked if they could run it, so it has gradually become a full-time job.

"The councils are really supportive of it.

The amazing thing for West Sussex is that we have got the county council, all the borough and district councils, town and parish councils to work together. We have got between 25-30 communities running the campaign in Hampshire, West Sussex and Kent and we have got the capacity for about 50 more."

In the first phase of the campaign, participating households attend an introduction meeting where they receive an information card with a list of 30 simple challenges.

Households must complete at least five tasks and display the card in their window.

After an agreed number of weeks, the cards are collected and the carbon saving is calculated.

The second phase aims to expand the scheme to involve schools and workplaces and introduce more far-reaching projects.

Anyone interested in getting involved should contact their district or borough council or visit the website www.greening-campaign.co.uk .