Posts Tagged ‘volunteering’
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2050 - Green and clean?
Climate Squad volunteer - Aisha Brown Colpani - discusses her vision of 2050 for our Greenprint to 2050 project
If you want to join the Greenprint, join us on the 25th August or 1st September. We’ll debate the lifestyles we want to live, the communities we want to live in and the best way to make it happen. Reserve a place by calling Heather on (0207) 420 4441 or e-mail climate.squad@globalactionplan.org.uk
Trying to imagine the world of the future takes a bit of thought; putting aside the image of a hover-car darting across the sky (for now), what can we really expect to see? How far will the world have moved from that to which we have become accustomed by the time the year 2050 rolls around?
It would be hard to make an even halfway plausible suggestion for a future reality without factoring in the major question of the state of the environment, or, more specifically, how much further we will push said environment before it furiously rebels. With more and more headline space being used to highlight the effects of Global Warming it seems that now is the time to pay attention if we want any kind of improvement today as well as in forty years time. Why not start at home?
The great thing about the boom in super-sophisticated technology is that we actually have the tools, we know where the problems lie; if we really want to transform the UK into a green and clean environment then we have to make the most of the means at our disposable in order to do our collective bit to reduce carbon emissions. By 2050 I’d like to see many major roads kept exclusively for bicycles. How many more people would be enticed to jump on their bikes knowing that they’d be able to ride calmly around town, in a space shared with other cyclists? And what number would ditch the car when they realised just how much more convenient pedalling down the main road would be? The fact that there is also a mini work-out to be had while inhaling the unpolluted air is not an unwelcome prospect either…the list of Pro’s is endless really. There’s no denying that the bicycle is having somewhat of a revival as the first choice of travel; who wants to wait for the bus or squeeze into the tube carriage when you could do your little bit just by pedalling down the street? Now, imagine the huge reduction in carbon emissions if the bicycles on the streets were to out-number the cars…I guess our fore-mothers and fathers had the right idea when it came to getting around.
But my vision of a clean-aired future does not rely solely on investing in two decent wheels; how can I even begin to imagine a carbon-free (or at least a greatly carbon-reduced!) environment without putting in a mention to those machines of unrivalled carbon-gulping power a.k.a. the oxygen givers, or, to use the more formal term, trees? Without trees there would be no world to fret over in the first place and I think it is time to give them a bit more appreciation; we need to make more space for these wonders of nature, especially in metropolitan areas where a glimpse of green can be something of a rarity. I do have to acknowledge that London does have some beautiful parks where the trees stand strong and the flowers are maintained with pride but I can think of another area that could benefit just as much from that consideration for plant-life; the school play-ground. I remember reading an opinion suggesting that the best way to get the younger generation interested in caring for the natural world would be with the introduction of a substantial garden area in schools, a place where the kids would learn how to interact considerately with plants - they will be the young adults taking responsibility for the future of the environment after all.
Care for the environment is an issue which we must all take to our hearts sooner if we want to build a healthier, cleaner, more considerate society later. And the rewards don’t stop with the green credentials. Don’t believe me? Picture the scene: you leave work mid-afternoon (as the current obsession with a career will have taken a backseat for enjoyment of all the other things we could be doing), the sun shining and gently warming your face, or, perhaps, a light spray of rain (well we are talking about the UK here) - but not so much to hinder any outdoor activity. You go to your local little park area and find it buzzing with activity as people congregate to tend to the plant life, weeding and watering, admiring the different colours; it’s a time of relaxation and socialising. You feel closer to the Earth and further from the every day issues which tend to dominate the day…Why dismiss this snapshot as too good to be true?
When I think of 2050 and of my ideal vision of the UK and the world by that time, I think of a place proud of its reputation as a home to plants and wildlife left as nature intended; I think of a base that complies to the top environmental standards and keeps our pollution levels in-check through passionately upheld rules regarding the environment and encouragement of individual pride in our green surroundings. I imagine a place where recycling as much waste as possible becomes a reflex in every household and where more emphasis is put on respecting and enjoying our natural surroundings above man-made products. In 2050 the UK could be a place for cyclists, for environmentally acceptable vehicles of public transport, for lots of trees, for recycle bins (exclusively), for less stress about money and more time to breathe the truly fresh air.
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PUMP IT UP!
Pump it up!
Join us in this project to pump up car tyres for shoppers, saving them carbon and helping them take small steps to tackle climate change.
Basing ourselves in Shopping Centres around the country, we will help drivers save money, fuel and carbon!
By pumping up car tyres to the correct level, drivers not only benefit from saving money, becoming safer, and burning less fuel, they will also decrease their carbon emissions by 5-8%.
Here is what our volunteers have said about Pump it up:
“I have just done volunteering for Pump it Up at Brent Cross Shopping Centre today for Global Action Plan. I had a good day overall and got to meet some interesting people
as well as helping the environment and giving useful information to others.” - Becky ThorpeRemember your travel and food expenses are paid by us!
Register your interest by emailing climate.squad@globalactionplan.org.uk
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#1 Green Britain day - 5 easy steps for reducing your fashion footprint
2 million tonnes of clothes are bought in the UK every year, of which 1.2 million tonnes is dumped in landfill sites! The average Brit throws away 30kg of clothing and textiles which is very much down to the availability of cheap throwaway fashion.
So what’s the problem?In the UK the clothing and textiles sector was responsible for:
~3.1 million tonnes of GHG emissions
~1.5-2.0 million tonnes of waste
70 million tonnes of water waste
10 x more energy than producing steel or glassAlso, when these materials end up in landfill, some synthetic materials don’t decompose and some which do degrade release methane which is 21 x more powerful than CO2.
If everyone in the UK bought one reclaimed woollen garment a year, it would save an average of 371 million gallons of water – the average UK reservoir holds about 300 gallons!
5 easy steps for reducing your fashion footprint…
1. Choose eco labels - many shops have organic clothing, green, Fairtrade collections and upcycled collections which use old fabrics to create new fashion. There are also many UK based designers supporting local businesses and which save energy by being UK-made, e.g. People Tree, Beyond Skin and Izzy Lane.
2. Take your old clothes to one of the 6,000 recycling banks in the UK – this is easy yet only 25% of the banks are being used to their full capacity and only 16% of clothes are recycled! The clothes are taken to homeless, charity shops or sold in developing countries.
3. Shop in charity shops – Fed up of seeing everyone wearing the same dress as you? Full of vintage glamour at bargain prices, charity shops are ideal for that unique piece that will set you apart - and you will be raising money for charity! Over 70% of the world’s population uses second hand clothes so why not do it!?
4. Swapping and swishing –host your own party or swap online from one of the many websites out there.TheBigWardrobe has 30,000 members and pieces from Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs and Topshop.
5. Customise your wardrobe – as Vivienne Westwood advised everyone watching her on Jonathon Ross:
“Do it yourself, take the tablecloth if its beautiful… put things together yourself, don’t spend money, just take what you can find, take your old things and keep on wearing them, don’t buy much fashion but if you do buy it, choose really well, wear it for a long time until it drops of your back and it will get more wonderful…forget buying all of these new clothes…buy less and choose well”
It is very easy to associate eco fashion with “hippies” however this shouldn’t be the case. London fashion week saw designers such as Izzy Lane and Amana take part in the “Estethica” initiative which is now in its 7th season.
The government have also outlined a sustainable clothing roadmap which is a voluntary clothing industry initiative to improve the environmental and ethical performance of clothing to hopefully make green fashion choices second-nature.
Read #2 Green Britain Day- 6 easy steps to reduce your travel footprintRead #3 Green Britain Day- 4 easy steps to reduce your food footprint
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Part 3 ~ United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
By Simon Howlett
The best way in understanding what actions youth took in Bonn, is to let you click on these two videos made by Danny Hutley, a Southampton Uni student.
It shows how we aimed to change negotiators opinions and their actions within the UNFCCC meetings
Danny@UN Climate Negotiations, 4- No Decisions About Us Without Us
Danny@UN Climate Talks, 8- Logging Loophole Land
You must admit, us youth did not to a bad job in Bonn; we made a difference and connected to those in suits.
The time was taking to learn about what was being talked about; so that the actions we took were accurate and made the negotiators think.
In addition us youth from around the world who attended (roughly 25) were truly united in what we were doing and what we believed in.
You can now wear a smile on your face because of the shear AWESOME-NESS of it!!!
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Greenprint launch event, The Barbican, London
On Tuesday 8th June, 2010, Climate Squad were up at the crack of dawn, in part due to excitement and partly due to nerves for the launch of the Greenprint to 2050 project at the Barbican centre, London.The Barbican Centre was an ideal location for the event due to its embedded green credentials: the venue has a dedicated Environmental Sustainability Working Party dedicated purely towards ensuring the centre has the most sustainable and progressive vision of energy and resource use so to minimise environmental impacts.
The Barbican centre is also “the first City business to trial and implement a 100% food recycling programme where all food waste gets collected in the 1100.ltr catering bins and sent to be treated at a special plant where it is turned into fertiliser and returned to the soil.”
The event kicked off at 9.30am after volunteers were welcomed with refreshments and the chance to have a go on the Global Action Plan eco-interactives (which was too much activity for some that early in the morning!). Trewin Restorick, CEO of Global Action Plan , was the first guest speaker:
For all these and many other reasons, Greenprint 2050 is hugely important and I will be doing whatever I can to ensure that the outcomes reach as many of the key people as possible.”
Jan Kiso from the Department of Energy and Climate Change then spoke about why the government are thinking about 2050 now. Jan highlighted a very important point that in order to ensure we meet our 2050 target, we need to “manage the risk of locking up ‘dirty’ technologies” and look at new technologies which, for example, have lifetimes of on average13 years for a car and 30 years for an aeroplane. Jan then spoke about green energy, efficient technologies, behaviour change and ‘green’ imports as things we can do and focus on now.
The first session saw the volunteers break into 6 groups to discuss their vision of 2050 and how they imagine things to be within their group topic area. Facilitated by a Global Action Plan ambassador and Bank of America/Merrill Lynch volunteer, the group discussions proved popular and volunteers got really stuck in to dynamic thinking about what they would like their futures to look like. Technology and lifestyle was definitely the most popular group attracting the largest number of volunteers, however a lot of vision ideas were submitted from all topic areas.
Some examples of vision ideas:
Education – education about climate change will be mandatory from an early age and emphasis will be put on strengthening the link between cause and effect. There will also be more outdoor learning and every school will have a garden.
Health & welfare – we will live in a more collective society within nations and between them, we will also know people living on our streets and we will live in a safer neighbourhood.
Jobs & employment – sectors such as retail and manufacture industries will be smaller and high tech and environmental jobs will prevail. People will also have fewer working hours because there is less consumerism so smaller demands for production.
Technology & lifestyle – all homes will have solar panels and proper insulation, and products/services will have their CO2 “cost” reflected in their retail prices.
Leisure – open spaces within streets and communities will be safer so children can play outside without a worry. People will also have more time to pursue hobbies as they work fewer hours.
Transport – Air miles will be reduced by encouraging self sustainability, and the government will fund LEDC’s dependant on revenue they would have otherwise got from exporting food. Developing countries will be using this to look at other means of sustainable growth.
After a short break we resumed for the second session: the debate. The panel of guests included (from left to right in picture above) Victoria Chamberlain from Conservative Future,John Northall from Climate Squad, Vicky Wakefield-Jarrett from Young Greens, Alan Belmore from Liberal Youth and Christine Quigley from Young Labour. The panel were open to questions from volunteers and the visions which volunteers had previously submitted. On a number of occasions the debate drew back to carbon tax. Topics also discussed include nuclear power, renewable energies such as wind farms, production and usage of cars and education.
On the whole the event was a success and there was a very positive atmosphere throughout. It was great to meet so many of the ever expanding group of Climate Squad volunteers!
The debate will be available via audio shortly.
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Festival of Nature by Astrit and Marigona
By Astrit Muzliukaj
My weekend at the Bristol Festival of Nature was spent working with the team at Climate Squad and the volunteers that helped us. Our time at Bristol started off by arriving there by train at around 10PM on Friday where we checked into our hotel rooms and unpacked so as we could begin the next day bright and early.
Saturday, early morning and our marquee had been set up and we were ready to go and show the people of Bristol what Global Action Plan and Climate Squad was all about. In the bid to gain people’s attention to our marquee I decided to wear a giant tree costume. But soon it was getting very warm and so it was time for someone else to look ridiculous (and slightly funny) in it! People with families and friends started arriving and we began showing them around questions that they had.
Some were concerned about the environment but most were more eager to have a go on oureco driving simulator, by far our biggest attraction. They were given an insight on how they could cut their fuel consumption and carbon emissions through careful driving. Children (as well as adults), who were not able to drive on the simulator, were given a chance to play on the Scalextric. They were shown how the aerodynamics, fuel consumption and efficiency of a car are affected by unnecessary weight on a car.
There were a few interactive puzzles and games which showed what effect our lifestyle choices have on the amount of C02 emissions we produce. These activities were – showing the amount of water wasted when carrying out everyday activities like brushing your teeth, knowing how much C02 is emitted when producing various meats that we eat and finally a world map showing where our clothes come from and the distance that they travel, and amount of C02 emitted, to reach us in the UK. These were all fun and educational and most people were surprised by what they learnt.
Sunday came and the day was as busy as Saturday with a lot of families coming for another go on the driving simulator or wanting to know more about Global Action Plan. One lady came there and was interested to interview one of us. I guided her towards Kate who I thought would be best to answer questions in her taped interview. Towards the end of the day, and event, the weather worsened with quite a bit of rain which is just as well because it happened in perfect timing when it was time to pack up. After making it back to London I got home at around 11PM feeling very tired.
All in all, the weekend was a positive and fun one to say the least – except for England’s football results!
By Marigona Metrama
Being part of the Climate Squad, I was invited to spend the weekend at the Festival of Nature where I was working with different members of the team as well as a few other volunteers who were there to assist us. Our trip began with our arrival at Bristol Temple Meads, where on arrival; we were escorted to the hotel where we were required to spend the weekend. On Saturday morning, we all had to be at the tent by 8am as we had to help with the setting up of the equipment which were needed to be used throughout the day.
Our purpose was to enable people to get an insight on what Global Action Plan is and what we do as a charity.
As the day went on, it began to get very busy and there were a lot of people which visited us at the tent. Among the people, were families with children. Our aim was to get many people engaged in the activities whilst answering questions which they might have had. Although, there were a lot of people who were only interested in trying out our Eco Driving Simulator – one of our most popular attractions at the event! Its purpose was to enable people to get an understanding of ways in which they could cut down on their fuel consumption, carbon emissions whilst saving money at the same time!
We also had young children who were also interested in having a go on the driving simulator; however they were unable to do so, although we did introduce them to something else which they found rather interesting – the Scalextric. We demonstrated how irrelevant weight on a car can have an affect on the fuel consumption and its performance.
In addition to these, we also had a water activity, where we demonstrated the amount of water we use during our day-to-day activities, such as when brushing our teeth, having a shower etc. We also had puzzles which enabled people to understand how by producing various meats can have an affect on the amount of C02 emissions emitted as a result of producing such products.
Along with the other activities, there was also a world map which was shown to everyone. Its purpose was to demonstrate the production line of different types of clothing, i.e. where they came from, place of manufacture, country of distribution and the amount of C02 emitted in getting these clothes shipped to the UK.
Amongst those people who were interested in taking action on climate change, we got them to sign up for our Community Leaders Programme. In addition, we also managed to get people to note down what they thought 2050 would be like, however not everyone was interested in giving their opinion, although there were a few people who were interested in writing down their vision for 2050, and what they thought society would be like in 40 years.
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Part 2 ~ United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
By Simon Howlett
The youth within the Bonn climate change talks going on this week, are from a mixture of nations, UK, Nepal, Australia, German, French, Zimbabwe, Sweden, Denmark and others.
Many of them have also gone there out of choice and not getting paid for their efforts. (Including moi)Thus if you were going to split this motley crew of climate campaigners into certain categories, you could go for the groups of -
Unaccredited: These youth turned up for the excitement, because they knew it was important and to check out the stuff going on in Bonn (talks, climate camp) which they could gain entry for.
Accredited: many of those from the UK were accredited via www.350.org, meaning they could enter certain UN talks and gain experience on what it was all about. Here’s a blog all about it –UK youth at UNFCCC
Young Friends of the Earth: Two people gained accreditation via the organisation that had 25 placements in all. Two out of 25, does not sound like much, but be assured that they were loud and passionate enough to kick up a good UN fuss.
UNFairplay:A group of youth were there to support smaller nations, who could not afford or have several negotiators at Bonn, giving them a bigger voice amongst those who actually are causing the most carbon emissions.
Adopt a negotiator: this scheme started of in Copenhagen, but gathered speed and lead to being part of YOUNGO– a youth movement that gained constituency status within these UNFCCC meetings. That we all then fell into.
But no matter if their gained entry to the conference or got paid for their efforts. What brought them all together was the aspect of action and making the negotiators discuss and act in making the low-carbon future we all would want and are aiming for.
All of these young people (or shall I say YOUNGO) met up daily to discuss what is going on and what actions can we take. We talked to negotiators from around the world and mingled with those from Non-Government Organisations. We even had an international youth meeting to discuss goings-on globally, COP16 in Mexico and what we could do together as a collective.
But did we actually make any sodden difference whilst at Bonn? did the actions we take lead to anything?
Blog 3 coming up.
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How to take part in the Greenprint to 2050 project
Now the Greenprint project has fully launched, we will be recruiting 300 young people from across the country to take part in the Greenprint to 2050 project!
How can you take part…
• Workshops - we will now be travelling across the country carrying out discussion group workshops and need volunteers to help out
• Online surveys – get your friends to take part via our online questionnaires (visit our blog or Climate Squad facebook group for details - survey will be coming soon!)
• Online discussions – join our Greenprint to 2050 ~ the Climate Squad vision facebook group and take part in discussions
If you are interested in taking part in any of these, e-mail climate.squad@globalactionplan.org.uk
Photographs by Can Binatli
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Part 1 ~ United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Bonn in Germany is famous for a couple of reasons – Beethoven, Haribo, being the capital of West Germany and for being the home of many a UN Intercessional.Last December, the latest craze within the media and the environmental world was Copenhagen and the climate talks. Everyone was hoping for a deal to be placed on the table which would save the world from future climate change, for every country represented in the UN to agree on a certain percentage to cut down their carbon emissions by. – For there to be a moment, that would change history and would become as significant as the fall of the Berlin wall or man walking on the moon.
However- we know this did not happen, for what ever reason no country could agree on a percentage of carbon cuts. At the end of this conference we were left with defining images of human failure.
But what next? Climate issues may not grab the front headlines like it did in December anymore, but that does not mean talks are still happening.
The meetings are giving the catchy abbreviation of UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) and they happens roughly 3 times a year, in the lead up to a huge convention in December a.ka. Copenhagen.
Though this year, it shall be moving to Cancun in Mexico.
These intercessionals, are so much more important then the big end of year events – As it is within Bonn where the little things are sorted out, which can make or break a fantastic climate deal.
It is monotonous as all they do is talk about stuff that makes no sense to a novice or they talk about whether a comma is in the right place of a document statement.
Maybe a metaphor will help in this instance
The UNFCCC is like baking a cake. In December you get the finished product of that years baking. However if you did not put in the right amount of eggs, flour, sugar, or baked it thoroughly – you end up with a sodden mess that no one practically likes.
Youth love cake! Thus it is no surprise to find youth attending the UNFCCC bake of.
Aiming to make it a delicious, sugary mess. That ever nation – developed, developing, small island can enjoy.
But how you ask? What do the youth do?
That shall be answered in blog 2
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FREE Greenprint to 2050 project launch event - 20 tickets left!
Join us on Tuesday 8th June 2010, 9am-1pm at the Barbican Centre, London
Reserve your FREE ticket by e-mailing - climate.squad@globalactionplan.org.uk
What do you think 2050 will LOOK like? What is your vision of 2050? … let’s create a positive vision of the future for people to aspire to!
The Greenprint to 2050 will set out a vision of what 2050 will look like, from your perspective, with the aim of presenting it to key political leaders at the House of Commons later this year. Once we have this vision, we can begin our journey by setting realistic goals to achieve it.
At the launch event, join sixty 16-25 year olds and a guest panel of 6 aspiring young people from the likes of Conservative Future, Liberal Youth, Young Labour, Young Greens, UKYCC and Climate Squad to determine what you believe society should look like in 40 years time within the following discussion areas: education; health and welfare; employment; technology and lifestyle; leisure and transport.
There will also be:
- Free refreshments and lunch will be provided
- Early birds will get free “Change the world for a fiver” books
- Travel expenses covered
- Eco-driving simulator and energy bike
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