The Low Carbon Hub: powering a greener future by Oxford Civic Society

9 February

2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted on policy on, and public perceptions and usages of, public transport, with buses and trains positioned as mobile infection hotspots. As part of the same dynamic, private automobility, and in particular the car, has been re-instated as a preferred, because ‘safe’, mode of urban transport. Alongside these defining shifts, we have also witnessed significant uptake of cycling, electric scooters, and motorcycles as means to avoid resultant congestion and to mitigate ecological harm. What has the pandemic experience done to public and policy orientations toward sustainable transport in the here and the now? What futures are promised for such transport in the light of public and policy concerns about the ongoing threat presented by infectious disease? What are we to make of the fortunes of sustainable transport options, orientations and behaviours going forward? Establishing compelling visions of, and policies and practices for, sustainable transport (in the light of the challenges presented by this pandemic, and potentially future pandemics) has become an urgent matter. This event seeks to make a contribution to thinking through what such visions, policies and practices may look like.

Confirmed Speakers:

• Steve Melia (Senior Lecturer in Planning and Transport, Faculty of Environment and Technology) – Decarbonisation after COVID-19

• Professor Graham Parkhurst (Professor of Sustainable Mobility and Director of the Centre for Transport & Society, UWE Bristol) – Has Experience of the COVID-19 Pandemic Made a Permanent Difference to the Sustainable Mobility Policy Discourse?

• Professor Lucy Budd (Professor of Air Transport Management, De Montfort University, Leicester) – Towards Responsible Transport: Reflections on the Implications of Pandemic

• Counsellor Kye Dudd (Bristol City Council Transport Strategy) – The Pandemic: Accelerating Policy and Practice for Active Travel

• Jon Usher (Head of Partnerships, Sustrans) – Active Travel – The Role for Walking and Cycling in the New Normal

Organised by UCLan’s Institute of Citizenship, Society & Change, this webinar will explore the connections between democratic community wealth building, the economics of human and planetary thriving, and place-based climate action.

Kate Raworth: Author of Doughnut Economics: seven ways to think like a 21st century economist; co-founder of Doughnut Economics Action Lab; and senior research associate at the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford.

Matthew Brown: Leader of Preston Council and a driving force behind the transformative Preston Model, an economic strategy that presents a comprehensive, interlinked approach to community wealth building.

John Barry: Professor of Green Political Economy, Queen’s University, Belfast; Place-based Climate Action Network investigator; Co-Chair of the Belfast Climate Commission.

29 January 2021

Online talk by Paul Valentine followed by Q & A and open discussion.

Our invited speaker is Paul Valentine, professional actor, Lambeth Green Party member, and recently elected as Equity Councillor following two years as Equity’s Young Members’ Councillor.

Paul was Chair of PCS Southbank Centre during the recent wave of arts redundancies, and lead protests in the Summer/Autumn of last year. 

This is a free online event - just RSVP for the Zoom link.

29 January 2021

Join us online to meet friendly, like-minded people from around Oxfordshire.

Talk about how your month has been, share ideas, books, highlights and low-points.

Bring a drink and an open mind!  

Everyone welcome. 

27 January 2021

Our Planet: Our Business - an online Netflix/WWF film with discussions
by Linda Aspey

Our Planet: Our Business raises the important question: how can businesses help to tackle the world’s environmental crisis? Created for WWF by the Emmy® Award-winning Silverback Films, Our Planet: Our Business shows the immense value of nature to our economy, the scale of the challenges that we are facing, and the critical role that business can play in creating solutions at scale. It highlights 5 key goals that every business can set.

Hosted by Linda Aspey, a founding member of the Climate Coaching Alliance, an executive coach, facilitator and psychotherapist, alumna of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership and of the Oxford School of Climate Change, and an Extinction Rebellion speaker and trainer. But first and foremost, she is someone who cares deeply about our beautiful planet.

The session will start with introductions and some context to the film from Linda, then we will watch the film separately but "together", then discuss and explore our learnings, questions and impressions in small groups, and finally, come back into plenary for summaries and takeaways.

21 January 2021

Net Zero, Warm Homes and Green Jobs

Green Party public on-line meeting exploring the role of retrofit of exisitng homes in reaching net zero cabon emissions, how it is going so far and what extra actions are needed to achieve net zero - including developing the supply chain and creating green jobs.

Everyone Welcome.

SEE ABOVE FOR MORE DETAILS

19 January 2021 

or various other dates 20 Jan, 25 Jan, 28 Jan

What is food poverty, how does it present, and what can you do about it? Join this FREE 2-hour online training session to discuss and learn
This training is open to all front-line service providers (volunteers and professionals) working with people in Oxfordshire (UK) who are experiencing food poverty.

BOOK NOW to secure a place - multiple dates available.

Since the start of COVID-19 there has been a threefold increase in the number of users of community food services in Oxfordshire (Good Food Oxford, 2020).
20% of adults in the UK now face some form of food insecurity (Food Foundation, 2020).
In the Food Poverty training session you will:

• discuss food poverty and how it presents in your work,

• learn the international definition and conditions of food poverty and its relevance,

• share best practice responses,

• find out how to signpost most effectively in Oxfordshire (UK),

• and get informed about national and local policy work.

In addition to the 2-hour session, there is also a 30-minute video and quick quiz which you will need to complete at least 24 hours before the session.

If you fill in a reflection and feedback form after the session, you will receive a certificate of completion.

This training is provided by Good Food Oxford and is FREE to those volunteering or working in Oxfordshire (UK) thanks to support from Oxfordshire County Council, Food Power and Soccer Aid for UNICEF UK.

mon Munk, Infrastructure lead at London Cycle Campaign will talk about how cycle infrastructure can work in the narrow streets of Oxford.

Making the Most of Local Media

CAG Oxfordshire 

Understand how you can simply and effectively use local media to support the work of your community organisation in Oxfordshire.

The workshop will include:

• An overview of the different local media outlets in Oxfordshire, how they differ and what they’re useful for
• What makes a story interesting to local journalists
• How to pitch your stories well to the right people at the right time
• How to make the most of any media you do
• Sharing further resources and ideas to help you to put what you’ve learned into action
• A Q&A with veteran local journalist Gill Oliver, who spent 12 years working for the Oxford Mail and The Oxford Times, and now works on Tech Tribe Oxford.

With Heritage Declares calling for action, this seminar will look at climate change, our heritage and its settings.

The first of a two related webinars, this event will look at the close relationship between managing historic places and climate change.

To-date 300 out of the 404 district, county, unitary and metropolitan councils in the UK have declared a Climate Emergency, and are looking at what 'net zero' emissions by 2030 or 2050 means for their strategic policies and day-to-day actions. While the inherent sustainability of re-using existing buildings is well-known, how persuasive are we at arguing for their retention in energy terms, or the microclimate of their settings?

How to balance adapting historic places to be more environmentally-responsible, whilst not harming their historic character, is a key challenge.

The Oxford Real Farming Conference has developed over the last eleven years to become the unofficial gathering of the real food and farming movement in the UK. Working with partners, the conference brings together farmers, growers, activists, policy-makers, researchers and all those who support agroecology, including organic and regenerative agriculture and indigenous systems.

TED Circle - The global movement to restore nature's biodiversity

TED Circle - The global movement to restore nature's biodiversity

Biodiversity is the key to life on Earth and reviving our damaged planet, says ecologist Thomas Crowther. Sharing the inside story of his headline-making research on reforestation, which led to the UN's viral Trillion Trees Campaign, Crowther introduces Restor: an expansive, informative platform built to enable anyone, anywhere to help restore the biodiversity of Earth's ecosystems.

19 December 2020

OGP Christmas Quiz
by Tim Eden

The greatest, greenest, geographically-irrelevant online quiz in Oxfordshire - gaudete!
We all miss going to a venue, and hanging out with friends, answering fiendishly hard questions set by our Quizmaster-supreme, Karl Kwiatowski.

So why dont you come to our online Zoom Quiz?!

Entry is by donation, so select the number of tickets, put in what you are willing to pay (suggestion is £2 per person), and wait for the Zoom Link! We will contact you prior to the event for your name and team name, so why don't you gang up with your colleagues and make an evening (in) of it! Max teams are of six, but if you feel lucky go it alone!

Quiz format is by tried and tested GoogleSheets, so please do log in via laptop, as other devices (phone, iPad , etc) tend not to allow you to flip backwards and forwards easily.

Also, dont forget that during the quiz we will be auctioning off a mystery book, and a BYOB option is always open!

Ecosystems and biodiversity, science based policies in European Green Deal

The event will be held on December 17th, 2020 and it is intended to present best practices coming from all our Europe to show the actual impact investment in nature restoration can have to face the world’s current overlapping crisis. The event will also focus on the European Biodiversity strategy, a brainstorming session will address the importance to design a tailored maid Biodiversity strategy at local level.

This event topic also includes Science-based policies, on which interested partners may present a case-study related to the their city .

Achieving European Green Deal’s bold targets is likely to require scientific expertise from many different scientific areas. This Science based policies in the European Green Deal aims to discuss the most effective ways to integrate new research results into the EGD. This virtual gathering will bring scientists and policymakers together to discuss how the sciences can support the EU Green Deal and ensure that its ambitious biodiversity and zero-pollution targets are reached.

Policymakers and scientists will discuss the role that scientists should play in the EU Green Deal and where research is most needed.

Project LEO: Smart Local Energy Systems, Net Zero and resilient communities
by Project Local Energy Oxfordshire (LEO)

Smart Local Energy Systems are key to the country's transition to a low carbon future, offering a route to Net Zero, delivering social and economic benefits and, critically, keeping the lights on.

Can the UK lead on change? The CEE Bill and our future

• The UK has been a world leader on climate ambition to date, and has taken stronger action than many comparative countries. In order for the UK to maintain its strong reputation, the next evolution of climate architecture is needed. 
• While the current Climate Change Act has served us well, there are gaps which the proposed new CEE Bill will address and hence ensure our legacy is a safe, sustainable climate for the future.

and will be led by an expert Panel.

The event promises to be well attended with a growing number of local organisations and charities already in support (Oxford Human Rights Festival, Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust, Aspire Oxford, Abingdon Carbon Cutters, Low Carbon Oxford North and Greener Henley to mention a few). 

TEDx Wallingford is an online event featuring talks from the global TEDxCountdown launch event, as well as speakers local to Wallingford and Oxfordshire, and those from further afield. This will be an eclectic afternoon of big ideas for broad systemic and individual action.

Join us for as long (or as short) a time as you like to hear 'ideas worth spreading' about taking action on the climate crisis. Leave inspired and motivated to start making an impact where you live.

Register now for this free on-line event 

Our speakers:

Sophie Segal - ‘Going Circular at home - But what does that mean?’

Impact Entrepreneur

Erik Agudelo - ‘Tabletop Game Development: The missing link between quality education and the fight against climate crisis’

Games-based learning professional

Thalia Carr - ‘Every Little Helps When It Comes to the Climate Crisis, or does it?’

Sustainability leadership coach and facilitator

Rebecca Craske - ‘Learning from Nature, Being More Like Slime Mould’

Environmental education facilitator

Edd Keene - ‘A multi-instrumental live-looping performance'

Musician

Scott Provence

Instructional designer and author

Alexandra Whittington

Futurist

Simon Biltcliffe - ‘How Much is Enough and How Business Can Uniquely Create It’

CEO, business expert and Marxist-capitalist

Sue Roberts - ‘Housing Crisis in a Climate Crisis’

District Councillor and Environmental Campaigner on Nature Restoration 

What does the new Green Deal mean for business? Are there opportunities to provide a solution or to receive funds and or advice?

About this Event
25 years from the SBN bringing you information, connections, legal requirements and much much more related to sustainability.

Here is the SBN's December event highlighting the new Green Deal from the UK govt. What is it, how will it work, what are the barriers, what else is available etc The webinar will be using Microsoft Teams.

Sustainable Food: In the latest webinar in the Reduce the Juice: Connect series, they be taking a look at why our food system isn’t working - not for nature and the climate, and not for adequately feeding the world’s population.

They will explore what we can do to eat more sustainably in our everyday lives and support a more fair and ecologically-sound food system – from cutting down on meat and animal products, to buying local and ethical produce, to making sure none of the food we buy is wasted. They will also be asking the important question: how can our sustainable food choices go hand-in-hand with pushing for broader systemic change?

The UN COP 26 climate conference - and why it matters

Oxford Friends of the Earth is hosting this informal open meeting on Climate Action and the UN COP 26 conference on 2 December, 6 – 7.30pm.

In November 2021 the UK hosts the UN ‘COP 26’ global climate conference in Glasgow. This is a critically important event for our future. It may be the biggest gathering of world leaders ever seen in the UK. We can all play a part, working together to push for the outcomes that are greatly needed from this event.

Stuart Neaverson of the UK Climate Coalition will speak at the meeting.  There will be an open discussion and a chance to ask any question about the COP and about our work on the climate crisis. We particularly welcome new members and supporters – come along, find out more about what we do, and share your ideas as well.

A Zoom link to join the meeting online will be sent to you in advance.

At the end of October West Oxfordshire District Council published its Carbon Action Plan [2] in answer to the Climate Change Emergency that was declared by the council in June 2019. Whereas we welcome any step to reduce the rate of climate change and any preparation for addressing the impact of its inevitable consequences, this plan falls short of what the District needs.

The plan primarily addresses what the council, as an organisation, will do to reduce its own carbon footprint. By now, after more than 16 months, the Council should have a much clearer idea of what they should be doing to assist the whole district to reduce its contribution to climate change emissions.   It may be that the Climate Change Strategy, that the Council plans to have ready by the end of the year, will be more comprehensive. However, we need to make ourselves ready to challenge any shortcomings in the plans, so that when it is considered by the Council in the new year we can get firm commitments that will make a real difference.

To help us prepare, we have invited Julian Dean, the National Green Party’s Climate Officer, to give us a briefing and lead a workshop.  In that meeting we will address:
  - What exactly should a local Climate Action Plan look like?
  - How does West Oxon District Council’s newly-published action-plan match up?
  - what we should celebrate?
  - what more should we be pushing for?

If you want to know the answers to any of those questions or if you have questions of your own, especially if you want to work with us to address climate change issues locally why not join us in this workshop. We really need your input.

The Oxfordshire Green Party wants to keep in touch with its valued volunteers and supporters all year round and not just when we are fighting an election. Join us for the monthly green social. You are invited to join members and supporters every last Friday of the month from 20:00 (previously at the Oxford Blue, 32A Marston St. now on Zoom)

CANCELLED Due to Covid 19 restrictions

Do you want to learn more about regenerative farming  and sustainable food systems, including natural flood management, heritage orchards, tree planting, wildflower margins and wild beekeeping watch out for future emails?
Located roughly halfway between Chipping Norton and Shipton-under-Wychwood FarmED is a Community Interest Company established to stimulate a better understanding of regenerative farming and Food production.

This seminar brings together people from all walks of life to discuss how the UK can reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. Join us for the exciting session bringing together four people who have in-depth knowledge of the work of the assembly to discuss its work: Prof Jim Watson (assembly Expert Lead),

Prof Alan Renwick (assembly Advisory Board), Sarah Allan (from charity Involve that supported the assembly), and

Jack Miller (from the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology who will help take forward the recommendations within parliament).