Raising Ambition: Exploring zero carbon, socially-just transitions in Britain, Yorkshire and the Kirkstall Valley

You are warmly invited to join us for an evening gathering to explore how we can work together to create healthier, more prosperous, low carbon and climate resilient communities.

Before Christmas, a group of passionate and enthusiastic residents, business people, academics and community representatives met to discuss the following question: How can we learn together and share knowledge between communities, businesses, education and agencies to develop Kirkstall Valley into a leading light for climate and community sustainability by prototyping, exploring and creating our best future together?

We will be taking this question forward as our thinking point for the event. So, please join us for a bunch of inspirational short talks, mapping and sharing what’s already happening before we collectively agree next steps.

*** Please note that to ensure we have good community representation, half the tickets have been reserved for people who live or work in Armley, Bramley, Burley or Kirkstall ***

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Chair: Professor Paul Chatterton, Professor of Urban Futures, Co-founder of LILAC Housing and a Director of Kirkstall Valley Development Trust
Workshop Facilitator: Phil Marken, Owner and Founder of Open Source Arts and member of Leeds Climate Commission
Event Coordinator: Margo Hanson, Secretariat Coordinator: Leeds Climate Commission; Research Manager – Energy, Climate Change & Sustainability, University of Leeds

Our speed networking sessions
Phil Marken will host short speed networking sessions at the start, during the middle and towards the end of the talks so we can become better connected & more effective.

Our talks
On Vision – Raising Ambition: Inspiring visions for our zero carbon future: Paul Allen, Project Co-ordinator, Zero Carbon Britain, Centre for Alternative Technology
On City Scale Action – Enabling Climate Action in A Can-Do City: Kate Lock, Communications Officer for Leeds Climate Commission and the Priestley International Centre for Climate
On People Power – Getting involved with Zero Carbon Yorkshire: Tony Herrmann, Director of COGS (Communities & Organisations: Growth and Support) / Carbon Conversations / Zero Carbon Yorkshire
On Living Lightly – Low impact living the LILAC way: Liz Lewis, LILAC resident
On Positive Community Engagement – Adele Rae, KVDT Director
On Funding the Future – KVDT and partners in the valley will be announcing an exciting opportunity for communities, researchers and innovators to come together to promote people-focused sustainability in Kirkstall Valley wards of Armley, Bramley, Burley and Kirkstall – Sue Ball, Media Arts Partnership

Our workshop
How do we learn and work together to pioneer new ways of shaping our sustainable future? – A mapping activity to showcase the amazing work already happening: Phil Marken, Founder, Open Source Arts & Member of Leeds Climate Commission

Next Steps
On making it happen – Next steps so that we can start to make a difference: Paul Chatterton

About
Kirkstall Valley Development Trust (KVDT) is a community benefit society run by those who live and work in the valley and its neighbouring communities. Its aim is to make sure the assets of the valley are used for the benefit of people who live and work there.

Open Source Arts: Open Source Arts (OSA) is a social business based in the Kirkstall Valley working diversely to develop creative communities which care deeply about and act in benefit of the places, environments and ecosystems they live in. With portfolios including river stewardship & flood prevention; The Leeds “Precious Plastics” Workspace; Reclaiming the Kirkstall-Leeds canal towpath as a safe place to be after nightfall and hosting conversations that matter in a way which helps people become stronger. OSA is passionate about helping people connect, converse generatively and take action together. OH! And also passionate about providing plenty of opportunities to gather, celebrate, connect, learn and discover potential!

Leeds Climate Commission: Leeds Climate Commission is a city wide partnership with members from 25 key public, private and third sector organisations in the city. Led by the University of Leeds and Leeds City Council, its aim is to bring people and organisations together to shape Leeds’ transition to a low carbon, climate resilient city and to mirror at a city scale the strategic priorities of the UK Committee on Climate Change (UKCCC). One of its key objectives is support forums where people can come together to ideas and best practice on carbon reduction and climate resilience.

Zero Carbon Yorkshire: Zero Carbon Yorkshire is a Yorkshire-based group of campaigners, academics and organisations. It has been jointly initiated by individuals working at Schumacher North, the Oasis School of Human Relations, Friends of the Earth, Leeds TIDAL and the University of Leeds.

Common Ground Leeds: Common Ground Leeds will shake-up and input into new forms of civic society responsive to global/local challenges that explore Collective Governance, Enacting the Social and Solidarity Economy, Re-purposing and Retro-fitting, Technology in the Service of the Social Agenda and New Forms of Making, Doing and Entrepreneurship.

Leeds Love It, Share It: Leeds Love It Share It is a research think tank which came together in 2008 to explore new visions of how Leeds can be in the future in response to the challenges ahead

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We hope to see you there.

Best wishes,

Paul, Phil and Margo

Paul Chatterton, Professor of Urban Futures, University of Leeds / a Director of Kirkstall Valley Development Trust
Phil Marken, Owner and Founder of Open Source Arts; Member of Leeds Climate Commission
Margo Hanson, Secretariat Coordinator: Leeds Climate Commission; Research Manager – Energy, Climate Change & Sustainability, University of Leeds
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Sustainability Research Institute (Room 9.117)
School of Earth and Environment
University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT