Leeds- Transform the City
This Sunday!
Transform the City!
An action planning event at the Common Place.
All welcome
www.thecommonplace.org.uk
6pm Sunday 17th February
Sick of skyscrapers, posh offices, yuppie flats and overpriced
entertainment in Leeds?
Do you really live it and love it?
Or do you want something else?
April 11th and 12th 2008 will be European days of action to transform
and reclaim our cities.
As part of this there are plans to hold a weekend festival of resistance
and creativity in heart of Leeds city centre.
All skills, ideas and interests are needed to transform the city. Let
your imagination run free and help us dream another city!
Transform-create-beautify-reclaim-recycle-improve-share
Environment Council Training
The Environment Council is a unique and independent charity dedicated to improving decision-making processes so that people can build lasting, sustainable solutions to environmental issues.
The Environment Councils 2008 Open Course Programme is packed with exciting and dynamic training courses that will add value to your professional skills.
All sectors are increasingly aware of the importance of communicating openly and effectively with clients, the public, funders, colleagues and electorate. The Environment Council's Open Course Programme will equip you with the skills to engage effectively with those you work with to enable inclusive (consensual), transparent and sustainable decision-making.
To learn how to facilitate effective meetings, identify and recruit the right stakeholders, design dynamic engagement processes, evaluate your impact, or just to have an informal discussion about any of your learning needs, please call the Training Team on 0207 632 0138/0118 2008
Programme Details
Fast Facilitation 2nd April, 8th May, 3rd Sept, 23rd Oct.
This course provides an opportunity to gain an overview of facilitation and to learn a variety of basic techniques in a fast paced one-day course. Suitable for those with little to no previous experience of facilitation, this course will equip you with the skills and understanding to both participate more effectively in meetings as well as to facilitate small to medium sized groups, building your professional capacity and confidence.
Practical Facilitation Skills and Principles (3 days) 4-6th Mar, 20-22 May, 23-25th Sept.
We all have different values and ideals, and this in depth 3-day course will help you to develop the skills to facilitate dynamic and inclusive meetings and workshops. Stakeholder engagement is a structured process that brings together individuals or organisations to create consensual, mutually beneficial solutions. From our extensive practical experience of facilitated engagement, it is only when all perspectives are respected and taken into equal consideration that truly sustainable decisions are made. This course is suitable for those with little or no experience of facilitation who want to develop the skills and confidence to learn how to effectively and creatively engage people in meetings, seminars and workshops, learning and practicing these skills in a supportive setting.
Evaluating Engagement 6th Feb, 10th April, 3rd June, 16th Sept, 8th Oct.
This course is suitable for those with some experience of engagement and/or communications processes who want to learn how to demonstrate and communicate their project's impact to their stakeholders; ensure accountability and resource efficiency, and appropriately and effectively evaluate their engagement processes.
For more information on any of the above courses or details of our bespoking services please visit http://www.the-environment-council.org.uk/training.html
Environmental and Climate Justice e-seminar
A very interesting idea this e-seminar.
You are invited to join the EcoRes Forum from 11-24 April 2008 for "Environmental (In)Justice: Sources, Symptoms, and Solutions", the second in a series of online dialogues focusing on the ethical, political and socio-cultural aspects of climate change.
As experts call for swift action in response to accelerating climate change, the words "global warming" have become commonplace. Headlines and commentators tout the latest technological developments, politicians focus on greening their platforms, and concerned citizens in MDCs check their house insurance and consider relocating to higher ground. Adaptation is underway.
But what about those who can't make that choice? Those forced to cope with changes they can least afford, changes to which they contributed little? As the data continues to pour in, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer's warning is being confirmed – over and over again: "The most
vulnerable communities in the poorest countries, those who have contributed nothing to climate change, will be the worst affected by its impact."
As the growing numbers of unemployed, displaced and dis-eased climate refugees and victims of injustice outpace projections, one thing is clear: Our task, our ethical responsibility, is to ensure that this indefensible discrimination does not continue. What will this require?
Nothing less than incorporating fully the interrelated principles of environmental and climate justice across the board, at all levels, in all decision-making platforms, throughout all societies.
The purpose of this dialogue is to raise awareness among participants about environmental and climate justice: what these concepts mean, underlying causes and symptoms of EJ/CJ injustice, how this injustice may be rectified, and related elements ranging from national immigration
policy and internaional contraction and convergence proposals to xenophobia and racism.
PANEL OF EXPERTS: Joining the Forum panel will be Drs. Julian AGYEMAN (USA), Patrick BOND (South Africa), Robert D. BULLARD (USA), Michael DORSEY (USA), and Shirley THOMPSON (Canada), internationally known and respected leaders in their fields. Additional panelists are being announced throughout March.
BREAKOUT DISCUSSIONS: Proposals for self-directed breakout discussions and presentations on related subjects may be submitted to forum@eco-res.
website, with limited server space provided for presentation materials.
Deadline for proposals: 18 March 2008.
NEW FORMAT!! EcoRes is pleased to introduce its new web-based e-conference format, which will be hosted on the Forum website. Registration is required for participation, with materials accessible as read-only for non-registrants.
The EcoRes Forum e-conference series brings together academics and activists, scientists and social critics, researchers, journalists, community leaders and members from around the world, offering a unique opportunity to learn from and network with like-minded citizens. By
offering the series free of charge, crossing cultural, disciplinary and geopolitical borders, and removing the financial and logistical barriers to participation often encountered by those whom climate change threatens most, EcoRes continues to encourage wide-ranging stakeholder
participation, with registrants from over 90 countries taking part in previous issue discussions.
Join us as we discuss this urgent need for widespread political and societal transformation: For more information or to register for the April event, visit the EcoRes Forum at http://www.eco-
We look forward to sharing this thought-provoking discussion with you!
The EcoRes Forum Team
http://www.eco-
Online Registration Now Open: http://www.eco-
Green Social Enterprise
Is your enterprise going green?
Carbon footprints, climate change, recycling affecting your organisation?
Social Enterprise Link are holding a networking event for social enterprises across West Yorkshire looking at the opportunities being environmentally aware can have on your organisation.
26th February at Meanwood Valley Urban Farm, 10 am – 12.30pm
During the workshop we will hear from speakers including consultants and people running social enterprises to look at how organisations can incorporate an environmental policy into their organisation. There will also be a marketing expert to give guidance on how to promote the policies and also look at the market opportunities for new business, expansion or diversification.
The event aims to provide practical solutions and there will also be a discussion session. If you would like to topics for this session or would like specific questions answering please send these to lucy.p@sesc.info.
The event is free for those working for social enterprises in West Yorkshire. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
To book a place, please contact lucy.p@sesc.info
Film Showing: Everything's Cool....
The incredible story of a handful of global warming messengers speaking out in a time of disinformation.
Tuesday 16th February at 6.30pm in Leeds University, Parkinson Building Room B.09 "EVERYTHING'S COOL is a toxic comedy about the most dangerous chasm ever to emerge between scientific understanding and political action - Global Warming. While industry-funded naysayers sing their swan song of scientific doubt and deception, a group of self-appointed global warming messengers are on a life-or-death quest to help the public go from understanding the urgency of the problem to creating the political will necessary to push for a new energy economy."
Get up to £200 for community/ environmental projects
I'm not adding this to the funding section of the blog becasue the deadline is so short. Details below.
Several of us put on an awareness/fundraiser night called GrassRoots at the Burley Liberal. We raised more money than anticipated for Green Action and thought it would be a nice idea to set up a Grant scheme so that individuals or groups in Leeds can apply for upto £200 to help them either set up or maintain a community/environmental project. GrassRoots is about awareness raising aswell as fundraising, and the great thing is that people have fun on the night and communities/environment can benefit from it afterwards. Attached is the application form. Please spread far and wide!
The deadline is the 11th of March contact: unigreen@leeds.ac.uk for more information or contact jon.holland@leedsvoice.org.uk for an application form
For the next GrassRoots part of the money will go to buying fruit trees/shrubs, herbs and other plants to plant in Rosebank Millenium Green in Hyde Park/Burley. They started an orchard there whiose fruits are available for any member of public to feast on, sadly there were not enough people to look after it. The plan is to give ebrybody who comes to the next GrassRoots a chance to help plant and maintain the orchard in the future!
Leeds Friends of the Earth New Members’ Event
Leeds Friends of the Earth is holding a new members’ event on Tuesday 4th March, 7:30pm, at the Victoria Hotel pub, Great George St, Leeds city centre (behind Leeds town hall).
Leeds Friends of the Earth is making its voice heard on local, national and international green issues. From fighting for action on climate change, to making Leeds a greener and better place to live, we work for what we feel passionately about, with people who feel the same way.
Come along for food and drink, the chance to find out who we are and what we get up to, and to see if you want to join in!
Any questions, call James on 07968 854696, or email us at leedsfoe@hotmail.co.uk