CCF goes international!
Rosemary Randall was invited to the Manchester International F
estival last weekend to present CCF’s work – we were one of 20 ideas (internationally!) selected to be presented as climate change solutions for the Manchester Report and (sadly) the only community level initiative chosen. The ‘report’ is in the Guardian (14/7/09) and on the Guardian Blogg.
There is also a short video of Rosemary Randall at the festival.
Manchester International Festival and The Guardian invited scientists, engineers, campaigners and members of the public to submit their climate-saving ideas during May 2009. A shortlist of 20 of the most promising applicants have been invited to present their ideas, which involve everything from algae to cloud seeding to hydrogen fuel.
Over the weekend of 4 and 5 July at Manchester Town Hall, each will give a 10-15 minute presentation to a panel of experts in front of a live audience, before responding to questions. The results will form the basis of The Manchester Report
Chaired by Lord Bingham, formerly Britain’s most senior judge, and staged jointly by the Guardian and the Manchester International Festival, the event felt like a cross between a judicial inquiry and an episode of Dragons’ Den, with advocates for each idea making their case in 15 minutes and then facing a grilling by the panel.
Guardian reports have said:
“Not all the ideas proposed relied on technology. Psychotherapist Rosemary Randall described her Cambridge-based project to reduce people’s carbon footprint by engaging them in a series of “carbon conversations”. She was puzzled by the fact that people who accepted the threat of climate change still didn’t change their lifestyles accordingly. In response, her approach not only helps people understand their carbon footprints but also recognises the key role that psychology and emotion play in behaviour change. “We don’t just talk about how to increase energy efficiency in a home, we talk about what makes a home a home.” Typically, people who went through her six-meeting course cut one tonne from their carbon emissions in the first year and halved their emissions in two to five years.”
and
“One of the most quietly inspiring presentations came from Rosemary Randall, a Cambridge psychotherapist who had been puzzled by the ability of people at the same time to acknowledge the threat of climate change and in no way change their high carbon lifestyle. Randall designed a series of “carbon conversations” in which she encourages people to explore their attitude to consumption, identity and status. “
