Local Projects & Activities

2007-2008 Programme

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Recently happened

4 October 2007 latest in series of Educational Dialogue Group meetings

Jim Scott has been attending these meetings over a number of years, while he was serving on the Board of the Stakeholder Forum, which originally initiated and serviced this Group. The EDG has broad representation across the UK of people concerned with education for sustainable development at regional, national and international levels, especially from universities and NGOs like us. It provides a valuable on-going forum for both requesting and providing information and the lastest thinking in this area.

9 September 2007, Urban Green Fair, Brockwell Park, South London

Having had to abandon a summer fair last year, we played an active part in the same Urban Green Fair, this time around. We pitched in and shared the organising of the: 'Energy: The Climate Change and Peak Oil Challenge' Zone. Within a marquee, three live performances of our Climate Change Show (adapted from the Shows presented in primary schools) were presented by our professional actors, and Jim conducted a new workshop on 'Taking climate action to a deeper level'. Within a programme, which we designed and had specially printed, other presentations were given on: Peak Oil, Transition Town Brixton (given by our theatrical director in another role!), and on Making Your Home Energy Efficient.

We naturally had our own information stall and the secretary for Save our World, Emily Myers, devised, equipped and organised a painting area under an open-sided tent. We are very grateful to Awards for All for their grant enabling us to participate in this very successful Fair.

The fact that the overall organisers were refused an entertainment licence turned out to be a blessing in disguise, since our and other presenters were spared background noise of many kinds and the absence of alchohol attracted greater attention to the green messages and made it a delightful and very family-friendly day.

21 May 2007 Nag Nights - Strangelove, Sex & Climate Change Anti-apathy event

This was something else! Both Kyla Davis and Jim went up front to join in at the same time, when the mc invited people forward to give their views impromptu on this provocative combination of subjects. Both homed in on unitary experiences in both sex and values for tackling climate change, and many others had their highly entertaining say. One was particularly insightful in saying that 'resonating' with those you are trying to contact is important. Lots of the new SoW leaflets were distributed among the audience afterwards, and we met a few people who were very interested in our approach to changing attitudes, priorities and values.

24 March 2007, second of two Synergy Gatherings.

These were held at the Synergy Centre, behind Camberwell New Road, near to our office at Oval in South London. It contains large rooms built for industrial purposes, which were colourfully decorated and equipped for music and sound for these gatherings that lasted all night. Jim was invited to the first one and happened to have some SoW leaflets with him, and spontaneously joined in a discussion. On the second occasion he was billed to speak, once more on the same theme as above, and it came across quite powerfully at the end of a series of presentations hosted by Duncan Law, the theatrical director for our Educational Project in schools. We also had our own stall and laptop showing the special web pages for the New Movement for Survival - again drawing strong interest from a few individuals.

27 February 2007 Lambeth Council Climate Change Fair and Conference.

This was Lambeth's first ever on this theme, and Duncan Law and helpers managed a Lambeth Climate Action Group(s)' stall next to ours, at which our admin assistant Laura Moreno supported Jim Scott. Laura and Jim took turns visiting the conference, which was aimed very much at Lambeth Council's efforts on water, waste and energy conservation and waste recycling, and on the initiatives of the Greater London Authority's Climate Change Agency for London.

18/10/2006 First Meeting of Lambeth Climate Action Group(s)

This was the brainchild of member and theatrical director for our Educational Programme, Duncan Law. It was originally a group of specific issue-based groups, dedicated to taking action on climate change at local level, but later had to develop a constitution as a singular body, in order to be eligible to receive funding. 35 people came to this initial meeting, got to know one another, and volunteered to join their chosen issue or aspect of action on climate change.

A subsequent meeting with the chair of the Council's Planning Committee was especially interesting to Jim because it contained a potential catalyst for local environmental organisations, like SoW, to press the Council to take action in many areas of concern, as the Lambeth Environment Forum had been set up to do. Out of LCAG has also sprung the momentum to promote Brixton as a future Transition Town, becoming self-sufficient in energy needs, among others.

8 July 2006. Green Day at East Bergholt in Suffolk

Duncan and Jim were both invited independently to give workshops at this enjoyable countryside event, with many of the characteristics of a fete. Duncan's was very down-to-earth on the science of climate change and what individuals could do about it, and not unlike the Roadshows he directed at fairs in previous years, only for adults. He even used the same diagrams that have been presented at the Roadshows and to our Shows in schools. Jim's presentation on the same theme as at 2nd Campaign against Climate Change Conference in May 2007 was much more effective on this occasion, producing intense interest in a few people.

4 June 2006. Camden Green Fair.

Organisers: Camden Green Fair Steering Group. With representatives from: London Borough of Camden; Groundwork Camden & Islington; Camden Cycling Campaign. Jim presented our petitions, fliers and invitations to join, on the ground. This was the easiest, most cost-effective option. Close to a main entry point for pedestrians, our display attracted a lot more attention and interested enquiries than at the Kingston Green Fair.

29 May 2006. Kingston Green Fair.

Organisers: Green Futures. This annual event has many environmental and spiritual elements. Jim went down to the fair to hand out fliers, gather signatures for petitions and invite people to become members. However, it was very difficult to engage people on a deeper level than a simple day's entertainment.

Monday 29 August 2005, Carshalton Environmental Fair, Carshalton Park, Sutton, South London.

Beautiful day in England, but note the image of Hurricane Isobelle two years ago, above Marcia's head in the left-hand picture. For Hurricane Katrina struck in New Orleans on the morning of this Fair. We knew about it and told people about it, but did not then know how devastating it would turn out to be. Many people signed our petitions during the day, as well as the first sign-up sheets for the New Movement for Survival, in light of possibly less than ten years to the point of no return on climate change. Go to Challenge page to read the Manifesto and Pledge to Love Life above All Else !!!

9 July 2005, Stockwell Festival. Roadshow and stall in Larkhall Park, Lambeth, South London.

This is the nearest venue so far to our registered office; in fact within walking distance. It was a local rather than a specifically green event, though we were in the company of other green campaigns and stalls. As at Camden, our performance area was out in the open, which provided a challenge to holding our audience's attention - from competing activities and amplified sounds.

Being the final presentation with the financial support of Bridge House Trust, we have carried out an analysis of responses in completed questionnaires at all our Roadshows to date. Of the 118 responses to the questionnaires, 83% said the Roadshows fulfilled their expectations: 98% were glad they came; 85% said the environment mattered 'a lot' to them; 78% said they felt they can influence the future state of the environment; and 69% were more encouraged about their possible influence by taking part in the Roadshow. Admittedly the results only apply to those who completed the questionnaires; yet 60% of them were just 'walking by' members of the public, compared with hearing of the Roadshows by any other means. This method of communicating about climate change, though small in scale, is clearly free of the denial and helplessness about it which appears prevalent at the national level.

5 June 2005, Camden Green Fair. Stall and three Roadshow performances in Regents Park, London.

For the first time, our theatrical director managed to deliver all our props for the Roadshows by quadracycle, as you can see below, leaving our office and base. He then set up our banner and mast with vital climate information on histograms in the so-called Village Green, where all the shows were put on. It was encircled with stalls and activities of many kinds. Our stall was in the designated Climate Change marquee. The fair had grown a lot over the years and we were kept very busy.

29 & 31 October, Energy Efficiency Week Roadshows: 29 October in the gardens of Southwark Cathedral, 31 October in Peckham Square, Peckham, South London

These Roadshows were presented at the invitation of Sustainable Energy Action Ltd., who provided funding support along with Bridge House Trust. The timing of the Friday presentations was intended to enable office workers in the London Bridge and Borough Market areas to attend. Similarly, the Sunday presentations were timed to co-incide with the Sunday morning farmers market.

The ambience of each venue was markedly different. There was a strong metropolitan feel at the corner of Southwark Cathedral, with the rumble of trains on an overhead viaduct close by, and a mixture of office-workers, tourists and visitors to the Borough Market passing by. Getting people to stop and come into the Roadshow in a marquee took some effort, but once each of the three shows started, others joined in.

The Peckham Roadshows were in the open, in front of some shallow steps, and with a modern archway to the main street behind the audiences and the strange new library on stilts in front of them. Being so open, it was difficult to contain the audiences and a public right-of-way passed right next to the performance area. The farmers' market was not particularly full and many people were passing through, thereby adding to the difficulties of retaining the audiences.

However, for both venues a good rapport was developed with the representatives of Sustainable Energy Action, our stalls were close to one another, many people signed our petitions and signed-up for low-energy light bulbs with SEA. The shows had good impact, and some really committed people stayed to sign the certificates and give feedback on the questionnaires.

19 September 2004, Sunday. Shoreditch Car Free Day, Garden Walk, off Great Eastern Street, London Borough of Hackney - with the help of funding support from Bridge House Trust.

This was the second year running that Save our World teamed up with the Lions Part theatre company to present three more of our unique Roadshows on Averting Climate Change. On a site a little way from last year, this was literally street theatre. Greater effort was needed to entice our audiences away from the main thoroughfare, but once they settled, they were just as absorbed as last time.

Once more the dramatic presentations of the effects of climate change, which the audiences were invited to help simulate (see photo), were followed by demonstrations of actions that they could take, and help was given with the filling out of pledges on Certificates.

All 32 of those filling out questionnaires said they were glad they came, 31 responded positively (some of them enthusiastically) to: 'what did you most like about it?', 26 said the environment mattered 'a lot' to them, 22 said they felt they can influence the state of the environment in future, and 19 said they were more encouraged about their possible influence by coming to the Roadshows. As stated below about last year, no conclusions can be made about those who did not fill out questionnaires at the end of the presentations.

The second of our successful Climate Change Roadshows was presented in the Performing Arts marquee at this event, as a result of a successful funding application to Bridge House Trust. We rushed out fliers to the visitors to the Fair in time for an early performance, so that one of the actors could get to Oxford to act in a straight play in the evening. Plenty of people turned up and got involved.

We also had a stall and received lots of enquiries and signatures for our petitions, all of which are now on line, on this or our global site. Again the weather went through lots of changes, especially gusting wind.

17-18 July 2004, weekend. Lambeth Country Show, Brockwell Park, Lambeth, South London.

We had our first stall at a public local event, other than in support of our own Roadshows. Lots of people signed our three petitions, and we displayed our pledge certificates, authoritative data on the science of climate change and newspaper quotes on the subject, the synopsis and full version of our latest Boiling Point issue:'By force, persuasion or enlightened self-interest'.

The weather on the first day ran the gamut of climate variations for us - from heavy rain and hailstones to hot steamy sunshine. Our photo-montages of Brixton Road, Lambeth, under water (see banner at the top of all our web-site pages), pictorial illustration of 'Flying into Trouble' and satellite photo of last September's Hurricane Isabelle - all danced around wildly in the strong wind.

21 September 2003. First Roadshows at Shoreditch Carnival and Car Free Day.

These were held three times at this event, and, by our own modest reckoning!, were highly successful !!!

They were the culmination of three years' planning to go down the route of commissioning professional actors to engage the public in addressing and responding to the dangers of climate change, as described more fully in the Background section below.

The lively way in which the actors succeeded in captivating the audiences of mainly young people and children, is reflected in the responses that just under 50 of them gave in their questionnaires. Forty-five out of 49 responded that it fulfilled their expectations; all were glad they came and all responded positively, in varied ways, to 'what did you most like about it?'; only 11 had anything they disliked about it; 37 said they learned 'some' or 'a lot' that was new; 42 agreed they felt they could influence the future of the environment; and 39 were 'more encouraged about their possible influence by coming today'.

Admittedly, those who completed the questionnaires were a self-selected sample and so no comparisons can be made with those who declined to take part, left during the performances or stayed but did not complete questionnaires. The audience numbers were not counted but a reasonable guess is a total of 100, averaging 33 at each showing. So the questionnaires account for about half of the audiences, probably linked with 'how important is the future of the environment to you?' since 42 of responders said 'a lot'. But the audience contained many children who would have been too young to complete questionnaires themselves - as you will see in one of the photos that follow.

One inspiration of the theatrical director was to give to all participants academic-looking Certificates for them to enter future intentions (pledges) out of 'caring for the future of our beautiful planet'. It was also stated on the Certificate that 'Save our World will, on request, support these intentions with a telephone call in a month's time to the number you leave on the Questionnaire'. We were thus left with 18 potential follow-up calls, but also 10 potential follow-up e-mails and 4 follow-up letters.

There's much more that could be written, but we have plenty of pics that were taken professionally without a fee, and a video is in the making at a very much reduced one. We are very grateful for these, and for the dedication of the performers on a minimal budget, the financial support of The Bodyshop Foundation, Transport for London and individual sponsorships for an activity of our own.

In conclusion, we consider the outcome of these Roadshows to be highly encouraging for both performers and Save our World. We shall explore ways of utilising the material so far gathered and in progress for the promotion of future Roadshow performances and Workshops in schools, as well as the means of funding them.

Background

This project started out as a means of getting to the core of the message we wanted to put out through our Save our World festivals in 1998-2000; but we found ourselves too caught up in managing the festivals themselves to give this the attention it really needed. We also wanted to distinguish it clearly from the exchange of opinions that usually comprise debates at summertime events and festivals in the UK - by commissioning a professional director and actors to present it.

We eventually achieved the latter, but only through a tortuous process of applying for funding to take the project first into schools and then to summer festivals run by other organisations. We were then invited to present what we currently call (ironically) our Roadshow at the Shoreditch Car Free Day in Central London, on Sunday 21 September.

In partnership with the theatrical organisation THE LIONS PART, the Roadshow was designed to do four things:

1. INFORM participants very simply about the causes and effects of climate change;

2. ENGAGE them in what climate change means for them and action they think they can take - in a very lively, spontaneous and participative way;

3.EMPOWER them by giving them a taste of taking such action - and more than they thought possible;

4.COMMIT them to following up that action in their own lives, with the support of Save our World

Lambeth Borough level activity

Up till 2004, Save our World's participation at this level was through the Lambeth Environment Forum. This was set up some years before by locally concerned people to act as the partnership body for the community and Lambeth Council to develop environmental policies and practices covered by Local Agenda 21 (inaugurated at the Earth Summit 1992 in Rio for the 21st century). Save our World joined it in 1998 in order to produce mutual benefit to our causes at the time of putting on our first Save our World Festival in the Borough.

The Forum went into abeyance while awaiting the necessary support, with Jim as acting chairperson, for a re-launch as an umbrella body for local community and environmental organisations who want to make a positive contribution to sustainable development and to take action to reduce their environmental impact. However, the new local Community Empowerment Network is currently being considered as an alternative to relaunching the LEF, since it already is represented on Lambeth Council's Local Strategic Partnership - which the Council is encouraging as a means of meeting its obligations to consult the local population.

Other local representation

Our trustees have represented both the Lambeth Environment Forum and Save our World at the Council-initiated 'Town Centre' Forum for the local districts of Kennington, Oval and Vauxhall in the northern part of the Borough.

Save our World is a member of the Lambeth Voluntary Action Council, which provides a lot of useful information on services, sources of funding, training and accountancy. We are on the database of the Sustainable London Trust, and occasionally attend Environment Committee meetings of the Greater London Council. These provide an opportunity to address the Committee - so far on the dangers, to global warming, of the proposed expansion of the aviation industry.

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