I went to three very different sustainability events over three days. Different cities, different topics, but some common themes.
First up was a trip over to Manchester for Elevate’s Northern Sustainability Summit. Despite the broad regional billing, it was very focused on what’s happening in Greater Manchester. But given the emergence of Manchesterism as the UK’s defining political philosophy, it’s maybe more important than ever to understand what’s been working well on the western side of the hills.
The morning featured a string of presentations on projects in industrial decarbonisation strategy, hydrogen clustering, events management and EV charging networks.
The work on industrial decarbonisation, presented by Tom Addison of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, paralleled some projects I’ve been involved with in Yorkshire. Inevitably, it’s a place-based approach – which here means looking for ways to reduce the emissions of all the companies on an industrial park, encouraging collaboration and shared solutions such as heat networks and solar farms.
The afternoon was the real treat, though. Following a morning talk on the CyanLines project to connect the city’s green spaces along the often-hidden rivers and canals, local guide Jonathan Schofield led an entertaining and enlightening walking tour of some of the key sites.
As well as providing some cool new routes for active travel and leisure, the project aims to help manage rainwater and improve the city’s climate resilience.
The centre of Manchester’s changed a lot since I lived there round the turn of the century, though it mostly seems to be growing upwards. It’s time to focus on its watery roots.
Energising discussions
Back on the dryer side of the hills, the North East & Yorkshire Net Zero Hub’s Energising Britain event in Bradford celebrated community energy projects.
The first panel featured projects involving football, fish & chips, ice cream, and ancient buildings. Cultural stereotyping aside, it effectively showed how the energy transition is affecting every aspect of life.
It was particularly good to hear from the voices working in social housing, primary schools, village social clubs, and solar projects in former mining communities. They all show how a little investment in renewable power, insulation and energy efficiency can make a huge difference to communities.
In a lot of cases, the key to success is active engagement with communities, listening to people’s concerns, and not just dumping information on people and pretending you know all the answers.
Effective open communication, in short.
A day on the river
And then, with my Environmental Projects in Kirklees volunteer hat on, I spent a day at the Calder Rivers Trust summer school very close to home in Huddersfield.
My main job was helping lead the gathered river management and wildlife specialists on a walk around parts of the Huddersfield Riverside Nature Park. The town’s obviously not as built up as the centre of Manchester, but many parts can still feel divorced from anything natural.
There are some real havens for wildlife and people along the Colne’s course through town, barely a stone’s throw from the University campus and some busy main roads. One visitor counted five different species of butterfly within a minute.
It was also a great opportunity to hear about the various river management projects around West Yorkshire. Water companies, academics, local government and community groups are working together to reduce flood risks, protect wildlife, and improve access so more people can enjoy the health and social benefits of spending time in nature.
The keynote presentation from Professor Alistair Boxall from the University of York highlighted the scale of the challenge around water quality. He’s leading the Ecomix project, which is measuring the presence of dozens of different man-made chemicals in rivers across Yorkshire. None of England’s rivers are good quality, and the Calder (as measured in Mirfield and Wakefield) is among the worst in Yorkshire.
Those chemicals come from a host of sources including agriculture, road traffic, pet treatments, sunscreen, and pharmaceuticals legal or otherwise. Many are known to have harmful effects on wildlife or humans. Stopping them entering our waterways will be a massive job involving multiple stakeholders, but the first step has to be knowing what’s in there and where it comes from.
And again, there’s a huge role for effective communications. Many pet owners visiting scenic riverside spots would surely be horrified to know that Rover’s flea treatment could be fatal to fish as well as songbirds. The UK government is reportedly considering restrictions on some treatments but, as with other chemicals, behavioural change is key. And that has to start with awareness, and confidence that a better way is possible.