Climate and Me was a series of free online events we ran this Feb 2021 about the climate designed to make you think, feel, laugh, cry and be inspired to act on climate change.
We didn’t record the whole thing, but our youtube channel is here, and below are links to what we did record.
We also encourage you to look at our Cimate and Me Pledge page here if you want to take action. And here is a link to the pledge itself.
Spirituality and the Climate Crisis: how is faith interlinked with caring about climate change?
Talks and discussion with speakers from Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Christian communities. This was our most popular session and reached maximum capacity (100) within a minute of opening. So if you wanted to come but couldn’t get in, here is the recording.
Concert: Songs for a Changing Climate by Camilla Cancantata, composer, musician and climate activist. Reflections in words and music on the times we live in. It’s time for humans to stop imposing change on everything else around us, and start to change ourselves. Time’s running out – can we learn to co-exist with the rest of life on this planet and finally call a halt to wilful destruction? You can listen to the concert here.
People with links and family from across the world spoke about what they are seeing and how it feels watching the effects of climate change on the people they love. These talks were recorded and are now on our climate change experiences page here. Places spoken about include Jamaica, the Gambia, Leicester, Sri Lanka, Australia, the Congo, India, Derbyshire, Kenya, Afghanistan, the Welsh Boarders, Uganda and Vietnam.
Workshops and Talks which we recorded or you can see the slides from:
Talk: Climate, Cargo and Commonsense with Helen Butterfield from Climate Action’s Transport Group. The goods transport sector is one of the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, and Leicestershire is at the heart of this as diesel trucks, vans and roads are mainly used to transport goods around the country. This talk will look at some of the alternatives which could help to stop our freight industry stop driving climate change – such as ‘last mile’ freight hubs, electric cargo bikes, rail interchanges and hydrogen fuel. You can download a PDF of the slides here: The Climate,Cargo and Commonsense
Talk: Climate Change and Trade Justice in the Global South, with Alison Skinner chair of Global Justice Leicester. This talk will cover the impact of climate change affected weather on people in the Global South and describe the current campaigns of Global Justice Now to ensure more democratic scrutiny of trade deals and highlight the ways in which trade deals can prevent countries in the Global South from adopting policies which might reduce global emissions. Global Justice Leicester is a member of our Climate Coalition. You can watch the talk here.
Talk: The Role of ‘Intentional Communities’ in implementing climate change practice with Martin Fields from East Midlands Community Led Housing. This presentation considered the current opportunities for ‘intentional communities’ in the UK to place climate change practices at the heart of their daily operations. It looked at examples of Cohousing neighbourhoods, ecovillages and other collaborative housing settings, and what policies could support more community projects to drive their climate change principles forward. You can see the power point slides used in the presentation here: Intentional communities and climate change or watch the talk here.
Talk: Leicester’s Workplace Parking Levy. Adam Clarke, Deputy City Mayor for Environment and Transportation spoke about the City Council’s transport plans and plans to introduce a Workplace Parking Levy in order to reduce car use and improve public transport in the city. Watch his talk here.
Performance and talk: Dumping Santa and Discussing Donuts, with Anna Walsh. Poetry and economics. Yes…together! But don’t be scared. Anna gets emotional about fair and sustainable economic ideas and the consumerism of Christmas. Then she makes it rhyme and shares it with you. If you don’t think you like poetry or economics, this could be for you. Watch her perform her poem and talk about donut economics here. There are some alternative economic links here.
The Climate Food show, with Hafsah Hafeji and Zina Zelter. Along with videos of local people from all walks of life making climate friendly food from many countries (see below) we chatted about the thoughts which come up about the climate crisis when we think about food – be it global climate justice, the conversations we have over food, or what changes the carbon footprints of specific foods. You can download the recipes here: low carbon foods from around the world. Rather than use the original recordings, we’ve decided to do an expanded version – so the first episode is here and there will be more to follow over time.
Fasolia (Libyan bean soup) from Saja Elmishry: “Fruitful conversations happen over a meal and I want to highlight the different topics that can be discussed over a low carbon food that is a traditional Libyan cuisine. By showcasing a variety of meals, we show how different people from all walks of life can be included in the sustainability conversation as well. We can only benefit from each other by having all of us present and taking part in conversations that are inclusive in terms of topics but also people. Simply put, in order to solve this climate change crisis, we need to have representation.”
Lentil and tomato soup from Marcus Laming: “Lentil and tomato soup is good for the environment because basil and tomatoes can be grown in your own garden so you don’t have to get them from another country in a shop.”
Nusayba aged 12 with mum Nazia, present how to make Pau Bhaji (cauliflower, potato and pea curry) along with information about the carbon footprints of the ingredients.
Fröknäcke, Swedish seed crackers from Vendela McNamara: “This vegan recipe is very more-ish and it’s nice to have a savoury snack on hand that’s homemade rather than arriving in lots of plastic and paper packaging having been transported round the country 6 times!”
Potato curry, from Devena Chouhan: “This delicious potato curry is cheap, feeds the masses and can easy be adapted if you have differing tastes. This recipe requires locally produced vegetables – so no air miles – and a lot of the other ingredients we grow in our garden in the Summer, making it very sustainable.”
M’jeddrah, Zina Zelter: ” I’m making this lentil, rice and onion dish because it’s a comfort food (the vast amount of fried onions taste and smell so good), has a fabulously low carbon footprint, is wonderfully easy to make, and is delicious. The recipe came from a Lebanese friend of my mum and I use it a lot.”
Steve Massey will talk about cooking using the fresh, seasonal and very local ingredients of a Leicestershire based Community Supported Agriculture project, Community Harvest Whetstone.
Karyn Aviani makes Mac-no-cheese: “This is a recipe I developed last year. It’s vegan and does not contain vegan cheese, which is highly processed, unhealthy and has a high carbon footprint. This recipe can be made using vegetables that are grown in the UK, in the garden or usually found in a veg box. The other ingredients are easily available through Suma Wholefoods, a wholefood cooperative that maintains high ethical standards both in regard to climate change and employment practices.”
Rajiv Shah, chilli chunky carrot and sweet potato mash: ” I like making this dish because the ingredients are available all year round. It’s easy to make and can be adapted to use potatoes instead of sweet potatoes.”
Beetroot brownies, Jude Casson: “We all enjoy a little sweetness now and then and beetroot in a brownie helps provide some of this naturally in a veg that is easy to grow.” You can find the recipe here.
Sweet potato and groundnut stew, Anne Scott: “I chose this recipe because it is a family favourite. It is environmentally friendly as it contains no meat or dairy ingredients and the vegetables can be grown in the UK.”
Flapjacks from Kate Unwin: “I make these flapjacks most weeks. I use local and/or organic ingredients to minimise the food miles and the damage to the planet caused by chemicals and pesticides. Most of the ingredients I buy in bulk to reduce trips to the shops and unnecessary packaging. Cooking snacks in advance means I don’t need to buy packaged foods when I’m travelling or working away from home.”
