Engineering Success

It's interesting to be in the middle of the machine, trying to get the cogs to move faster - without losing too many fingers. Following on from a couple of weeks of discussions, the elements came together with a very productive meeting that started to connect an engineering sector project manager, an engineering trainer and me, to shape up a new approach to get employers and contractors on board with environmental standards that are fit for where we need to get to rather than where we are now.

As always, there's much to do to make action kick in, and somewhere on the journey, every employee of every engineering company will need to change the way they work to make it for One Planet, low carbon business.

Starting in West Wales though, makes sense as there's huge scope to use the weight of companies such as RWE NPower, who will be operators of the new gas fired power station, to make change happen. They win, employers win, contractors win, community wins. Watch this space.

Nation scale change

There's a scent of optimism in the air as attendess for May's Hay on Earth Sustainability Seminars continue to sign up for four days of high energy workshops that move on from talking about what needs to happen (I think we know that now) to how to accelerate the uptake of the behaviours that count by business, government, community, health and NGOs - working together to create connected benefits.

The current programme looks like this:

22 May: Towards a Zero Carbon Wales –  leaders from public, private and third sector organisations working together to understand how they need to work together differently to enable rapid change; learning to move as a shoal rather than a tanker. The Welsh Assembly's Minster for Environment, Sustainability and Housing, Jane Davidson, is launching the new SD scheme at this workshop at which the answers will be explored before the ink is dry. The key outcome is to generate senior officer level understanding across private and public sector organisations of of large scale change can be rapidly embedded through leadership and collaboration.

27 May: Cradle to Cradle Food Security – players from across the food sector – production, processing, packaging, transport, distribution, warehousing, retail, waste and recycling – will be working together to scope a deliverable post-peak oil, low carbon, zero waste food plan for a nation. Welsh Assembly Government Minster for Rural Affairs Elin Jones has been invited to participate in this workshop. The key outcome is for the main players in Wales’ food industry across the whole supply chain have a shared vision for for zero waste reduction and food security with short and medium term actions to deliver transformation.

28 May: Streets Ahead – harnessing collective intelligence and the power of networks to deliver solutions for sustainable change through community action. Businesses, local government, local business, health and education will use shared knowledge and resources to solve problems of a virtual community, before committing to run a trial across three towns in Wales. The Welsh Assembly's Deputy First Minister, and Minister for Economic Development, Ieuan Wyn Jones attended in 2008 and has been invited to take part once again in 2009. The key outcome is to get representative from business, government, third sector and community to commit to running and initial three Streets Ahead change events, to find out how many savings, business improvements, community benefits and CO2 reductions can be achieved in the course of a one day workshop.

29 May: Getting the Message Out – a day to bring creative and communications specialists together to work on clear, fresh and entertaining ways to reach a wider, deeper audience with the benefits of changes that benefit the economy, community and the environment. Creative Directors will mix with poets, writers, cartoonists and comedians to imagine new stories, messages and ‘hooks’ for communication. Key outcome is creating a local, Welsh angle on the previous three days' outcomes from the workshops on nation-scale change, food security and connected, community-based working.

If you're interested in attending, please email Andy Middleton via the form on this site.

Serious Scenarious

It's been perplexing for quite a while as to why so few government agencies and business put any time into working their way through serious scenario planning to help guide their response to the forthcoming challenges of climate change, energy, food and carbon reduction.

In our small, clever country of Wales, that will start to change in the next couple of weeks as representatives from 20 out of the 22 Local Authoritites in the country take part in an inspirational, challenging and productive day of scenario planning to develop awareness of risk, response, knowledge and action.

We know that many of the managers and directors present have huge challenges on their desks already due to the challenges of the current recession, and that integrating on climate and food in particular may be tough for them, but it has to be done. Now, and quick.

Biomimicry in Copenhagen

On my way back to west Wales by train after a fantastic two days of teaching biomimcry with colleagues Michael Pawlyn, working in Copenhagen with one of Denmark's leading architectural practices, Henning Larsen. Apart from being a pleasure to be in such a wonderfully car-free city, it was a pleasure to experience the quality of thinking and realisation that the designers, planners and architects at the firm were able to bring when considering the potential application of biomimicry to their professional practice.

We worked through the four levels of biomimicry, helping them connect learning and inspiration from nature to topics ranging from getting light but no heat into buildings, to the relationship between the practice, developers and government.

Whilst there, we also caught up with ex-Schumacher College Director Karen Blincoe, the Bellona Foundation's Frederic Hauge and Otto Gerlach-Hansen, who had great plans developing to lever change at December's COP15 conference in Copenhagen.

Also inspiring was an afternoon spent with Tim McAloone, Associate Professor of Industrial Design at the Technical University of Denmark, who talked through the radically improved results that he's been seeing as a result of involving his design students in refreshing and different approaches to develop understanding of sustainability and materials efficiency.

Can't wait to get back.

TYF Adventure at Best of Britain

On Saturday 28th March, TYF Adventure will be running a presentation and workshop at London's Exel Exhibition Centre as part of the major tourism exhibition that's taking place there.

TYF's Ross Beese and Alice Middleton will be taking through the ways that their 'Sea Change' philosophy is integrating sustainability, enterprise and action into all the programmes and services delivered by the guide team at TYF Adventure to all client groups from visitors on short breaks, school and youth courses and motivation or reward events for their corporate clients. They will also be introducing 'Do Adventure' - the UK's most innovative programme for people on mission to make change happen who want to teach through outdoor experiences.

Ross and Alice are experienced surfers and travellers with a passion for making smart living part of every day life.