Utopia Dispatch

In the fifth episode from the STIR to Action festival, we hear all about how the new economy can drive sustainability and form a new political power with Paul Chatterton and Grace Blakeley.

Paul Chatterton is a Professor of Urban Futures at the University of Leeds and author of the book, Unlocking Sustainable Cities. He talks to us about the idea of sustainable cities and how the new economy can help to unlock them.

Grace Blakeley is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research, economics commentator at New Statesman, and author of the book, Stolen: How Finance Destroyed the Economy and Corrupted our Politics. In this conversation, she tells us the story of how the political left in the UK is forging a movement that brings together people and politicians, to create a new politics of democratic socialism.

The STIR to Action Festival: Playground for the New Economy ran in July 2019 and featured a packed programme of thinkers and doers running workshops and giving talks about the new economy. Find out more about their New Economy Programme of training with the link below.

Links

Paul Chatterton:

- Profile: https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/geography/staff/1015/professor-paul-chatterton

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaulChatterton9

- [Book] Unlocking Sustainable Cities: http://unlockingsustainablecities.org/home.html

Grace Blakeley:

- Profile: https://www.ippr.org/about/people/staff/grace-blakeley

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/graceblakeley

- [Book] Stolen: How Finance Destroyed the Economy and Corrupted our Politics: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43455150-stolen

STIR to Action:

- Website: https://www.stirtoaction.com

- Workshops: https://www.stirtoaction.com/workshops

Join George, Ollie and Sarah as they continue to search for the people, stories and ideas that can help us to solve the climate crisis, and build a better future at the same time. In this episode, the team look into the crystal ball of possible Climate Futures with James Goodman, former Director of Futures at Forum for the Future. Spoiler alert: there are some bleak futures coming our way if we don’t act now.

But don’t despair! This episode also features Solitaire Townsend, co-founder of the sustainability agency Futerra and the Climate Optimist movement, and author of The Happy Hero. Here she tells us about the psychology of optimism and gives us some reasons believe that a better future is possible.

Links

- James Goodman https://twitter.com/JamesTGoodman

- Forum for the Future https://www.forumforthefuture.org/

- Solitaire Townsend https://twitter.com/GreenSolitaire

- Futerra http://www.wearefuterra.com/

- Climate Optimist https://www.climateoptimist.org/

- The Happy Hero http://www.thehappyhero.org/

Sound Effects

- Explosion by iwiploppenisse https://freesound.org/people/parademics/sounds/156031/

- Marching Boots by klankbeeld https://freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/sounds/172369/

- Distant Machine Gun by unfa https://freesound.org/people/unfa/sounds/245602/

- Evolvo Orb by lampeight https://freesound.org/people/lampeight/sounds/277151/

- Distant Bombing by filo-rossi https://freesound.org/people/filo-rossi/sounds/342136/

- Dystopian Future FX Sounds 7 by burghrecords https://freesound.org/people/burghrecords/sounds/388750/

Episode Photo by Marc Schulte on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/a2g3LM0cGFg

Join George, Ollie and Sarah as they continue to search for the people, stories and ideas that can help us to solve the climate crisis, and build a better future at the same time. In this episode, the team look into the crystal ball of possible Climate Futures with James Goodman, former Director of Futures at Forum for the Future. Spoiler alert: there are some bleak futures coming our way if we don’t act now.

But don’t despair! This episode also features Solitaire Townsend, co-founder of the sustainability agency Futerra and the Climate Optimist movement, and author of The Happy Hero. Here she tells us about the psychology of optimism and gives us some reasons believe that a better future is possible.

Links

- James Goodman https://twitter.com/JamesTGoodman

- Forum for the Future https://www.forumforthefuture.org/

- Solitaire Townsend https://twitter.com/GreenSolitaire

- Futerra http://www.wearefuterra.com/

- Climate Optimist https://www.climateoptimist.org/

- The Happy Hero http://www.thehappyhero.org/

Sound Effects

- Explosion by iwiploppenisse https://freesound.org/people/parademics/sounds/156031/

- Marching Boots by klankbeeld https://freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/sounds/172369/

- Distant Machine Gun by unfa https://freesound.org/people/unfa/sounds/245602/

- Evolvo Orb by lampeight https://freesound.org/people/lampeight/sounds/277151/

- Distant Bombing by filo-rossi https://freesound.org/people/filo-rossi/sounds/342136/

- Dystopian Future FX Sounds 7 by burghrecords https://freesound.org/people/burghrecords/sounds/388750/

Episode Photo by Marc Schulte on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/a2g3LM0cGFg

In this fourth episode from the STIR to Action festival, we hear all about community ownership and how to put power back in the hands of communities.

Nathan Brown from Co-op Culture and Cooperantics and Tom Carman from Ethex take us through the nuts and bolts of community ownership and community shares. They tell us what it's all about, and why it’s so important for moving towards an economy that is fair, inclusive and democratic.

The STIR to Action Festival: Playground for the New Economy ran in July 2019 and featured a packed programme of thinkers and doers running workshops and giving talks about the new economy. Find out more about their New Economy Programme of training with the link below.

Links

- Tom Carman - https://twitter.com/timtomdon

- Ethex - https://www.ethex.org.uk/

- Nathan Brown - https://twitter.com/nath_brown

- Cooperantics - https://www.cooperantics.coop/

- Co-op Culture - https://www.culture.coop/

- STIR to Action New Economy Programme - www.stirtoaction.com/workshops/

In this fourth episode from the STIR to Action festival, we hear all about community ownership and how to put power back in the hands of communities.

Nathan Brown from Co-op Culture and Cooperantics and Tom Carman from Ethex take us through the nuts and bolts of community ownership and community shares. They tell us what it's all about, and why it’s so important for moving towards an economy that is fair, inclusive and democratic.

The STIR to Action Festival: Playground for the New Economy ran in July 2019 and featured a packed programme of thinkers and doers running workshops and giving talks about the new economy. Find out more about their New Economy Programme of training with the link below.

Links

- Tom Carman - https://twitter.com/timtomdon

- Ethex - https://www.ethex.org.uk/

- Nathan Brown - https://twitter.com/nath_brown

- Cooperantics - https://www.cooperantics.coop/

- Co-op Culture - https://www.culture.coop/

- STIR to Action New Economy Programme - www.stirtoaction.com/workshops/

Join George, Ollie and Sarah as they continue to search for the people, stories and ideas that can help us to solve the climate crisis, and build a better future at the same time. In this episode, they hear from Joanna Haigh and Ajay Gambhir from the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London to learn about the science behind climate change and how we can mitigate the crisis.

Joanna Haigh was Professor of Atmospheric Physics at Imperial College London, and co-director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change until early 2019. She has been working on atmospheric physics for over 40 years and is a renowned expert in the field. She has researched many impacts on the climate including radiative transfer in the atmosphere, climate modelling, radiative forcing of climate change and the influence of solar irradiance variability on climate.

Ajay Gambhir is a Senior Research Fellow, also at the at the Grantham Institute. His research looks at how society can transition to a low-carbon economy, considering the technologies and measures required to do so. He has advised the UK government and his research has a particular focus on the processes that drive down low-carbon technology costs, thereby making their deployment more cost-effective.

Links

- Joanna Haigh https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/j.haigh

- Ajay Gambhir https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/a.gambhir

- UK Emissions Over Time http://www.emissions.leeds.ac.uk/chart1.html

- Global CO2 and Other GHG Emissions https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emissions

- EPA Emissions by gas and sector https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data

Episode Image

- Warming stripes by Climate Lab Book https://www.climate-lab-book.ac.uk/2018/warming-stripes/

Music

- Grayse (intro) by Nathan Cheetham - https://soundcloud.com/nathancheetham/grayse-intro-1

- Dramatic SFX by brian1967 https://www.pond5.com/artist/BrianAGrafProductions

SFX

- Rain and Thunder by parademics https://freesound.org/people/parademics/sounds/204340/

- Fire forest inferno by dynamicell https://freesound.org/people/Dynamicell/sounds/17548/

- Howling wind by inchadney https://freesound.org/people/inchadney/sounds/157204/

- Rain and thunder atmo by parademics https://freesound.org/people/parademics/sounds/204340/

- Plastic creak by dheming https://freesound.org/people/dheming/sounds/274977/

- Black Sea Waves by Black_River__Phonogram https://freesound.org/people/parademics/sounds/204340/

- Cassette tape deck open close rewind clicks by kyles https://freesound.org/people/kyles/sounds/450524

- Fast reverse vortex by earclash05 https://freesound.org/people/earlcash05/sounds/280222/

- Pop Sound by Deraj https://freesound.org/people/deraj/sounds/202230/

Join George, Ollie and Sarah as they continue to search for the people, stories and ideas that can help us to solve the climate crisis, and build a better future at the same time. In this episode, they hear from Joanna Haigh and Ajay Gambhir from the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London to learn about the science behind climate change and how we can mitigate the crisis.

Joanna Haigh was Professor of Atmospheric Physics at Imperial College London, and co-director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change until early 2019. She has been working on atmospheric physics for over 40 years and is a renowned expert in the field. She has researched many impacts on the climate including radiative transfer in the atmosphere, climate modelling, radiative forcing of climate change and the influence of solar irradiance variability on climate.

Ajay Gambhir is a Senior Research Fellow, also at the at the Grantham Institute. His research looks at how society can transition to a low-carbon economy, considering the technologies and measures required to do so. He has advised the UK government and his research has a particular focus on the processes that drive down low-carbon technology costs, thereby making their deployment more cost-effective.

Links

- Joanna Haigh https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/j.haigh

- Ajay Gambhir https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/a.gambhir

- UK Emissions Over Time http://www.emissions.leeds.ac.uk/chart1.html

- Global CO2 and Other GHG Emissions https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emissions

- EPA Emissions by gas and sector https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data

Episode Image

- Warming stripes by Climate Lab Book https://www.climate-lab-book.ac.uk/2018/warming-stripes/

Music

- Grayse (intro) by Nathan Cheetham - https://soundcloud.com/nathancheetham/grayse-intro-1

- Dramatic SFX by brian1967 https://www.pond5.com/artist/BrianAGrafProductions

SFX

- Rain and Thunder by parademics https://freesound.org/people/parademics/sounds/204340/

- Fire forest inferno by dynamicell https://freesound.org/people/Dynamicell/sounds/17548/

- Howling wind by inchadney https://freesound.org/people/inchadney/sounds/157204/

- Rain and thunder atmo by parademics https://freesound.org/people/parademics/sounds/204340/

- Plastic creak by dheming https://freesound.org/people/dheming/sounds/274977/

- Black Sea Waves by Black_River__Phonogram https://freesound.org/people/parademics/sounds/204340/

- Cassette tape deck open close rewind clicks by kyles https://freesound.org/people/kyles/sounds/450524

- Fast reverse vortex by earclash05 https://freesound.org/people/earlcash05/sounds/280222/

- Pop Sound by Deraj https://freesound.org/people/deraj/sounds/202230/

In this third episode from the STIR to Action festival, we hear about mental health and the economy, as well as new decentralised, collective ways of working.

Sally Zlotowitz, from Psychologists for Social Change tells us about the ways in which the economy invisibly shapes our mental health and what needs to change. Nati Lombardo and John Gieryn talk to us about Enspiral, the collective that is exploring new ways to work that centre on trust, respect, and openness, sharing money, information and control, all while working on things that matter.

The STIR to Action Festival: Playground for the New Economy ran in July 2019 and featured a packed programme of thinkers and doers running workshops and giving talks about the new economy. Find out more about their New Economy Programme of training with the link below.

Links

- Psychologists for Social Change http://www.psychchange.org

- Enspiral https://enspiral.com/

- STIR to Action New Economy Programme https://www.stirtoaction.com/workshops

In this third episode from the STIR to Action festival, we hear about mental health and the economy, as well as new decentralised, collective ways of working.

Sally Zlotowitz, from Psychologists for Social Change tells us about the ways in which the economy invisibly shapes our mental health and what needs to change. Nati Lombardo and John Gieryn talk to us about Enspiral, the collective that is exploring new ways to work that centre on trust, respect, and openness, sharing money, information and control, all while working on things that matter.

The STIR to Action Festival: Playground for the New Economy ran in July 2019 and featured a packed programme of thinkers and doers running workshops and giving talks about the new economy. Find out more about their New Economy Programme of training with the link below.

Links

- Psychologists for Social Change http://www.psychchange.org

- Enspiral https://enspiral.com/

- STIR to Action New Economy Programme https://www.stirtoaction.com/workshops

The team are back. Join George, Ollie and Sarah as they search for the people, stories and ideas that can help us to solve the climate crisis, and build a better future at the same time. In this first episode, they hear from Rob Hopkins about the link between the power of imagination, and the very real threat of the global heating.

Rob Hopkins co-founded Transition, a movement to rebuild communities in the face of economic instability and climate breakdown by taking practical steps to reduce energy usage, increase self-sufficiency, build local connections and boost wellbeing. Over the last two years, he has been writing a book which looks at our collective crisis of imagination when it comes to reimagining the future in the face of the climate crisis. In this episode he tells us about the challenges and inspiring solutions that he has come across on his journey.

Links

- http://robhopkins.net

- http://transitiontowntooting.blogspot.com

- https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/from-what-is-to-what-if/

- https://schoolcuts.org.uk

Music

- September 12 by Nathan Cheetham https://soundcloud.com/nathancheetham/september-12-project-loop-4

Sound Effects

- Fanfare by humanoide9000 https://freesound.org/people/humanoide9000/sounds/466133/

- Suspense Cue by plamdi1 https://freesound.org/people/plamdi1/sounds/95062/

- Slow Doom Vortex by SLC Bagpiper https://freesound.org/people/SLCBagpiper/sounds/407123/

- Old Phone Ringing by cvp1965 https://freesound.org/people/cvp1965/sounds/275053/

- Phone Pick Up by Kyles https://freesound.org/people/kyles/sounds/454105