tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.comments2019-05-14T15:51:22.277-07:00Manchester Climate FortnightlyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-27256384310227892332010-07-30T09:15:48.572-07:002010-07-30T09:15:48.572-07:00Hello,
There is now a website online: http://carb...Hello,<br /><br />There is now a website online: http://carbon.coop<br /><br />Cheers,<br />JonathanAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12476829492188544012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-72257187867391045682010-06-09T08:08:08.246-07:002010-06-09T08:08:08.246-07:00Happy Birthday MCFly!!
Hopefully see you there, mi...Happy Birthday MCFly!!<br />Hopefully see you there, microclimate permitting ;-)sim0nnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-20758102545358912192010-06-03T11:42:27.503-07:002010-06-03T11:42:27.503-07:00Thanks for the words of encouragement! Sorry abou...Thanks for the words of encouragement! Sorry about the sound imbalance (and thanks for bringing it to my attention). Will try to get that sorted for tne next video(s).<br /><br />Best wishes<br /><br />Marc Hudsonmanchesterclimateforumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13032272258915015570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-83556084562457636262010-06-03T05:00:36.590-07:002010-06-03T05:00:36.590-07:00VERY good, it needed doing.
(apart from the screa...VERY good, it needed doing.<br /><br />(apart from the screams, WAY too loud in the mix, IMHO, or maybe the voice over is too quiet?)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-51428040619961192552010-05-31T14:31:36.027-07:002010-05-31T14:31:36.027-07:00Hi Drew,
thanks very much for taking the time and...Hi Drew,<br /><br />thanks very much for taking the time and care to craft such a reasoned and constructive comment on a blog post that what was perhaps, on reflection, a bot more snide than the event itself deserved. <br /><br />We did actually submit a proposal to Future Everything about the policy intervention that the Call to Real Action group made last year, and the "Concrete Utopia" conference earlier this year. We got not so much as a 'thanks but no thanks' email back. This may (but shouldn't have) have coloured our reporting!<br /><br />I would be delighted to talk to you about sustainability-focussed events around the use of technology, and the future of urbanism (as you'll have seen from other blog posts, the built environment, policy and information technology are some of our abiding concerns!<br /><br />Even if that comes to nought, we will happily publicise any climate/sustainability events that you put on.<br /><br />Best wishes<br /><br />Marc Hudsonmanchesterclimateforumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13032272258915015570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-72144522562380032842010-05-31T14:22:48.346-07:002010-05-31T14:22:48.346-07:00Hi Clare,
Thanks for your reply. There are at lea...Hi Clare,<br /><br />Thanks for your reply. There are at least six temptations when responding to a public critique<br /><br />impugn/diminish the relevance of the messenger<br />ignore the substantive issues<br />create a straw man and have a go at that instead<br />answer a different question<br />say that perfectly good ideas can't be implemented<br />change the subject<br /><br />Were these six tactics eschewed in the seven paragraph reply? Sadly, no. But it serves no purpose to get into a "he said-she said" on this issue. <br /><br />I can only reiterate three disappointments - that the people who came were treated as blank slates with no prior knowledge or experience. They were empty jugs into which GAP tried to pour its idea of relevant knowledge.<br /><br />that the facilitators, while generally good, were massively under-utilised.<br /><br />The fact – unacknowledged in your reply - remains that at least one person who was up for being an eco-team leader was left none-the-wiser at the end of what was entailed and what would be provided.<br /><br />Someone I sent the blog post link to thought it was “brilliant” and had no quibbles with it being unfair.<br /><br />Two other people I was in touch with afterwards said the following <br />“Have now recovered from Saturday and on reflection..............wot a waste of a sunny day!!”<br />and “Saturday? - bit too 'american smooth' for my liking - I would not use them to set up a group with my neighbours.”<br /><br />I don't know if any of those people put such things on the feedback forms. Probably not.<br /><br />Why does this matter? Well, in all probability Global Action Plan will get a contract with Manchester City Council to do more of this sort of “education” and “empowerment” work. And I fear that other groups, with more genuinely participative and astute theories of personal and collective change (for example, Cambridge Carbon Footprint), will not get to show what they can offer. And the people of Manchester won't get the best carbon literacy and effective reduction help on offer.manchesterclimateforumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13032272258915015570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-89550877496152579762010-05-29T06:27:04.856-07:002010-05-29T06:27:04.856-07:00Hi McFly
For my sins, I conceived and organised t...Hi McFly<br /><br />For my sins, I conceived and organised the City Debate.<br /><br />I totally agree that sustainability needs to be at the forefront of our thinking about the future of the city.<br /><br />This is why at FutureEverything we have been running for 3 years a major project on the environment, and why this year we devised a new kind of globally networked event, GloNet, so that people do not need to fly to take part in the festival. The motivation for this was that a pilot carbon audit of our festival in 2006-7 discovered over 90% of carbon emissions are due to air travel of speakers and audience. Read more about it here http://futureeverything.org/festival2010/glonet2010<br /><br />FutureEverything always places a passionate social commitment before "shiny technology". Humans have been technological animals since the first time we wacked two stones together, created agriculture etc. One of our other projects is campaigning to make Manchester an Open Data City. Making public data freely available can lead to huge potential social, and, yes, environmental benefits. In view of this to hear someone has intelligent as yourself dismiss "weightless informational flows yadder yadder yadder" is a little depressing.<br /><br />With the City Debate itself, we posed all speakers 5 questions to respond to, one of which was about sustainability, see here http://futureeverything.org/festival2010/thecitydebate. That is only 20%, which yes is perhaps too low. And it would have been great if more of the speakers had addressed sustainability. Then again, last year sustainability was the main focus of our whole conference.<br /><br />Your comments are welcome, as I think that we all need to continue to push environmental concerns up the agenda. It is absolutely fair comment that sustainability could have been more prominent in the City Debate.<br /><br />Some of your comments were maybe a little less reasonable. For example, we were slammed for the event format in your opening paragraphs, and congratulated for the same in the closing paragraph.<br /><br />I would prefer to see how we can combine efforts and be constructive. There are more similar events in the pipeline, why dont you lead one on sustainability..!<br /><br />Cheers<br /><br />Drew Hemment<br />Director, FutureEverything<br />drew@futureeverything.orgDrew Hemmenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07298862664477327450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-47062066346497362602010-05-28T09:26:02.663-07:002010-05-28T09:26:02.663-07:00Hi MCFly,
Thanks for coming along to the trainin...Hi MCFly, <br /><br />Thanks for coming along to the training & exhibiting. <br /> <br />Thanks also for your input; we’ll use what we can to improve the event. Hopefully that way, even more people will enjoy it & find it beneficial. You’re right, we receive lots of positive feedback, & many people we have trained go on to run or join really successful EcoTeams.<br /><br />We will reduce the use of PowerPoint and also try to explain EcoTeams more succinctly at the start. Unfortunately, not everyone who comes will have the time to pre-read material and you’re right, people do have different levels of environmental experience and knowledge. Of course as an exhibitor, you were one of the most knowledgeable attendees & we wanted to give others the chance to learn more. <br /><br />There are a few of your points we want to look into it a bit more before making changes, & others we don’t fully agree with e.g. there was only one trainer at the front, as lots of the morning was spent on activities at the table with different facilitators. Much as we would love to have more trainers at our sessions, I’m not sure they’re necessary and would cost our medium-sized charity significantly. We’re proud that the event is free for people to attend, and for chosen local environmental organisations like yours to exhibit, so we don’t want to burden ourselves with extra costs.<br /><br />Our head offices are in London, but we are a national charity with projects, employees and partners across the country. We invite people such as yourselves and local MPs to give even more relevant and local information. That is because the more people who work together, the more we can achieve. We hope that you found it a useful opportunity to promote your activities. <br /><br />Let me know if you would like to chat about it further. I think you already have my contact details, but you can also get in touch through www.globalactionplan.org.uk<br /><br />Have a good weekend.<br /><br />Clare Whiting, Senior EcoTeams Programme ManagerClare Whitinghttp://www.ecoteams.org.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-82852188854119104982010-05-12T00:35:07.530-07:002010-05-12T00:35:07.530-07:00Hmmm... maybe not parked alongside MERCi, the cana...Hmmm... maybe not parked alongside MERCi, the canal's too narrow, but there are some big open expanses of water to the north of the canal just towards town from there...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-41770422038457832792010-05-11T23:25:22.966-07:002010-05-11T23:25:22.966-07:00Oh wow! We have another reader! The person I thou...Oh wow! We have another reader! The person I thought had sent the message says it wasn't him/her. This means we've doubled our readership!manchesterclimateforumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13032272258915015570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-44757344645371017782010-05-11T08:56:22.021-07:002010-05-11T08:56:22.021-07:00Thanks, "Anonymous" (I'm sure I coul...Thanks, "Anonymous" (I'm sure I could ferret out who you are if I put my mind to it). I have done gone and fixed up that ol' blunder!manchesterclimateforumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13032272258915015570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-84041952986401818482010-05-11T04:25:13.205-07:002010-05-11T04:25:13.205-07:00Ahh, http://www.manchesterclimatefortnightly.info/...Ahh, <a href="http://www.manchesterclimatefortnightly.info/murphyslore.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.manchesterclimatefortnightly.info/murphyslore.html</a>, You had a t & l typo ;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-25489842855570241032010-05-07T02:42:48.154-07:002010-05-07T02:42:48.154-07:00The examples that Carolyn gave of food projects th...The examples that Carolyn gave of food projects that are making a difference were, as ever, little pockets of hope in the midst of a vast sea of despair. Although, as you say, she didn't give any solutions, I think she hinted at what we need to turn this around, and that's government backing. Showing examples of urban growing projects lifts the heart but we have to be realistic that they are just a drop in the ocean. Without society as a whole changing its attitude to food production and consumption we have no hope. I think Carolyn suggested at one point that the way forward was to lobby government. But she also said that the only big shift in government opinion in the last few years came as a result of the 'food crisis' in 2008, not as a result of campaigning. Yet again it seems that we have to wait for the horse to bolt before anyone will do anything. Sorry, feeling a bit pessimistic this morning!!!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13900821835939763622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-53296794338399931922010-05-06T08:31:25.785-07:002010-05-06T08:31:25.785-07:00Try and keep it as secure as you can, we've ha...Try and keep it as secure as you can, we've had a few vandalised in certain areas of the country. Good Luckbogmanhttp://www.hireportabletoilets.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-70579908421361817332010-03-15T16:34:54.064-07:002010-03-15T16:34:54.064-07:00Men are welcome to attend this event.Men are welcome to attend this event.manchesterclimateforumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13032272258915015570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-52236715862040995482010-03-15T14:43:25.765-07:002010-03-15T14:43:25.765-07:00Are men allowed to go ;-?Are men allowed to go ;-?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-72874754103865692772010-03-12T14:04:37.218-08:002010-03-12T14:04:37.218-08:00V.good, much more enjoyable than the IPCC's AR...V.good, much more enjoyable than the IPCC's AR4 rag ;-)$https://www.blogger.com/profile/18084223808540560743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-28918144708867436812010-03-02T02:32:18.907-08:002010-03-02T02:32:18.907-08:00nestHi, good luck with the project. We supply port...nestHi, good luck with the project. We supply portable toilets to loads of allotments across the country. If there’s anything we can help you with please call.<br /><br />cheersloohirehttp://www.loohire.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-38293549480690834872010-02-15T13:21:00.044-08:002010-02-15T13:21:00.044-08:00Yes, very predictable, I'm afraid - the NWDA t...Yes, very predictable, I'm afraid - the NWDA talks sustainability but shows no evidence of understanding it: competition in the global marketplace - they are on a different planet - problem is its the same one we are on.<br />MBAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-31220699151212921202010-02-11T03:35:51.161-08:002010-02-11T03:35:51.161-08:00another good and pithy report Marc - thank you. G...another good and pithy report Marc - thank you. Glad to have missed it. Was actually watching Avatar in the IMAX at the time ...two polar extremes of 'green' messaging???Phil Korbelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15513980900607838409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-2328520382563631412010-02-05T02:47:35.833-08:002010-02-05T02:47:35.833-08:00Sounds like you had a really enjoyable day...Sounds like you had a really enjoyable day...Stockport Central Heatinghttp://www.heatingcentral.com/boilers/plumbers/uk/cheshire/stockportnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-38584301570041762132010-01-26T03:40:25.651-08:002010-01-26T03:40:25.651-08:00Thanks Phil!Thanks Phil!Arwahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16265680049252792234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-68730869286225969582010-01-25T10:42:37.720-08:002010-01-25T10:42:37.720-08:00Thanks mjt. Sloppy proofing and fact-checking on ...Thanks mjt. Sloppy proofing and fact-checking on my part. I should have put a comma after Kovel, and clocked that Conway was SR from their sponsorship of the conference!manchesterclimateforumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13032272258915015570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-60122822879715482902010-01-25T02:41:46.805-08:002010-01-25T02:41:46.805-08:00dead useful and pithy report, thank you.
bests,...dead useful and pithy report, thank you. <br /><br />bests,<br /><br />PhilPhil Korbelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15513980900607838409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1338582262229258253.post-45020576597589876902010-01-25T02:29:58.139-08:002010-01-25T02:29:58.139-08:00Just to correct a mistake. Joel Kovel is not a mem...Just to correct a mistake. Joel Kovel is not a member of the SWP. He was a candidate for the Senate for the US Green Party. Terry Conway is a member of Socialist Resistance not of the SWP.<br /><br />Movements are made by thinking and activism.mjthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09796451574776284949noreply@blogger.com