This event aims to analyse the role that community initiatives can play in the reduction of personal energy demand. It will focus on the ways in which community initiatives decide which audiences to engage, how they communicate their aims and what this means for their effectiveness.
| When: | 24 September 2014, 10.30-16.00 |
| Venue: | Discovery Centre, Winchester |
| Reserve by: | 12 September 2014 |
| Reserve at: | Booking is free at events@winacc.org.uk or by phone 01962 827083 (not to the Discovery Centre) |
| Hosted by: | Winchester Action on Climate Change (WinACC) and the Energy and Communities’ project team at the Universities of Southampton, Westminster, Reading and Exeter |
Event Schedule
There is widespread recognition that technical innovation alone will not achieve the UK’s carbon reduction targets and that behaviour change is essential. Local community initiatives are deemed to be critical in creating the conditions for such energy demand reduction through building trust, establishing pro-environmental norms, challenging engrained habits and increasing people’s confidence to act.
One important set of challenges for community initiatives is to decide which audiences they should engage, how to communicate their aims, which behaviour changes to encourage and how to effect change. All these aspects will influence how effective community initiatives can be in encouraging the public to save energy and cut emissions. This event will provide an opportunity to share and reflect on the rich experiences of a number of local initiatives and to discuss emerging results from the University of Southampton’s Energy and Communities project. The event will be of benefit to those involved in organising energy saving/low carbon community initiatives, as well as interested policy makers and academics.
The day will feature two presentations of early results from the UK Research Council funded Energy and Communities project, community organisers’ experiences (Greening Steyning and Cool Communities/WinACC), as well as discussion of the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s emerging community policy perspective.
There will be ample time for discussion in small groups and in the plenary as well networking over lunch and a final coffee session at the end of the event.
Attending the event is free but booking by 12 September essential, at events@winacc.org.uk or by phone 01962 827083 (not to the Discovery Centre).
A free vegetarian buffet lunch will be included. If you have any dietary requirements or other special needs please do let us know. The Discovery Centre is best reached by train (a short walk from Winchester station) or park and ride (winchesterparkandride.co.uk). Please note there is no parking space available directly at the Discovery Centre.