There’s an exciting free event that is coming up for young people in Manchester. We’ll run workshops from social media campaigning to combating racism in the media. If you, or somebody you know, are interested read on for more information.
We Rise – Organise!
Young people have the power to challenge the establishment. Learn the skills to make that a reality.
Organised by Global justice Now, Momentum, People & Planet and Demand the Impossible.
In the last 12 months young people have shaken the establishment. Theresa May thought her snap election was a done deal – until we voted in our hundreds of thousands to transform the result. The protests against Trump scared him off from his ‘state visit’, at least for now. And young workers have been standing up for their rights – taking on multinationals like Deliveroo and McDonald’s.
Now is the time to get organised, get skilled up and build our power even more.
Workshops include
How to run a kick ass social media campaign
Interrupting the everyday: creating powerful stunts
Speed debating: trade deals and corporate power
Pint and politics: how to persuade your mates
How to combat racism in the media
Standing up for workers’ rights
After party
Getting organised and building a movement is not just about meetings, it is also about making friends with fellow activists! To honour this, we will be heading Partisan Collective afterwards for a night of music, dancing and fun. The first 50 people to sign up for the after party on the day will get discounted tickets.
Will there be workshops on
How to find out who has what skills and knowledge in your group and hook them up with people who want those skills and knowledge
How to welcome and integrate new people who don’t have friends in the group already
How to sustain morale beyond the boom and bust of ‘the next big event’
This autumn social saw members get together for an informative and enjoyable evening at Leaf on Portland St.
We heard from three very different households who have recently completed (or almost completed!) their retrofits, and were inspired by each in their varied considerations and approaches.
Julian spoke first about his retrofit of a Victorian semi in Chorlton. In particular Julian was keen to preserve original features such as the sash windows, external brick work and the fireplace. While this was not possible in all cases it was very interesting to see the inventive decisions made to take care of aesthetic considerations. Julian took the approach of mixing external wall (EWI) with internal wall insulation (IWI). It was interesting to hear of the issues in managing airtightness issues particularly at the junctions of walls ceilings and the second storey.
John and Pauline Grayson have undertaken an ambitious project of a near total renovation of a 1930s semi in Bury. It was fascinating to hear of the very thorough considerations they have taken into account in planning their retrofit including: making the home work for their old age, taking account of future climate impacts on the home (dealing with high winds, flooding, increased rainfall and blackouts), making a home suitable for multi-generational families, the environmental impact of building materials used, as well as energy efficiency.
Alan and Monica’s experience differed in that they decided not to go for EWI/IWI or mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR) and did not use specialist contractors (not for wont of trying!). Their decision making in this was based around examining how they would use their home and the differing needs they had as a couple. Their experience with a mainstream contractor differed from John and Pauline’s experience (who used the specialist contractor NestHaus). Whilst being highly skilled, Alan and Monica struggled with the contractors approach to key environmental/energy efficiency factors.
A varied and interesting discussion followed which touched on the topics of: overcoming difficulties faced by the younger generation of first time house buyers, ethics of large homes for couples, importance of retrofit due to climate change, the problem of landlords and rental properties, the choice of MVHR, local situational factors (aspect, shelter, weather) relevant to choosing a home, different experiences with contractors.
One commented that these stories were fascinating but that undertaking works on the whole house at once was intimidating. We decided that it would be interesting to hear from those that have taken a step by step approach (like Lorenza and Paul, and Andy). In response we will organise our next social around this theme of taking a phased approach. If you would be interested in contributing to this please get in touch with Aneaka, aneaka@carbon.coop.
Julian is towards the end of a retrofit of a Victorian semi tackling internal wall insulation, room in the roof and underfloor insulation, new triple glazed windows, and new heating and ventilation. See more here:http://www.juliantomlin.com/victorian-semi.html
John and Pauline have retrofitted their 1930’s semi to EnerPHit standards, with very high levels of airtightness, EWI, triple glazing and MVHR. A driving concern has been the creation of a demonstration project to tackle climate change in old houses, and to convert the house to make it suitable for their retirement. They will continue to record energy usages, temperature and humidity and will make the data available to interested parties.
Alan and Monica have just completed a full refurbishment of their house which has included a number of measures to reduce energy consumption, make the house more thermally efficient and reduce their carbon footprint. They have employed experienced contractors, but not ones that are specialists in those particular areas. After a lot of consideration Alan and Monica decided not to go for EWI or MVHR and this was based on positive decisions around their home use patterns and desires, rather than due to finance.
MCFly, fwiw says – It is *hugely impressive* that a group gets a blog, with pictures and audio, up within 24 hours of an event. It shows a professionalism and concern for those who could not be at the event that should be completely standard, but is not.
Back in 2009 Manchester City Council said that everyone who lived, worked or studied in Manchester would receive a day of carbon literacy training (an online and face-to-face thing) by the end of 2013.
In late 2012 Council leader Richard Leese launched the project.
In early 2014, under pressure from Manchester Climate Monthly, the then Executive Member for the Environment set a target that 60 of the council’s 96 members would have done the training by the end of the year. They managed… 23.
Starting this year, MCFly has been submitting regular Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) requests to find out how much training has gone on. (The answer is ‘not very much, though a mere five years after launching the scheme, in Richard Leese finally got round to leading by example and doing the training.)
All this failure and delay perhaps explains why the Council, which has a database of who has and has not done the training, is reluctant to put that database online. It would be a stark reminder of how they just can’t (be bothered to?) keep to basic promises. And if they can’t even get something as straightforward as this right, what hope is there for the bigger stuff?
So, in September we sent a FoIA
Has any consideration been given to having an online up-to-date database showing the carbon literacy status of all councillors and members of the SMT? If so, what was the outcome of those considerations. If not, why not?
Came the not entirely satisfactory answer:
Manchester City Council utilises an internal database for training purposes which is updated regularly. At present we do not consider a public-facing database for this training to be required, however, if the status of training is requested by an individual this can be provided.
So, in the latest FoIA we asked
“Given that I am going to keep on asking these questions, and that it will continue to cost money to reply to me, under what circumstances might a “public-facing database for this training” be deemed to be required? Whose responsibility is such a decision?”
Manchester City Council’s new Chief Executive, Joanne Roney, has not done her carbon literacy training (as reported yesterday). Neither has she been given anything more than a verbal briefing on the status of the City Council’s climate change action plan since taking over from Howard Bernstein six months ago.
So, taking action to reduce the Council’s carbon emissions (as distinct from relying on the National Grid’s de-carbonisation and the flogging off of Council buildings) seems not to be high on the list of priorities of the new team (1). Quelle surpise.
And will the elected members insist that the CEO takes the training and gets regular written reports on how the Council is progressing? Therein lies a problem; 95 of the 96 are Labour, and unlikely to rock the boat they want to stay within, even if they knew enough or cared enough. And if you think there are many Corbynistas among that 95, you’ve not been paying attention…
And if you think Manchester’s official environment groups will raise a fuss? You’ve not been paying attention. The biggest outfit is not a watch-dog, but a lapdog….
Footnotes
(1) How do we know this? Well, we FoIAed, and asked for
Any WRITTEN briefing/documentation supplied to the new CEO about the status of Manchester City Council’s climate change action plant. You answered in the last FOIA that “A verbal briefing has been provided by Richard Elliott, Head of Policy, Partnerships and Research.” Surely this has been followed up with a written briefing, no?
This was the reply –
“Whilst no specific briefing has been provided for the CEO, please see the attached MCC Climate Change Action Plan report which was submitted to Neighbourhoods and Environment Scrutiny Committee which has been seen by Joanne Roney and is in the public domain.”
On Saturday and again today, other attendees at that debacle have had their missives published. The second letter is particularly brutal-
“It was concerning that the Manchester councillor seemed that out of his depth and groping for worthy events and people to name-drop. It appears that after some years of talking the talk, the council has done nothing really fundamental to report to offset its enthusiasm for air travel expansion and shopping growth.”
Still no word from the organisers of the atrocity though…
Manchester City Council has a ‘Senior Management Team’ made up of ten well-paid bureaucrats. How many of them has done the ‘carbon literacy training’ that is supposed to help Manchester become a low carbon culture? Well, in February the answer was 1 of the ten (take a bow Sara Todd). We kept asking and the answer was still one. And as of September 2nd? The answer was, still one.
According to the reply to a Freedom of Information Act request [2 May 2017 and 2 September 2017.]
There has been no change to their status during this period.
That includes the new Chief Exec, btw.
No, currently Joanne Roney has not undertaken Carbon Literacy training but this will take place when the Senior Management Team have their training.
This is how leadership by example is done in Manchester. Bravo.
The MEN has today published a letter about the lack of gender diversity on display at the dreadful “Our Faith, Our Planet, Our Community” gathering on Monday. Thanks to the person who prodded me to write in…
On Monday night I went to “Our Faith, Our Planet, Our Community”, a three hour gathering at Manchester Cathedral with the admirable goal of inspiring interfaith action on climate change. With the exception of some beautiful singing by a two woman group (from London) called ‘Pieces of Islam’, there was not a single female voice speaking from a religious perspective.
So, this was what is known as a ‘manel’ – an all male panel. Was there not a single woman who could be found by the organisers to speak of the way that religion – with a respect for the creative work of various varieties of God, and the threat of eternal punishment for bad behaviour – can help inspire and instruct long-overdue action (as opposed to talk)? Or did they not look for one?
Also, a break at some point in the three hours would have been the Christian thing to do…
The Catholic Church says despair is a mortal sin. On that basis, after three hours in Manchester Cathedral at a truly grotesque ‘Our Faith, Our Community, Our Planet‘ event, after I have burned on earth, then I will burn in hell. Hell, I expect, is something to do with being talked at for three hours in pious platitudes with intermittent pseudo-interactivity being promised and either badly delivered or not delivered at all.
Do you need to keep reading?
No
Has the host organisation Manchester Climate Change “Agency” improved in its event-design since last December’s atrocity?
No (and today I heard some amusing tales from the AGM in July that they were calling a ‘conference’, but that’s another blog post.)
Did the co-organising input of various religious luminaries help it become an exercise in humility from people of the cloth?
No
Besides 15 minutes at the outset for eating food, was there any time during the following three hours for mingling, discussion, conversation or decompression?
No
Were people provided with name badges to help break the ice/nudge towards conversations?
No
Given that the event was about carbon footprints, did any of the organisers have the thought/spine to go for a meat-free buffet?
No
Was there soya milk for the vegetarians?
No
Is it petty to raise these issues?
No
Did the opening “five minute” speech stick to five minutes?
No
Did it add value?
No.
The villain in the 1962 Bond film was Doctor…
No
Did the organisers avoid the poisonous format of sage-on-the-stage?
No
Did they even try?
No
Did they avoid turning the people who attended, full of knowledge, hope, grace, into ego-fodder?
No
Did they even try?
No
Did they make any effort to facilitate discussions between people of same/different faiths, same/different locations?
No
Can anyone have any doubt about the extraordinary beauty of the voices of the “Pieces of Islam” singers.
No, a thousand times no.
Asides them, was there, before about 9pm (the event started at 6pm) a single voice that wasn’t male?
No
Were the organisers technologically competent to have a microphone set up for the speaker from Manchester Climate Change “Agency”
No
Did it detract, really?
No
Was there any mention of the original commitment, back in 2009, to help create a ‘low carbon culture’?
No
Was there any mention of the failure to hold elections to the so-called “Steering” Group?
No
Was there any mention of the fact that this is not in fact a statutory body, accountable to anyone, or FoIAble, but in fact a community interest company?
No.
Was there any mention of flying, or of the airport, the biggest contributions – individually and at a city level – for Manchester
No.
Has the editor of MCFly taken any flight within the last 33 days?
No
Was the date of the deadly 2003 heatwave (not 2004) given accurately?
No.
Has the MCC”A” done anything to justify its existence?
No.
Was this event videoed/live-streamed for the benefit of those who couldn’t be there?
No
What is the computer password used by the ‘baddies’ in Umberto Eco’s Foucault’s Pendulum?
No
Did the Catholic priest who spoke next explain how his (justifiable) concern about the population explosion (from 2 billion or so in the 50s to 7.3billion now) is congruent with the Vatican’s position on contraception?
No.
Can anyone reasonably argue with his advocacy of “respect, reverence, restraint, redistribution, responsibility, renewal and repentance”?
No
Given the absence of Andy Burnham and other worthies, because they are down in Brighton with the Corbynistas, was any explanation given of why this week, of all weeks, was chosen for an event at which Burnham might have been a useful attendee?
No
Did the irony police turn up to drag away all the speakers who told the flock about how much they thought dialogue mattered?
No
Is sitting at a table coming up with a sentence individually and then agglomerating it with other people’s sentences in any meaningful sense “interactive” or a “workshop”?
No.
Did the keynote speech tell anyone they didn’t already know?
No, probably.
Did the organisers have any plan for keeping the multiple “faith representatives” from going over what their allotted time was?
No
Did they all give coherent and non-embarrassing speeches?
No
Was there any non-male speaker?
No.
Is it petty to bring this up?
No.
Did we stay ahead of schedule and therefore have the promised “interactive workshop”?
No
What is the name of the major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century?
Noh
Was everyone still in the room by 8.30?
No
Would the session have been worth a bucket of warm spit if delivered as planned, given that people were to sit on tables and mostly hear adverts from various social enterprises and campaigning groups?
No
Did the ‘facilitator’ cut his random reflections on the year 1782 down, in the interests of time?
No
Does saying this is “hopefully the start of a process” mean that he simply isn’t aware that we’ve been “starting” this process since, um, 2009 (earlier in fact).
No.
Did the fact that the last three short speeches were from women make up for the appalling maleness of this wretched evening?
No.
Did people who came to this event come away from it with any new metaphors they can use?
No
Did a significant number of people come away with (m)any new connections, other people who they could work with in future?
No.
Was this event – in not having time for the actual meat of the matter – any different from a laughable FN4M at MERCi in 2009 or 2010?
No.
Did I spend three hours of my life wisely?
No
Will The Wife be happy I wasn’t under the cat instead?
No
Will The Cat be happy I wasn’t under the cat instead?
No
Was writing this worth the time?
No
Was reading this worth the time?
No
Did you take my warning at the outset seriously?
No
Do the organisers have the capacity or willingness to learn?
No.
The answer to that last question renders the following moot.
Alternative speech/intro.
Hi everyone.
Welcome to the Cathedral. Thank you for coming. I want do do a straw poll. Given that we – as individuals, and our governments, have known about climate change since 1988 – stick your hand up if you think we’ve done a sterling job so far, and that whatever Bearded Sky God you happen to believe in will give you a two thumbs up?
(no hands go up).
Good!
Now, next question – who thinks that keeping on doing the same as we have been doing is going to get us back in our BSG’s good books?
(no hands go up).
Great! Then, here’s the thing. We were going to deliver a bunch of worthy speeches by worthy people. But instead, we got those people to be humble – as all their religions tell them to be- and instead film what they were going to say tonight. If you’re interested, you can watch them all on our website.
Instead of you being empty vessels to be filled with knowledge, what we’re going to do in the next three hours, is get YOU telling US and each other what you are already doing. What verses from your BSG’s books inspire you to action, keep you going in the dark days, get you feeling compassion for other humans, other creatures,and acting on that compassion? What books, songs, psalms, parables, koans you name it, would you like to share. How does Yahweh, Jesus, Chthulu or the Flying Spaghetti Monster help you to challenge the suicidal ecocidal trajectory of this damn-fool species?
What skills and knowledge do you have that you’d like to share with other people? What skills and knowledge do you need to be a better warrior to defend your BSG’s creation? Stuff like that.
We’re going to get you into various groups over the course of the evening – based on your particular faiths, and then based on where you live, and then based on what you care most about.
We’ve got loads of facilitators who will help you in this. But this only works if you choose to be active. That doesn’t mean always talking. You might listen for 90 per cent of the time, or more. You might choose to sit in silence and think, and perhaps write something. But this space is going to be open for us to tackle big questions for the next three hours.
Are our individual places of worship exemplary spaces, from an environmental perspective? If so, how did they get that way? What advice could be given to others? If not, what is lacking?
Do our religious leaders give enough of the right kinds of sermons, speeches, whatever your BSG has you call them? If so, how did that come to pass? Are those speeches available online for others to see? If not, what can be done?
What are the gaps between our own religious beliefs and our practices? At an individual level, at a community level. How do we, in the spirit of compassion, help ourselves and each others plug those gaps?
I mentioned earlier that climate change as an issue goes back to 1988. In September 1993 a “Global Forum” conference was held here in Manchester. A series of shiny promises was made. They were not kept. In 2009 a new series of shiny promises were made. They have not been kept. So how do we as believers in various BSGs act in the “polis”? How do we challenge political leaders not just to MAKE promises, but to keep them? How do we ensure that slippery bureaucrats don’t just hide behind words and create organisations that cannot be held to scrutiny, held to account? How do we use the nourishment from eating pie in the sky to build muscles for working here on Earth?
Big questions, but this is a big building, and we have three hours. So, first, turn to the person next to you…
Gender and Infrastructure: feminism, philosophy, and the knowledge ecology of urban water.
Dr Zoë Sofoulis, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University, 2017/2018 Simon/Hallsworth Professorial Fellow in Geography, UoM
This talk highlights three feminist angles on issues of water infrastructure:
Sociological – ‘women and —‘ questions, such as women’s access to and control of water, the impacts of infrastructure (or its lack) on women’s lives.
Phenomenological – container theory; a feminist philosophy of technology interpretation of Big Water as Big Mother.
Epistemological – a pluralistic appreciation of the knowledges, methods and evidence valued in water resource and infrastructure management.
The tricky question—to be opened up for discussion—is how to make these angles relevant and practical for water planning and management.
Zoë Sofoulis is an interdisciplinary researcher known for practical applications of qualitative cultural research and humanities perspectives in fields where technology and engineering predominate, especially water. Her work has helped define a cultural and sociotechnical perspective on metropolitan water and demand management.
Venue: G33, Humanities Bridgeford Street
Time: 4:30 pm, 16 October 2017, followed by short drinks reception at 5.30pm. All Welcome!
Our "leaders" are going to keep making empty promises. It makes them feel good. It gets the activists to act like zombie kittens. If you want to have some self-respect and perhaps make a difference (actual facts may vary), then find a functioning group that cares about your skills and knowledge - what you have, what you want.
One useful group might be www.climateemergencymanchester.net - you can email them on contact@climateemergencymanchester.net
The Catholic Church says 
manchester climate monthly 