The IEMA community's news for September.
Rewilding goes from strength to strength
Climate Action North's recent sold-out conference marking World Environment Day attracted more than 140 attendees, who heard a panel of experts sharing their experiences of rewilding and climate change.
This is the fourth rewilding event Climate Action North has held during the past 12 months; the group firmly believes rewilding is a cornerstone of combating climate breakdown. It has caught the imagination of professionals and the public alike, and Climate Action North is delighted to be championing this movement in the region.
Huge thanks to the inspiring line-up of speakers, including:
Mike Pratt, chief executive of Northumberland Wildlife Trust, chaired the day and highlighted the incredible recent shift in public attitudes towards rewilding and climate change.
Alastair Driver, director of Rewilding Britain, discussed how traditional conservation practices on their own are not enough to achieve significant wildlife recovery in the UK. More is needed – and that 'more' is rewilding.
Isabella Tree, shared her personal experience of rewilding the Knepp Estate in Sussex. Isabella and her husband Charlie Burrell decided to rewild the estate almost 20 years ago when they realised the farm was failing. The estate is now a thriving landscape for wildlife, and a profitable business.
David Hetherington, ecologist and author, outlined how trees are a powerful weapon in the fight against climate change and introduced us to the exciting and ongoing 'treewilding' of the Cairngorms National Park.
Doug Allan, Blue Planet cameraman and award-winning photographer, shared his personal experiences of his time in the Arctic and how he balances climate reality with climate optimism.
There is no defined end-point for rewilding; the aim is to support nature-driven processes, which in turn will bring about a healthier and wilder nature. This will take time and space, and every step moving up this scale is progress.
For a full report of the event visit: bit.ly/RewildCAN
What's on this month
Expo:
Future Resource 11-12 September
Making an exciting comeback to Birmingham's NEC, the UK's leading sustainability and resource management event is specifically designed for businesses aspiring to be greener and more sustainable, and provides a platform for the latest solutions and industry insights shaping the future of the utilities sector.
Bike ride:
Cedrec Cycle Challenge
13 September
The Cedrec Cycle Challenge, a round trip through the Co. Durham countryside, is a great networking opportunity, open to IEMA members and professionals from other associated organisations from all sectors. The event is free to IEMA members. Please quote the discount code BIKE10.
Event:
Bristol: Marine Conservation Society Sand Bay beach clean 21 September
Come along and take part in the Great British Beach Clean at Sand Bay Beach, Western-super-Mare! Join us and help with our beach clean and survey, recording all the litter we pick up as we go.
GESA Network:
Sustainable Finance – Fundamentals of ESIA for Young Professionals
28 September
In this interactive event, we'll be discussing sustainable finance with the GESA Young Professionals' Network. We will look at the financing process, focusing on technical delivery, via the use of a hypothetical project. A social event will follow, giving both senior and junior professionals the chance to network. bit.ly/SustFinGESA
Tackling air pollution in Scotland's cities
On World Environment Day 2019, IEMA's Scotland West Region welcomed a number of members along to a networking event in Glasgow. The topic of discussion was the growing air pollution and air quality problem in Scotland's heavily populated cities.
The event allowed for discussions concerning local and national air pollution issues and how to overcome these, with thought-provoking presentations from Derek McCreadie of Transport Scotland and Annie Danskin of ITPEnergised. Derek's presentation highlighted areas within Glasgow city centre that are affected by air pollution, and how these effects are worsened during certain times of the year, particularly in highly populated areas. Derek suggested methods that can be used to combat these effects, including the recent implementation of the Glasgow Low Emission Zone. “It was great to see so many people being passionate about the environment and sharing ideas,“ he said, following his presentation.
Annie's presentation highlighted the importance of the planning system in reducing the local air pollution impacts of proposed and existing developments. This highlighted the importance of engaging with experts early in the planning process to identify potential effects of proposals and mitigate these where possible. The key message was to ensure early engagement and consultation is undertaken during the development process. Following discussions surrounding air quality, attendees were given an inspiring presentation by Lizzie Ride and Lauren Doyle from Glasgow Over Plastic, a local youth-led initiative tackling the issue of plastic pollution in Glasgow. Glasgow Over Plastic's aim is to make Glasgow a plastic-free city by engaging educational resources and campaigns, in partnership with local individuals, communities and businesses. The event proved to be very popular, highlighting the role of platforms such as World Environment Day in raising awareness and focusing attention on pressing environmental concerns. Harry Becker, a Student IEMA member, said: “The speakers were very interesting and gave me a good insight into air pollution and strategies to help reduce the issue. It was also good to see young people getting involved in combating litter pollution in Glasgow through the Glasgow Over Plastic volunteers.“ The Scotland West steering group is busy putting together a programme of events for the remainder of 2019 – keep an eye out for updates during the coming weeks.
Image credit: iStock
