Podcast
Be inspired by the ways the industry is changing for the better and accelerating to net zero carbon.
Latest episode
Ep 904: Professor Sean Smith, The University of Edinburgh
In this episode, we are joined by Professor Sean Smith from the University of Edinburgh. Sean has had an incredible career and has most recently launched Centre for Net Zero High Density Buildings.
CeNZ-HighDB will develop, test and underpin delivery of identified new ‘green’ innovations including high-energy efficiency building fabrics, new lower cost rapid-fit heating technologies, novel community heating-cooling systems for complex multi-use streetscapes and advancements in thermal-cooling modelling and data driven innovation to drive green economy growth.
Season 9
This season focuses on our BE-ST Beacons. This award recognises individuals who exemplify leadership and dedication in driving the built environment’s just transition towards a net-zero future.
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In this episode, we are joined by Gina Colley, Associate Director at ThreeSixty Architects. Gina is not only a former BE Changemaker but also a dedicated champion of ED&I, driving positive change within Threesixty Architecture and setting an industry-wide example of best practice.
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In this episode, we are joined by Professor Robert Hairstains, Robert is the founding Director of the Centre for Advanced Timber Technologies (CATT) at the New Model Institute of Technology and Engineering (NMITE) and Head of the Centre for Offsite Construction + Innovative Structures (COCIS) at Edinburgh Napier University. His specialist expertise is in the fields of timber engineering and technology with a focus on adding value to the timber supply chain with an emphasis on engineered timber products and offsite (modular) construction.
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In this episode, we are joined by Emily Carr, Emily is a chartered architect with experience in the historic built environment, now working as a design manager for Kier Construction.
She is passionate about creating places that reflect today's society and current values, and preserve and celebrate the heritage of the building's context, while also embracing new technologies to create a more sustainable environment for future generations.
Emily is also an advocate for promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in construction.
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In this episode, we are joined by Professor Sean Smith from the University of Edinburgh. Sean has had an incredible career and has most recently launched Centre for Net Zero High Density Buildings.
CeNZ-HighDB will develop, test and underpin delivery of identified new ‘green’ innovations including high-energy efficiency building fabrics, new lower cost rapid-fit heating technologies, novel community heating-cooling systems for complex multi-use streetscapes and advancements in thermal-cooling modelling and data driven innovation to drive green economy growth.
Season 8
This season takes listeners live to BE-ST Fest 2024, where industry leaders, innovators, and changemakers come together to turn ambition into action and make a change.
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Welcome back to the Accelerate to Zero podcast, where Sara Edmonds and Rob Morrison were joined by Joanna Yarrow live from the BE-ST Fest Summit at Paisley Town Hall.
Joanna Yarrow was one of the keynotes of the conference and is an internationally acclaimed expert in sustainable living and a highly respected voice in sustainable business. In this episode she shares insight into her personal journey, work, systems thinking, and the power of place in delivering better social outcomes.
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Welcome back to the Accelerate to Zero podcast, where Sara Edmonds and Rob Morrison were joined by Emma Fletcher live from the BE-ST Fest Summit at Paisley Town Hall.
Emma is the Low Carbon Housing Director at Octopus Energy. Her career has centred on leading high impact, high innovation projects in real estate, with a particular focus on housing, energy performance and green energy production. Her practical experience includes starting her career in rural surveying and estate management moving into award-winning housing and regeneration developments.
Season 7
A unique collaboration with the National Retrofit Hub, focusing on the critical work of advancing retrofits across the UK.
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The Accelerate to Zero podcast is back with a new series hosted in collaboration with the National Retrofit Hub.
In the first episode, Caitriona Jordan (BE-ST) & Rachael Owens (NRH) discuss what it looks like when you put citizens at the heart of data decision-making in retrofit with Lizzy Westmacott, ECD Architects and Louis Daillencourt, Novoville.
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Our collaboration with the National Retrofit Hub continues and this week Rachel Owens is joined by Kaye Keenen, BE-ST and Megan Adlen, Travis Perkins.
In this episode, we chat about supply chain products and solutions.
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n this episode of the Accelerate to Zero podcast, we dive into the topic of retrofit skills with Douglas Morrison, Deputy CEO of Built Environment - Smarter Transformation (BEST), and Pippa Palmer, Founder of Polln and Co-chair of the National Retrofit Hub's Working Group 3.
Together, they explore the challenges and opportunities in preparing the workforce for the massive task of retrofitting the UK’s built environment to meet net-zero targets.
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IIn this episode of Accelerate Zero, co-host Rachel Owens, alongside industry experts Gemma, Rob, and Cara, dives deep into the financial challenges and innovative solutions surrounding the retrofit of our homes and communities.
With retrofit finance often cited as a major barrier to scaling sustainable practices, this episode explores the existing financial products and the need for better coordination.
Tune in to learn how we can make our homes warmer, healthier, and more energy-efficient while also tackling the broader systemic challenges.
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This week Sara welcomes Helene Gosden, Associate Director at Arup, Donal Brown, Director of UK Programs at Ashden Climate Solutions, and Josiah Lockhart, Chief Executive Officer, Changeworks.
From the future of retrofit finance to the importance of aligning stakeholders, this conversation provides a rich insight into how retrofit can transform our homes, improve lives, and tackle climate challenges.
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In this episode of the podcast, Sara alongside Ellora Coupe and Cara Holmes are discussing how to the drive uptake of retrofit across the UK.
Together they explore how we can move beyond the technical jargon and connect with people on a more emotional level. Retrofitting isn't just about cutting energy bills, but improving the comfort and future-proofing of our homes.
Season 6
By focusing on ED&I, Season 6 aims to shed light on the challenges and opportunities in creating a more inclusive industry, encouraging meaningful change toward a diverse and equitable built environment.
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The Accelerate to Zero Podcast this week with a series focused on equality, diversity and inclusion within the built environment hosted by Kirsty Duncan Heads of Stakeholder Engagement at BE-ST.
Our first guest is Emily Carr, design manager at Kier Construction North & Scotland, and former vice-chair of Built Environment – Smarter Transformation’s BE Change Makers. Emily is an advocate for promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in construction and recently completed the Churchill Fellowship where she investigated ongoing initiatives promoting women in Sweden's construction sector.
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This week's guests are Pheona and Micheal Matovu, Founders of Radiant and Brighter. They know first-hand some of the challenges ethnic minorities experience in the UK. They themselves faced unemployment after migrating to the UK due to the lack of support available to them. Together they founded Radiant and Brighter to turn their focus towards training organisations and individuals to help provide support for migrant communities in Scotland. Now, they have a long track record of brignging ED&I to large organisations.
Find out more about Radiant and Brighter.
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Today we are taking a deeper dive into neurodiversity in the workplace. In August 2023 research from the National Federation of Builders reported that almost 40% of neurodivergent people working in construction have not told their employer about their condition.
In this week's episode, we are joined by Richard Gwilt, Digital Construction Manager at Kier Group. Since being diagnosed later in life with autism, Richard has been open to sharing his experiences, exploring and recognising the talent and creativity it can offer.
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IAurora Tallon, Chair of Women Property for Central Scotland and Senior Architect at BakerHicks joins the Accelerate to Zero podcast this week to discuss various equality, diversity and inclusion issues including maternity and paternity leave, language barriers and the benefits of a diverse workforce.
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Loco Home Retrofit is a Community Interest Company focused on owner occupier retrofit, Loco Home Retrofit support energy conscious home improvement in Glasgow.
Key to their work, is participating in collaborative initiatives to aggregate demand and ensure high quality outcomes and a risk managed retrofit offer to households.
Find out more here: https://locohome.coop/
In Scotland, 10.5% of workers within the construction sector are disabled. Today we are joined by Martin Griffin, Principal Geotechnical Engineer at GHD and award winning ED&I champion and advocate who leads a national neurodiversity network.
Martin is neurodivergent, autistic, dyslexic, dyspraxic and visually impaired.
Martin's recommended reading:
Neurodiversity at Work. (2021) Amanda Kirby (Author), Theo Smith
Design for the mind. Neurodiversity and the built environment. Guide
Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally Paperback. (2021) Emily Ladau
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In the final episode of this season of the Accelerate to Zero podcast on equality, diversity and inclusion, Heads of Stakeholder Engagement, Kirsty Duncan and Danielle Miller, speak to BE-ST's new board chair Nicola Barclay, about her career, challenges she's faced, and her perspective on diversity, leadership and the changing landscape of the built environment.
Season 5
Listeners are invited to explore how embracing digital innovation can lead to smarter, more efficient, and environmentally friendly building practices.
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This week sees an exciting live version of the Accelerate to Zero podcast recorded live at BE-ST Fest 2023.
Special guests Erik Archer, Associate Director at IES LTD and Thomas Milton, Senior Operations Consultant at IES recorded a fireside chat to cover everything you need to know about Digital Twins, including "what is a digital twin?", "why should I be interested in this technology?", "what benefits will it bring to my organisation?", "how much does it cost?" and "where do I start?".
Join a high level discussion that will leave you far more informed and enthused for a digital future.
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This week Matthew Paton is joined by Sebastian Andraos, CEO & Founder, HAL Robotics.
Sebastian comes from an architectural background before moving into the world of robotics in 2013, where he aims to facilitate the adoption of digital automation within the construction, design and craft industries.
Find out more about HAL Robotics.
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Listen in this week to hear from Mark Baxter Technical Director and Co-Founder at Digitalnauts.
Digitalnauts make immersive technologies accessible to businesses and organisations by supporting and creating immersive experiences for deployment at scale. In the age of digital transformation, they believe immersive technologies can advance the future of work and learning. Find out more.
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IJoin us this week to hear about all things data capture from Gary Kelly and Steven Duffy from Leica Geosystems.
Leica Geosystems has been revolutionising the world of measurement and survey for 200 years. With precise and accurate instruments, sophisticated software, and trusted services, Leica Geosystems delivers value every day to those shaping the future of our world.
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This week we are joined by Prof. Andrew Sherlock, Director of Data-Driven Manufacturing from National Manufacturing Institute Scotland.
Andrew is an engineer to trade, but has been working in AI, engineering and manufacturing throughout his career. He's interested in how we apply machine learning, AI and general data techniques to solve problems within engineering and manufacturing.
Learn more about NMIS.
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We wrap up our digitally focussed series of the podcast by delving into the world of artificial intelligence with Eric Duffy, Senior Director of Business Development, Tenstorrent.
Tenstorrent is a next-generation computing company that builds computers for AI. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with U.S. offices in Austin, Texas, and Silicon Valley, and global offices in Belgrade and Bangalore, Tenstorrent brings together experts in the field of computer architecture, ASIC design, advanced systems, and neural network compilers.
Season 4
In this season, we focus on the tool of retrofit that facilitate effective retrofitting in the construction industry. Hear from experts who share insights into innovative technologies, best practices, and strategies aimed at enhancing retrofit projects.
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ntuitive technology? Easy to use? Might just take the sting out of retrofit? Tell us more! This week Sara speaks to Louis Daillencourt from Novoville, the people behind Shared Repairs and Shared Works (soon to come!). The app allows you to report issues to owners, get quotes from Trusted Traders, take a vote, and open a digital payment account. Seeing the success with the Shared Repairs app to help residents, Louis began to collaborate with Loco Home Retrofit and Eala Impacts to explore how to increase the scope to deal with retrofit more broadly.
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Reinier, an experienced Environmental Engineer, and Kirsty, a seasoned Property and Tech entrepreneur, came together to found Kuppa.
Over a cup of tea, they came up with the seed idea for a technology platform which could take the confusion out of the home energy transition and demystify decarbonisation.
We talked about humanising data, but also being aware of the potential for action within understanding data and how it can help improve people’s lives.
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This week we spoke to Mike Teall and Sophie Leang from Snugg. Snugg is a digital platform to allow users to work out how their home is performing and what they can do next. Now, we are seeing more platforms like this emerge, but we at BE-ST are interested at getting under the surface to see how they differ, where’s the nuance, and most importantly, what are we learning about making this journey easier for everyone?
Mike and Sophie would love it if you all had a go at www.snugg.com and let them know how you find the experience!
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IThis week we're taking a quick break from the normal programming to give you a slice of the excitement to happen at the International Retrofit Conference: a not-to-be-missed retrofit event on 2nd November.
Sara spoke to Caitriona Jordan, Head of Retrofit Programmes at BE-ST and Rachael Owens, Sara’s co-director at the National Retrofit Hub, as Sara holds that role as well as Head of Citizen Engagement at BE-ST.
As BE-ST and the National Retrofit Hub will be co-hosting the day, they got together to let you all know about the upcoming International Retrofit Conference. There are going to be some incredible speakers and workshops and it struck us as the hosts that perhaps we needed to tell you a bit more about what’s planned and why. A sample of who we will hear from includes Smith Mordak of UKGBC, Rob Deegan the Department of Principal Officer, Residential Energy Efficiency, Government of Ireland, Energiesprong Global Alliance, Professor Sean Smith, Civic Square, Zero Waste Scotland, People Powered Retrofit and so much more.
Listen now.
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This week Sara speaks to Marina Topouzi from CREDS – the Centre for Research in Energy Demand Solutions. Marina shared the work that she and the team there are progressing on the Retrofit Salary Sacrifice scheme. This stands to be a really impactful way of incentivising retrofit and opening up all sorts of other related opportunities. We know that scaling retrofit will require manifold ways of approaching and delivering, and this one is at once innovative and totally relatable.
Season 3
Listen and learn about the development and application of sustainable materials and insulation including sisal, hemp and mycelium.
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In this season, Sara Edmonds hands over the Accelerate to Zero mic to Sam Patterson, Associate Impact Manager (Sustainability) at BE-ST.
Sam's first guest is Ankita Dwivedi, Founder and CEO of Firstplanit. Listen in to hear why Ankita has spent so many years to building Firstplanit, what it does, and how it is helping people to make informed and considered choices.
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The sustainable material takeover continues this week as Sam Patterson sits down with John Ferguson, Founder & CEO, Sisaltech.
Sisaltech Ltd is the first manufacturer to combine sisal and wool to make insulation. John Ferguson shares his journey as a smaller company creating a new construction material that is circular, sustainable and recyclable.
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Joining Sam Patterson this week on the Accelerate to Zero podcast is Sam Baumber, COO and co-founder of IndiNature. Edinburgh-based firm IndiNature creates products using the natural fibre hemp - a plant that can sequester 8-20 tonnes of carbon per hectare every year.
Listen as the Sams go over why IndiNature makes products from hemp, the fire and general performance of the material and how we can relearn and regrow this once relied-upon industry in the UK.
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IThis week Tony Gordon, Superglass joins Sam Patterson to discuss a popular insulation material in new build homes and retrofit, how it is made from recycled materials, and how we can give industry a clearer view to achieve retrofit at scale.
Superglass is a leading manufacturer of glass mineral wool insulation, offering thermal and acoustic products for all relevant applications. Their product is made from up to 84% recycled glass, and when installed saves around 200 times the energy used to manufacture it. As of June this year, Superglass is part of the Etex group, a global leader in lightweight construction brands.
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This week we're back with a brand new episode of the Accelerate to Zero Podcast featuring Dr Ehab Sayed, Founder of BIOHM.
The episode focuses on the power of mycelium - the vegetative filament root structure of mushrooms and BIOHM's R&D journey so far. Listeners will learn how mycelium is foraged, developed, cured and how it can be made into a sustainable insulation alternative.
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Join us this week as we shift perspective once again, unlike the other episodes we aren't taking a deep dive into one material. And that's because today's guest is Laurent Verheyden, Managing Director from Soprema, who are a global company, manufacturing a large variety of products.
In this episode, we'll be paying attention to their natural fibre ranges including circular textiles, wood fibre and cellulose.
Season 2
This season provides valuable insights for homeowners looking to enhance their homes' energy efficiency and sustainability.
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We’ve been long time fans of Marion Baeli’s work here at BE-ST. Marion is partner at PDP London, an architect and Passivhaus designer with a passion for sustainability and low energy design. This led Marion to take part and win a contract as part of a government competition, Retrofit for the Future, which in turn led to the delivery of the award winning 100 Princedale Road project, the first certified Passivhaus retrofit in the UK.
But that’s not all, Marion has carried out a deep retrofit of her own home too, so truly has a sense of what it takes, but also what the wide-ranging benefits are to delivering retrofit. In this episode we hear about Marion’s own home retrofit as well as her work in reviewing the Retrofit for the Future programme.
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Tara Gbolade is an architect and Passivhaus designer and cofounder of Gbolade Design Studio. In this episode we talk all things sustainability in practice. Tara was generous and brave in this discussion. We spoke about how none of us are perfect and that we learn and iterate as we go. This is exactly the sort of example we need to be leading with – letting it be known that we all have to start somewhere, and keep improving as we go. Tara is involved in many things, from the steering group of Architects Declare, member of the board of Trustees of UKGBC, co-founder of the Paradigm Network which champions Black and Asian representation in the built environment. Tara has some really interesting insights and direct experience of the multi faceted benefits of adopting higher performing standards, including the impact on our health. It’s a great listen – enjoy!
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Sal Wilson is an educator, architect, and passionate sustainability advocate. Sal teaches at The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment and the Architectural Association School of Architecture. She has worked across architectural and environmental design practices, including Atelier 10. She is co-founder of Home Energy Action Lab. But Sal has also undertaken her own retrofit project of her family’s home in Cornwall. In this episode we talk all things upskilling, supply chain dramas, the Whole Building Approach, and slugs.
Sal also mentioned Ecological Building Systems who supported her through her home retrofit with good advice, POWER who are running a collaborative retrofit workshop series of sessions with Home Energy Action Lab – you can sign up on their website to become a member to access these workshops, and Retrofit Action for Tomorrow who do wonderful work on the full scope of retrofit services with schools.
Several other organisations Sal mentions include SuperHomes, The AECB, Civic Square, Retrofit Balsall Heath and more! Get in touch if you have any questions. Enjoy the listen!
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This week Sara is joined by Sarah and Michael Lewis. Both are involved in the built environment – Sarah is the Director of Policy and Research at the Passivhaus Trust and Michael is a Teaching Fellow in architectural design at Edinburgh College of Art. They shared a really detailed history of the retrofit of their home, and we focused a lot on important things such as indoor air quality, the state of the grant led measures available, and the need for attention to detail in understanding both the buildings we retrofit but the way we go about retrofitting them. A really rich listen – enjoy!
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This week the Accelerate to Zero podcast features an interview with BE-ST’s very own Sarah Buchanan, Impact Manager in the Retrofit team. Not only does Sarah have an extensive knowledge of the retrofit space, but she also has taken on her own retrofit project of her home. She is an active member of Loco Home Retrofit, an organisation providing quality advice and whole house retrofit assessments, and an active community of support to share skills and knowledge, also featured in the last series of this podcast. Someone with Sarah’s perspective knows what needs to be done, has experienced the process of trying to get it done, but can also identify the gaps or problems in delivering retrofit. But Sarah frames all of this as opportunity. And she’s right. See the links of useful resources below and enjoy listening.
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Lisa is a retrofit coordinator, and Technical Lead at RetrofitWorks - a cooperative of retrofit installers and designers. She has an academic background in building physics and Architecture, and has conducted a range of performance evaluations of new, retrofit and refurbished buildings. She uses building forensics as part of an evidence-based approach to low-energy design and reducing the technical risk of construction projects. Throughout lockdown, Lisa took on the challenge of retrofitting her own Glasgow tenement flat.
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There is a movement building in communities across the UK in response to a deep need for improving our homes. This series we are taking a look at inspiring examples of community driven and place based retrofit initiatives. In this episode Sara, part of the retrofit team at BE-ST, hears from John Christophers, an architect and passionate retrofit and social justice advocate, all about Retrofit Balsall Heath, where their aim is to see no one left behind in their community. Oh and insulation? Though it might feature later, this scheme has bigger ambitions.
Find out more about Retrofit Balsall Heath.
Sara also speaks to the head of retrofit programmes at BE-ST, Caitriona Jordan, and sets out why BE-ST are focusing on retrofit. Go here for more information. And don’t forget to access all the excellent Low Carbon Learning resources available on our Learning Hub
Finally, please get in touch if you think there are people that we should be platforming on our podcast. Happy listening!
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This week we hear from Hilary Powell and Dan Edelstyn, two artists in London, driven by a desire to bring about change in their community.
Hilary and Dan's project POWER is a ‘show and do’ project building a solar power station across the rooftops of their street in Walthamstow, London through enacting a grassroots Green New Deal – working with art and infrastructure to tackle the interlinked climate/energy/cost of living crises.
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Retrofit is a complex area. And making the ideas around it meaningful for people is an area that has been underserved for a long time. But here’s a way to approach it.
Civic Square is a public square, neighbourhood lab, and creative and participatory platform focused on regenerative civic and social infrastructure. We spoke with Magda Petford, Dream Matter Designer, and Charlotte Bailey, Dream Matter Storyteller, about the work they have been doing in Ladywood in Birmingham with the community there.
You can find out more about their work at https://civicsquare.cc/about/
We mentioned a number of things on the podcast, and here are some links to those:
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In this week's episode, we explore the growing movement of community-driven initiatives and their impact on local communities. Against the backdrop of social and economic challenges, we speak with Homebaked CLT, a community land trust in Liverpool bringing about change for the better in their community. Both residents, they’ve been working in Anfield and Everton for over 12 years now. They talk about the need to be patient, to build trust and to get organised. Recognising there is a movement building in this place based community driven work, they mention collaborating with other great organisations such as Carbon Coop and South East London Community Energy.
As part of their work they’re developing a deep retrofit of a terrace in their neighbourhood and will soon launch a community share offer to raise the funds to deliver it. Please follow their work and consider supporting them if you can.
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Loco Home Retrofit is a Community Interest Company focused on owner occupier retrofit, Loco Home Retrofit support energy conscious home improvement in Glasgow.
Key to their work, is participating in collaborative initiatives to aggregate demand and ensure high quality outcomes and a risk managed retrofit offer to households.
Find out more here: https://locohome.coop/
Better still, become a member. If you don’t live in Glasgow, don’t let that stop you reaching out to them. Let’s continue to build this network, this wonderful web of connections to deliver safe resilient places for our communities to thrive!
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What a way to finish this series on place-based community focused retrofit initiatives! This week we had the pleasure of speaking to Aneaka Kellay from Carbon Co-op in Manchester, an energy services and advocacy cooperative that helps people and communities to make the radical reductions in home carbon emissions.
Aneaka works in the Retrofit Team and Energy Commons Team. She is experienced in workshop development, facilitation, and community engagement. And that’s the gold that Aneaka brings to this conversation. The fundamental importance of meaningful engagement to make retrofit stick! We covered a lot of other ground, from the finance models for retrofit, to training and the role of local authorities.
We also spoke about B 4 Box, a construction training provider and employer with a difference and social justice at its core. Aneaka also mentioned Hannah Dixon at Progress in Practice and the Power in the City podcast.
Towards the end of this recording we were joined by Jonathan Atkinson of Carbon Coop and begin to set the scene for the bonus episode that we’ll treat you to next week. Happy listening!
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This week, we bring you an extra bonus episode where Sara speaks to Jonathan Atkinson of Carbon Coop and People Powered Retrofit fame. It was a real joy, and Jonathan shared his extensive insight about the public and third sector and the world of the cooperative approach.
Check out their work here, also check out People Powered Retrofit, B4Box and also mentioned was the Community Green Deal report by Urbed.
Season 1
A recurring theme throughout the season is the vital role of community neighbourhood retrofits in transforming existing infrastructure into sustainable, low-carbon spaces.
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