A Learning History of Low Carbon Innovation in Local Authorities

Steve reflects on participating in the workshop & the research....

Steve Waller, sustainability adviser at the Improvement & Development agency for Local Government (I&DeA) has been involved in the research in two different capacities. Formerly, from Nottingham City Council, Steve was instrumental in the creation of the Nottingham Declaration and therefore was a protagonist interviewed for that Learning History. Now at the IDeA his interests lie in exploring how knowledge and learning about sustainability can be shared across Local Government organisations. Recently Steve has been involved in the running of the "Tackling Climate Change" beacon scheme, where those councils who have made considerable strides in addressing the climate change agenda are elected as "Beacons".

Toward lunchtime at the workshop I asked Steve how he was enjoying the workshop and his top of the head thoughts on the process of the research thus far. Click on the audio button below to hear what he said.

Steve - in conversation at the workshop

".....It's also been really good fun - this is a new way of doing things"

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Southampton District Energy: Headline responses

At the workshop active readers recorded the following top of the head reactions in their workbooks just after finishing the Southampton Learning History: 

I found this fascinating. A modern heroic tale: “Biowolf” – It is a tale of dogged determination especially for Mike Smith. 

Fascinating story over 20 years of the life of an idea and some people. I recognise many ‘success’ factors but it is the scale that was impressive 

A fascinating combination of innovative thinking, technical investigation and good fortune. I know the city a bit but was surprised how unaware I was of it and what a positive feeling it gave me about the place. 

The history provides so much valuable information on so many levels: the technical, the organisational, the contextual and the personal. In setting out in sometimes tedious detail what happened when and why it illuminates how things actually change 

You can read a more detailed summary of readers comments here. The Southampton Learning History can be downloaded from the Lowcarbonworks project website here"). 

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Southampton District Energy: Summary of workbook responses

The Southampton Learning History Poster

At the workshop active readers recorded thoughts, feelings, and ideas in workbooks just after they had read the Southampton Learning History (which can be downloaded from our project website here"). The headline responses can be read here.

Going through the workbooks, here's a summary of what they said:

In general the story of the scheme fascinated readers and its scale at once impressed and depressed them: “Argh – they had geothermal and started years ago with political consensus”. Readers grappled with the role of the geothermal aspect. Southampton were lucky to have it: Those lucky Geothermal bastards! exclaimed one reader. But another noted that it had just enabled the first stage in a series of innovations – “innovation is breeding innovation”.

Several points were of interest: for example the coming together of agendas and partnerships; the role of energy security as an enabling factor and the way people’s perception of how best to do heating was hugely influenced by past history.

But readers were particularly interested in understanding the success factors of the scheme. The main factor identified was the personalities involved who made it happen over a long time: The key factor was the willingness to be innovative and the determination to see it through wrote one reader; another echoed this writing: there were key individuals holding it together and others coming in to infect new ideas and drive. There was admiration for the characters’ persistence and determination.

As with other histories, readers explored too themes of vision and chance. The way the scheme developed organically rather than in a controlled, linear fashion was noted by readers. Working to a vision over time was seen as significant. This was about “sustained change” commented one reader – “the technical stuff is less important than the vision”. Readers noted the role of chance – questioning it too. How does chance relate to luck? This question has been explored in more detail here. And, ‘at what point does a vision become self-fulfilling?’.

With this history there was curiosity rather than suspicion about missing perspectives (see questions). There was a desire to hear more from protagonists, to learn how local communities perceived the scheme and how this had changed. There was also a desire know more about the mirror story of how things unfolded in the private sector as different clients connected.

Find out more about the questions Southampton readers posed. Find out too what readers of the Southampton history found relevant to their experiences and challenges.

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Southampton LH: Readers relate it to their experiences

For one active reader of the Southampton Learning History (which can be downloaded from our project website here) the Southampton scheme drew parallels with attempts to develop a similar scheme in Nottingham. The scheme there was at a low point for many years – but could have developed in the same way if the same ‘characters’ had been around. Another reader pointed out the links with waste heat and power. And another saw how the Mayor in his authority currently enjoys the freedom to innovate in a way that is similar to that enjoyed by political champions in Southampton.

Reader’s took away questions: How might we get something like this going? What motivates the experts and advisers we employ? And actions: Brainstorm ideas with senior officers; do some background reading.

They also took away ideas about using the Learning History approach in other settings to motivate change.

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Southampton LH: Readers questioning

Active readers of the Southampton Learning History (which can be downloaded from our project website here).
recorded in their workbooks and in the group session several questions. Some of these were technology based:

Have the problems with woodchip CHP been overcome?

Some related directly to scenes described in the history - readers wanted to know more:

Were the ‘real’ risks and ‘perceived’ risks identified and analysed at the time?
What complementary vision being played out in the private sector?

There was some questioning around what it must have felt like to be involved.
Was it pressurised? And how did local attitudes to the scheme change over time?
Was there a trigger moment for Mike Smith that he hasn’t revealed when he moved from being purely concerned about the finances to the environment?

These questions then led to deeper reflections on the success factors in Southampton.
Just how did Southampton manage it, when Nottingham didn’t?
How random was the EU funding?
From these came more general questions:
How could we challenge short-term market drivers?
How do we work with personalities in a transient world where this is not encouraged for political and social reasons?
And finally some reflective questions on our own practice, Are we honest about our own motivations? wondered the Southampton group. Would it make a difference to the outcome if we were?

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