Though the Learning History research started
with 5 iconic stories, it is clear that these are not the only stories of
innovation there are. During story circles at the Learning History workshop
in February 2008, 25 short stories of innovation were told by people from across the country in Local Authorities or connected organisations. These two-minute stories were taped and, from the recordings that worked (!), 20 were transcribed. They are reproduced here to inspire and to show the breadth of things people are doing and thinking in order to innovate towards a more sustainable future.
Have you a story to tell? Write it down and send it to us and we can publish it for you. Or add it in directly yourself in response to this posting.
1.Pyrolysis parade tells how an officer found
out about a new compact Pyrolysis system that could transform waste management
in the future
2. The Green Team Challenge tells of how a team are
currently trying to address waste in the offices of central government bodies
and the challenges they face.
3. Policy on the hoof tells of how, by gathering
key politicians into a facilitated workshop setting, a group were able to get
comitted buy-in to ambitious targets for carbon reduction. The process normally
would have taken several months.
4. Giving Local Heroes a Voice tells of how some wilful
individuals with a keen interest in alternative energy got their voices heard
by using the strutiny process.
5. Lime Mortar's the wrong colour tells of how a Local
Authority led a restoration project to show that conservation and carbon
reduction can co-exist....well almost.
6. No-one ever asks us! How a lone
sustainability officer built a campaign to introduce sustainability measures in
her Authority. Read how, starting with an inclusive Lunch, one step led to
another and the chief exec ended up on his bike!
7. It's not me mate Read about a town in
Russia where the politics and energy structures conspire to mean no-one can
take a crucial decision. Result: A very cold February for inhabitants every
year
8. Fourth
Big Ambition Read a story that tells
how, by getting a mix of people together in the same room, climate change and
sustainability became the fourth big ambition for Sheffield.
9. Long
Distance Intimacy Read how a new generation
Video Conferencing system is so realistic that one user sometimes tries to
reach under a table 3000 miles away! The impacts for reducing business-related
air-travel are very real for at least one corporate employee as well as his
colleagues.
10. On
yer bike! Read
an inspiring story about how an innovative cycle centre in the town of
Middlesborough not only got people on their bikes to work but also spawned new
projects and increased wider awareness of sustainability and environmental
issues.
11. Grist to the
Mill – Hydropower in South Somerset describes
how Mill owners across Somerset were brought together to explore hydropower and
what happened as a result
12. Quality Counts – Taking contamination
out of East London
describes how the problem of contamination in recycling waste in East London
was addressed
13. Talking Heads – Communicating Climate
Science tells how
a group of scientists were brought together with members of the public to
discuss climate science there were some striking differences in how different
scientists communicated about the issue.
14. For Peat’s Sake – Enhancing Carbon
Storage in the Peak District What
have degraded peat moorlands to do with climate change? Read how work to
re-vegetate this land is important for increasing carbon storage potential and
so all part of the rich pattern of addressing climate change.
15. Retyred – The story of my pencil case A
practical, recycled pencil case is wearing well and reminds its owner daily of
how well recycled products can be innovative, useful and practical.
16. Local Lessons – Melting roads and open windows! Read how an assessment of Climate Change impacts (LCLIP) has been
carried out and how it is being used to inform decision makers at a local
level.
17. Be bold! Ask for a million £ A bold request for funding led to an energy efficiency project being
run right across one Local Authorities LSP (Local Strategic Partnership)
bringing them together around one table to discuss energy efficiency. Who knows
where it might lead?
18.
Tapping into energy on energy Read how a group of sustainability officers capitalized on the growing
interest in the Private sector for climate by bringing all the big employers
together and offering them a means to start practically addressing carbon
reduction.
19.
Going fishing – catching opportunity A sustainability director in a late starting Local Authority got good
results by a combination of putting signals out into the world of carbon
reduction as well as looking inward to capitalize and join up what was going on
already.
20.
Waiting for the cows to come home – a cautionary tale
An ambitious climate awareness campaign faced
many stumbling blocks when it came to getting it ‘on the road’. Read about some
of the familiar realities that dogged this innovative project.
Recent Comments