After two years of working with Brighton & Hove City Council and the Brighton Peace and Environment Centre (BPEC), the London team launched Climate Connections to a reception of over 100 people on Sunday 28th March. The project tells the stories of incredible people from across the world and connects them with inspirational people and communities in Brighton.
We wanted to grab the attention of the person on the street who may not care about climate change or really understand why they should be doing something about it. The first part of the two year project is an outside photo exhibition (above), which will tour the city, to give as many people as possible the chance to see it. People can read about a family from Char Atra in Bangladesh who have had to move five times due to flooding alongside a family in Portslade, Brighton who are taking lots of steps to reduce their own energy consumption.
We also have a website – www.climateconnections.org.uk – for finding out more about each story, to discuss ideas, take campaign actions, join groups, set up initiatives, infact anything and everything to do with living a more sustainable life. Each story will be updated over the two years and we hope that the website will take on a life of its own as people make their own connections.
Finally, the wonderful Paolo Boldrini, our Climate Connections Coordinator, will be going out into the community with BPEC volunteers and delivering workshops to talk to people about the issues and to show them how to take action. He will also be rocking up to festivals and events throughout the year with a mini version of the exhibition to spread the word far and wide.
We have high hopes indeed for this unique public engagement project and hope that over the next couple of years, we can inspire thousands across this fabulous city by the sea.