Resonate Late: Stories of Sustainability
On Tuesday 14 April, we returned to 1 Mill Street in Leamington Spa for an evening of discussion on why people are at the heart of imagining a more sustainable future.
We heard from four brilliant speakers from University of Warwick, who’s topics explored the role of culture, creativity and community in shaping a world where people and the planet can thrive together.
First, Dr Heidi Ashton (Cultural & Media Policy Studies) kicked off the discussion, introducing us to the real-world impact of screen production on sustainability. We heard how video screening and film production impacts energy consumption and emissions, discovering what impact film and tv production has on the planet and how we could rewrite the script for a more sustainable future. Heidi’s research on this topic is in collaboration with Professor Pietari Kaapa (Cultural & Media Policy Studies).
Then, Dr Romain Chenet (Global Sustainable Development) helped us consider a new spin on sustainability. We discovered multiple meanings of the word and heard how we could re-imagine and re-define the term in more meaningful ways. It encouraged us to consider what sustainability meant to us as an individual, and how we could influence positive change in our daily lives and local communities.
Next, Dr Mark Scott (Warwick Business School) took us closer to home, as we learned about UNESCO’s 2030 Indicators project and how this applies to the city of Coventry. The project is part of an international initiative investigating how culture contributes to sustainable development. Working with UNESCO, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and Coventry City Council, the project gathered cultural data across Coventry to better understand the role of heritage, creativity, community, and cultural participation.
Finally, Dr Hita Unnikrishnan (Global Sustainable Development) closed out the evening with a very poignant poetry reading and discussion touching on her time working on Community Energy projects in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Mozambique as part of a GCRF funded project called Community Energy and Sustainable Energy Transitions. Hita’s talk introduced attendees to the nuances of intersectional energy inequalities and gave us insight into lived experience of how community energy shortages impact those living in Eastern Africa. You can read Hita’s poetry here.
It was especially brilliant to hear thoughts from attendees after each of the talks. We had a wonderful time learning about sustainability from a range of alternative perspectives. Until the next Resonate Late!