Details of our latest events

Wildlife friendly gardening

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Our Horsham Climate Cafe on 5th September was an inspiring and informative talk about Wildlife Friendly Gardening.  Every green space is critical for our wildlife, even your garden, as all our UK gardens form more space than all the UK nature reserves!

Carrie the founder of Sussex Green Living opened the event with a reminder that we humans are not at the top of a wildlife pyramid but are simply part of the web of all life.  All the living things in an ecosystem depend on all the other things – living and non-living for continued survival – for food supplies and other needs.  Humans, animals and plants depend on a complex system of food for survival. Stressing the importance of using bug hotels, bird boxes and bat boxes in our gardens, but be aware that bats need about 1,000 mosquito type insects per hour, so a pond is almost essential!

Joanne Knowles was our second speaker who is passionate about encouraging us all to seek out peat -free compost. Read more

Reducing energy, saving money and the planet

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  • Over the last 10 years the UK has made some good progress reducing the carbon emissions associated with the generation of electricity. However – over the same timeframe – very little progress has been in reducing the emissions associated with heating our homes (ie “space heating” the heating of our home spaces). This is mostly due to our reliance on gas boilers in the home.
  • There are a number of options that can reduce the emissions related to space heating, not least improvements in home insulation (reducing wasted heat that “leaks” out of your home). But which insulation – wall, floor or roof ? And when you have optimised the insulation, which non-gas technology should you consider – solar, heat pumps (air source or ground source), or is there something new just around the corner ?
  • Warmer Sussex offer impartial advice (via a Retrofit Coordinator) to give you a plan/road map to reducing the emissions related to the space heating of your home. You will receive a bespoke Whole House Plan which looks at what has been done before, and what can be improved now. The Retrofit Coordinator considers the property, the clients budget, and any future plans they have (eg updating kitchen) when developing the strategy for the property. The insulation and ventilation will be considered first before starting to tackle heating/renewable.

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Guildford Community Hub unites community

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On Tuesday evening our Horsham Future Forum were inspired by a presentation about the new Guildford Community Hub which it is in the early stages of development. It consists of 12 different local organisations working together, their aim: education and engaging the wider population to drive behavioural change, and thereby try to reduce consumption emissions. Presented by Ben McCallan.

The Guildford Community Hub is built on a model called Space Generators, which has been operating for about 30 years. Space Generators focus on arts environmental community and sustainability projects / events using their network built up since 1992, when their campaign for the reuse of empty space began after the Rio Earth Summit. They tailor events or create a variety of modules to match vacant space in the interim period before development. Helping to provide space for local community use.

Currently there are Community Hubs being formed in Staines, Farnham, Elmbridge and two in Scotland. Could we develop a community hub in Horsham?

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Help Keep Rookwood Green!

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Join the Keep Rookwood Green Campaign on Saturday 15th August to become citizen scientists at this bio blitz, help carry out surveys to help record all living species in the area. You can book timed tickets for staggered visits through this Eventbrite link or learn more here  www.KeepRookWoodGreen.org.

Watch the talk Keep Rookwood Green gave at our Horsham Future Forum meeting on Tuesday 16th June here.

 

 

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Planning environmentally friendly celebrations

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On Saturday 4th July the Horsham Climate Cafe session focused on life celebrations, and how to make them more pocket and planet-friendly. Christenings, weddings, anniversaries and funerals needn’t cost the Earth, in more than one way! Presented by Jeanie Francis, a Billingshurst-based OneSpirit Interfaith minister/celebrant who over the last 25 years has developed a passion for creating personal, environmentally friendly special occasions that celebrate milestones in life.

Whether you are planning a celebration of new life or loosing a loved one, with a little thinking ‘out-side the box’ (excuse the pun) a personal and unique occasion, honouring a specific religion, mixed religion or no religion can be planned.

This is what one couple said recently about their son’s baby naming ceremony: “With a deep love of nature but with no particular religious faith we felt unsure how to celebrate the arrival of our son, Adam. With Jean’s imaginative guidance we created a beautiful ceremony which took place in our cottage garden beneath the willow tree. Everyone wrote wishes for Adam on cotton flags and tied them to the willow tree. Jean suggested we ask special friends to be guardians to Adam for Male Youth, Wisdom, Creativity and Spirituality. A day full of truly wonderful memories thank you Jean”. Read more

E.Y.E.’s 1st Virtual EYE Eco-Summit

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*** UNDER A WEEK TO GO…***

…to the online launch of E.Y.E.’s 1st Virtual EYE Eco-Summit, on the 2nd July at 10:00.

The social distancing has led to the postponement of the 13th Worthing and Adur Eco-Summit gathering. I know that your participation in the event was booked into your calendar, and that you might take an interest in our virtual event. As always we look forward to your involvement and support with our future events.

EYE have taken the initiative to collate and post a selection of workshops, to keep our keen eco-learners busy. Kindly provided by some of our supporters who were able to do so, in these challenging times we currently find ourselves in.

The 1st Virtual EYE Eco-Summit will be available via YouTube. Read more

Life celebrations with your pocket & planet in mind

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Naming ceremony in a garden

Saturday 4th July the Horsham Climate Cafe session will be focusing on life celebrations, and how to make them more pocket and planet-friendly. Christenings, weddings, anniversaries and funerals needn’t cost the Earth (in more than one way!). Presented by Jeanie Francis, a Billingshurst-based OneSpirit Interfaith minister/celebrant and ‘silverpreneur’ who over the last 25 years she has developed a passion for creating personal, environmentally friendly special occasions that celebrate milestones in life.

Whether you are planning a celebration of new life or loosing a loved one, with a little thinking ‘out-side the box’ (excuse the pun) a personal and unique occasion, honouring a specific religion, mixed religion or no religion can be planned.

This is what one couple said recently about their son’s baby naming ceremony: “With a deep love of nature but with no particular religious faith we felt unsure how to celebrate the arrival of our son, Adam. With Jean’s imaginative guidance we created a beautiful ceremony which took place in our cottage garden beneath the willow tree. Everyone wrote wishes for Adam on cotton flags and tied them to the willow tree. Jean suggested we ask special friends to be guardians to Adam for Male Youth, Wisdom, Creativity and Spirituality. A day full of truly wonderful memories thank you Jean”. Read more

29% of Horsham’s green space could be lost

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HELP KEEP ROOKWOOD GREEN PLEASE!

On Tuesday 16th June our weekly Horsham Future Forum and Youth Eco Forum attendees listened to an excellent talk by Peter Simpson, Trustee of the Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve and Sally Sanderson, Chair of Friends of Horsham Park. Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve, Friends of Horsham Park and the Horsham Society have formed Keep Rookwood Green Alliance and are campaigning to retain Rookwood Golf Course as a public green space.

Those of us on this week’s Zoom call were shocked to learn of the ecological damage and the 29% loss of Horsham’s large green space that will occur if 1,100 houses are built on Rookwood Golf Course. The decision will be finalised before August and there is a short window of opportunity in which we can influence Horsham District Councillors. The more of us that make our views known known, the greater the chance that we will be heard and that we can Keep Rookwood Green!

Here are some ways that you can get involved: Read more

To Travel or Not to Travel? That Is The Question

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Press release

Holidays on hold? Or help at hand

On Saturday 6 June, Sussex Green Living’s virtual Horsham Climate Café meeting will be focusing on what post-pandemic travel might look like once the world opens up again.

Many questions about the future of travel and holidays remain to be answered. With movement restrictions still in place and many holidaymakers still not knowing if, how or when they can expect to get away, the biggest question may be:

How will people feel about holidays after the pandemic and have travellers’ priorities changed?

Some may be desperate to get away after the lockdown and others may be feel it is too risky for health reasons. The nature recovery may have inspired people to stay at home whilst others may be motivated by sustainable holidays or wanting to make a difference overseas.

This week’s Climate Café event will discuss Ethical Travel, StayCations and SlowCation (travel by bike and train) and suggest possible alternatives to our traditional get-aways. Read more

Horsham Climate Cafe – the value of nature

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Horsham Climate Cafe – the value of nature All of us are experiencing the uncertainty the current pandemic has brought with it, alongside the forced physical disconnect from one another and our usual routines. However, while this situation has restricted us in many ways, it has also freed us in others. An overwhelming number of […]

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News from the Horsham Repair Cafe

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Sorry to say that the Horsham Repair Café will not be physically opening for our once a month repairs, refills and energy advice for a while. However we have reviewed the situation and are now going to trial a weekly repair service which will run alongside the household and personal hygiene bottle refill service. We can offer repairs to small electrical household and IT items only at the moment. This drop off and collection service will be offered each Saturday between 10-12 noon (with suitable covid social distancing and product handling restrictions).

Please book in your item by completing our online booking form here, we will then email to confirm the procedure and location for drop off. Please note that we are not able to repair any textiles for the foreseeable future.

Costs:

Electrical repairs – our volunteer repairer will assess the item and inform you if there is a need to purchase any parts. If you agree to the costs on collection you will be asked to pay for the costs, a voluntary donation to the Horsham Repair Café is optional. Read more

Message from Ecuadorian cloud forest

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One of the last hidden treasure/locations

Saturday 9th May the weekly virtual Horsham Climate Cafe focused on The Value of Nature, bringing attendees a special message from Nicola Peel who is locked down in a cloud forest in Los Cedros Biological Reserve in the Choco region of Ecuador full of yet to be discovered plant and animals. Plants which will provide cures to diseases, trees which give us oxygen to breath, things we take for granted. The debate is gold and copper mining for new phones or medicine and oxygen?

During this Climate Cafe session Victoria Wyllie de Echeverria also gave an informal talk about the deep connection indigenous people have to nature, their stewardship of the land and water and how they are adapting to climate change.

You can see Nicola’s video message at the bottom of this page. Learn here about Nicola’s lockdown location, one of the most biologically diverse and endemic habitats on Earth in her latest email:

Dear friends,

After finishing my work in the Ecuadorian Amazon I was about to have a week to myself on the coast. This was not to be. Like so many of us due to the unforeseen events our lives have changed.

I had returned to Quito and was staying with a friend when I heard that due to Corona Virus all borders were closed, flights to be cancelled and no more buses. I got out of the city on the last bus to Chontal and headed up to the Los Cedros Reserve. http://reservaloscedros.org/about/ Read more

Pressing the pause button

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On Saturday 2nd May Dr Tony Whitbread spoke at the Horsham Climate Cafe to around 100 people using Zoom video conferencing. He spoke about positive impacts of covid on human attitute to nature and signs of the natural world recovering. This event was chaired and facilitated by Helen Whittington, Carrie Cort, Chloe Harrison and Vivaine Doussy. You can hear a podcast of his talk, see the global reach of this event and the Q&A here.

Tony shares his thought provoking insight with us here…..Nature seems to be blossoming while us humans are locked up indoors.  We’ve heard about goats taking over gardens in Llandudno in Wales and fallow dear wandering round parts of London.  There are elephants on the streets of Thailand, elephant seals in Argentinian suburbs and the penguins are taking back the streets in South Africa!  There seem to be more butterflies and the birds seem to be singing louder.  Is nature really recovering while we are locked up, is it the good weather, or is it just that we are taking the time to pay attention and notice what has been there all along?

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Tony Whitbread climate cafe session

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What is the Impact of Covid-19 on Nature? This was the burning question for all those who joined the Horsham Climate Café’s sixth (since lockdown) weekly Zoom meeting, which took place on Saturday 2nd May.

113 people booked from from all over the world including England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Uganda and South Africa (including 37 South East Climate Alliance members). They tuned in to hear special guest, Dr Tony Whitbread, President of Sussex Wildlife Trust, give an inspiring talk about how nature is blossoming with less human activity. He highlighted:

– the speed at which animals all round the world have expanded their ranges in to towns and cities

– the bluer skies and reduction in air pollution

– that people have slowed down and are noticing and valuing the beauty of the natural world

His insights prompted questions such as what can we do to engage our children in protecting the planet, should “ecocide” be unlawful, and perhaps the most pressing issue right now: how can we ensure the “nature recovery” continues post-lockdown?

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The Mutual Aid Movement

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Since we entered lockdown, community has become important to many of us in a way it was not before. The way we relate to one another has changed and, although physical contact outside the home is impossible, many of us are enjoying a greater sense of connectedness within our neighbourhoods than ever. In Horsham District, and all over the country, people are getting to know and support those who live around them. Whether this is as part of volunteer schemes providing vulnerable people with essential shopping, phone calls offering emotional support, or simply the weekly clap for carers, the networks forged between local residents during this time are vital and valuable.

As we adapt to the current situation, it is important that we also look forward to how we rebuild our lives in the post-covid era and we are conscious that this will not, and should not, mean returning to ‘normal’. The social connectedness that has risen ironically from a time of ‘social distancing’ is something worth maintaining, particularly as many will need support as they continue to isolate long after general restrictions are relaxed. Read more

Virtual climate cafe connecting people and planet

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Week 3 of virtual climate cafe

Local people removed from isolation for one hour a week through the virtual Horsham Climate Cafe. Saturday 11th April saw the numbers grow from 7 the first planning week, to 15, with 24 turning-in last week to learn about frugal and free wild cooking from Fiona founder of Earthkind and an eco art competition which Sussex Green Living are running with the South Downs National Park.  With lots of other exciting local and countywide ideas materialising.

The Horsham Climate Cafe normally pops up once a month at the Quaker Meeting House in Horsham, but quickly adapted with lockdown to go online using Zoom free video conferencing. Last week saw people from Horsham, Billingshurst, Lindfield, Worthing, Chichester, Peacehaven, Petworth and Leeds tuning-in! The aim is to remove people for social isolation for an hour a week to discuss ideas for supporting community and planet in this uncertain time. The organisers are very heartened to be receiving such a positive response and great engagement! Read more

Inspiring natural world free events on 2nd & 3rd May

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Press Release

Inspiring double act event Tony Whitbread and dawn chorus!

We may be social-distancing but this doesn’t mean we have to distance ourselves from the natural world too. The first weekend of May offers two exciting opportunities to connect with it.

On Saturday 2nd May at 2pm Tony Whitbread, President (retired CEO) of Sussex Wildlife Trust, will be speaking at the virtual Horsham Climate Cafe. As humans have been forced to make radical lifestyle changes we have begun to see incredible signs of recovery in the natural world. Tony will be sharing insights how the coronavirus has impacted on our attitudes towards nature – a discussion not to be missed. Simply book a free place via our Eventbrite page (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/sussex-green-livinghorsham-climate-cafe-30023845980) to receive a link to the Zoom video conference.

Our virtual Horsham Climate Café takes place weekly and is an opportunity for local residents to learn, share and discuss ideas for saving money and building a more sustainable future. In the coming weeks we will be focusing on community support, an art competition to inspire children and young people to visualise a bright new future, low-cost sustainable living and growing you own. Read more

Money Saving ideas at Horsham Climate Cafe

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Saturday 4th April the Horsham Climate Cafe will pop up as a virtual one hour event for the second week in a row. It will be running using a free Zoom video call every Saturday at 2pm during the Covid19 crisis and until further notice.

This Saturday there will be an opportunity for people to connect and chat informally around concerns, insights with  ideas for using materials around you, saving money and helping the planet. Fiona Hamilton who runs Earthkind a plastic free food refills service which pops up at the Horsham Repair Cafe, will be providing lots of money saving ideas around frugal and zero waste living, see below. She is happy to receive questions ahead of Saturday or on the day. Forward questions to ahead of Saturday.

Helen Whittington will talk about the new Horsham Repair Cafe cleaning and personal product bottle refill service she is offering during lockdown, as seen here https://www.horsham-refill.com. Carrie Cort, founder of Sussex Green Living will talk about a saving money through switching energy providers. Since running the Horsham Repair Cafe she has helped lots of people switch using https://bigcleanswitch.org/sussexgreen/, everyone has saved between £90 and £366 a year.

Enjoy Fiona’s ideas for saving money and living a more sustainable life here: Read more

Virtual meeting every Saturday 2pm offering community support

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Saturday 28th March saw the Horsham Climate Cafe pop up for the first time as a virtual gathering to discuss how people can continue to connect, support our community and share ways to save money through the anxieties and challenges of the COVID-19 lockdown.

In these precarious and uncertain times, we are all having to rethink our lifestyles and our priorities and are finding new and resourceful ways to adapt and form communities. These initiatives all feel very relevant to how we hope to approach the other global catastrophe of our times – the climate crisis. For this reason we feel that it is important that our plans for tackling the two are connected and that we continue to support one another to live environmentally conscious lives in the light of the current situation.

Although the Horsham Repair Cafe is no longer able to meet as a community, the refill service for cleaning products is still running with new social distancing measures in place learn more here https://www.horsham-refill.com.

The Horsham Climate Cafe will take place via Zoom every Saturday at 2pm for about one hour anyone is warmly welcomed to join the virtual space, it is free and requires no software download. Read more

Hope must come out of Covid19 crisis

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Next Horsham Climate Cafe 4th April will be online

Press release

Horsham Climate Cafe gives inspiration: people take stock and change habits

The speed at which Governments, organisations and institutes around the World are reacting to the Covid19 pandemic gives the organisers of the Horsham Climate Cafe hope. It shows that when faced with an emergency the world can mobilise resources and political will in the midst of the crises.

An unexpected but positive spin-off is that the world has seen a huge dip in global greenhouse gas emissions since the devastating Covid19 virus and fast mobilisation of community collaboration and support.

Carrie Cort, the founder of Sussex Green Living and co-founder of the Horsham Climate Cafe said “The UK often blame China for its huge carbon footprint but a lot of our clothes and goods are made cheaply and imported to the UK.  We spent £44.7 billion on imported Chinese goods in 2018 alone”.  She continues, ‘All this manufacturing of cheap goods and shipping around is a hidden carbon footprint which the UK should take responsibility for.  It also means we’ve become dependent on China for manufactured goods, which leaves us vulnerable in times like this.”

Horsham Climate Cafe is normally at the Quaker Meeting House on the first Saturday of each month, on Saturday 4th April at 2pm it will use Zoom or Skype free video conferencing, enabling people to attend from their homes. Read more

Horsham Climate Cafe

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Our Corona Virus Action Plan-

Horsham Climate Cafe goes online

We hope you will all be delighted to hear – The Horsham Climate Cafe will continue throughout the current social distancing and quarantine measures! We’re now switching to online meetings using Zoom (see joining instructions below!), a FREE and easy to use video chat and video conferencing service. Please feel free to join any of our sessions to continue to be involved, or use this as a great chance to see what we’re about for the first time (all from the comfort of your own home!). Until we can resume our physical meetings, please do pop in on us – we are running EVERY Saturday at 2pm for an hour – we’d love to see you there! In our sessions, we like to talk about pocket and planet-saving ideas for the community (all quarantine friendly ideas, of course!). See below for the exciting schedule for our planned sessions so far…

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UK environmentalist raises the alarm to support children’s right to fresh air

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23rd February 2020  – immediate release

UK environmentalist raises the alarm to support children fighting an oil company deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon. 

Environmentalist Nicola Peel will be supporting nine children (aged between 7 and 14 years of age) this week who live in the contaminated province of Sucumbios in the Ecuadorian Amazon as they take the Government to court in an action of protection.

The landmark case is against the Ministry of Energy and Non Renewable Resources ( he state owned Petro Amazonas) and the Ministry of the Environment.

The children are demanding the government stop all gas flares in their villages which contaminate the air they breathe in the Amazon. Read more

Toby Phillips www.tobyphillipsphotography.co.uk

Repair Cafe unites community and sows seeds of change

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© www.tobyphillipsphotography.co.uk

Behaviour change can be a daunting prospect, unless it happens in easy steps, with tangible and immediate benefits. Getting together to fix stuff is an instantly appealing answer to reducing waste, but Horsham District resident Carrie Cort has discovered that setting up a regular repair café has brought dividends and benefits to the community that neither she nor any of those involved could have imagined.

FROM FIXING LAPTOPS TO HELPING THE PLANET

Carrie set up Sussex Green Living in 2012 and the same year attended a West Sussex County Council waste prevention advisor (WPA) training where she met and became good friends with another voluntary WPA Jill Shuker. In 2016 they organised their first textile up-cycling workshop as part of a Horsham festival, hoping it would encourage teenagers to learn how to sew and adapt clothes as a sustainable antidote to fast fashion. ‘It attracted children of all ages’, says Carrie. This workshop and later textile upcycling workshops resulted in a group of creative textile volunteers. Read more

Climate change forum “Food for thought”

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POSTPONED DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS. WE WILL ADD A NEW BLOG WHEN THE DATE HAS BEEN CONFIRMED

Date and time: Friday 13th March 2020 7.00 pm

Venue: Pulborough Village Hall, Swan View, Pulborough, RH20 2BF

This is the second in a series of climate change forum events in Pulborough, the first event in October was an outstanding success and packed out the village hall, learn more here. Come and learn about the problems and solutions of the food industry………

7.00 – 7.10 pm        CHAIRMAN Geoff Barnard, Founder Greening Steyning

7.10 – 7.25 pm        INTRODUCTION: THE FOOD CHAIN Tony Whitbread, President Sussex Wildlife Trust

7.25 – 7.40 pm        SOIL HEALTH Dan Osborn, Chairman CPRE Sussex, the countryside charity

7.40 – 7.55 pm        FARMING Philip Lymbery, Chief Executive Compassion in World Farming Read more

Want to visualise a positive planet in 2040?

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An award-winning film called 2040 is coming to Horsham and Lindfield in March and April, book your tickets now! It is a compelling vision…. come and let yourself be inspired.
Award-winning director Damon Gameau embarks on a journey to explore what the future would look like by the year 2040 if we simply embraced the best solutions already available to us to improve our planet and shifted them into the mainstream.
2040 is an Australian documentary that takes a solutions-based approach to how we can, using the technology we already have, mitigate the enormous global issues we currently face. The main themes/solutions looked at in the film are around: empowerment of women and girls; marine regeneration; regenerative agriculture; renewable energy; and circular economy. It’s a story of hope, and a powerful tool to encourage people to take action – you can take a peek at some of the amazing things the Australian release has achieved so far in this video.

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