Prince's 2009 May Day Summit

by Emma_Chappel on 01-May-09 17:14

The Prince’s 2009 May Day Summit in the South West
The Arnolfini, Bristol

The green theme continued into today when Fiona Francombe, our Production Services Manager, and I attended the Prince’s May Day Summit, hosted by Business in the Community.

Delegates from large and small organisations from both the private and public sectors packed into the 3rd floor at the Arnolfini to hear Jonathan Porritt, the founder Director of the Forum for the Future launch the West of England Carbon Challenge.

According to their website, ‘The Prince's May Day Network is the UK’s largest group of businesses committed to taking action on climate change.  By sharing best practice, these businesses promise to play a powerful role in reducing the UK's carbon emissions’.

Forum for the Future is running the Challenge along with the May Day Network, Bristol-based Centre for Sustainable Energy and GWE Business West. Those who sign up to the Challenge are pledging to cut their carbon emissions, from current levels, by a minimum 10% by 2012.

It’s a tough target but also the thin end of the wedge. As Jonathan Porritt explained, the UK is committed to cutting carbon emissions by 34% from 1990 levels by 2020 and by a whopping 80% by 2050. It’s not an easy task but the message was unequivocal: if we are to stop climate change from wreaking havoc, we have no choice.

May Day summits were happening across the UK today and at 12:20 we were linked up to the London event, attended by Ed Miliband and Prince Charles, in time to receive a live broadcast from Arctic explorer, Pen Hadow from within the Arctic Circle. Throughout his two-month expedition, Pen and his colleagues had been constantly testing the thickness of the sea ice. The average was 1.77m, compared with the expected thickness of 3m. The evidence was stark.

Prince Charles then addressed the Summit with the words ‘the Doomsday clock is ticking’. More than one thousand businesses across the UK have signed up to the Prince’s May Day Network and his message to those not yet signed up was clear. ‘Until you are measuring and reporting your carbon emissions, you can’t think anyone will believe you are serious about tackling climate change. We have 98 months to turn a massive corner.  We must act today.’

Consultancy and technology service provider, Capgemini, the University of the West of England and Bristol Zoo are among the first to sign up to the West of England Carbon Challenge. They have been joined by infrastructure consultancy Halcrow Group, engineering consultancies Arup and Buro Happold, Sustain IT Solutions, the South West Regional Development Agency and the Homes and Communities Agency (SW region).

The South West Regional Development Agency also sponsored the 2009 South West Carbon Positive Awards. 

Award winners included:  Nutshell Natural Paints www.nutshellpaints.co.uk, Plymouth City Council, Inspirations Advertising & Design www.inspirations.uk.net, Ove Arup and Partners www.arup.com, Alastair Sawday Publishing www.sawdays.co.uk, Earth Energy www.earthenergy.co.uk, CS Resources www.c3resources.co.uk, Egloskerry School www.egloskerry.cornwall.sch.uk, Bovey Climate Action www.boveyclimateaction.org.uk, Centre for Sustainable Energy www.cse.org.uk . 

To see information on the nominees and winners in more detail click here.

It is now up to the rest of us to measure our carbon footprints, and start to take steps to reducing them. Take a look at the Green Filmmaking Guidelines for more information. We will also be compiling an online directory of green suppliers, so if you have anyone you wish to nominate, or if you wish to be included, email fiona.francombe@swscreen.co.uk.

Tagged:green, business in the community, May Day Summit, Jonathan Porritt

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