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Jeremy Murphy

The UK co-operative movement pledges to be fossil fuel free by 2030

1st July 2015/in Frontpage Article, News, Public Engagement, Team /by Jeremy Murphy

Co-operatives UK, the membership body for cooperatives, made a pledge for it’s members to be fossil fuel free by 2030. The pledge occurred in the course of a session on sustainability at the National Congress ‘Co-operation: Now’ in Birmingham Town Hall. Co-operatives UK will work with members and partners on the action plan for this year.

“Co-operatives operate on a set of seven democratic and community-serving principles, said Petronella Tyson of SSG, “and this commitment to substantively address climate change reflects those principles.” Petronella Tyson helped to set the stage for the session on co-operatives and sustainability at the Congress. SSG is a workers co-operative of community planners for climate action, who have been working closely with the International Cooperative Alliance.
Petronella at Congress
Co-operatives UK joins other leading networks such as the C40 Cities, We Mean Business global coalition and recently Europe’s six largest oil and gas companies, with ambitious efforts to address climate change prior to the UN COP21 Paris talks in December.

The announcement on climate change was accompanied by pledges to support youth networks, to enhance educational efforts on sustainability and co-operativism, to expand the network of renewable energy suppliers and finally to launch a sustainability network that will support and challenge cooperatives on their path toward sustainability. It joins successful outcomes of last years Congress, including the wide adoption of the Fair Tax Mark.

“We look forward to supporting co-operatives in the UK in their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and advance sustainability” continued Petronella. “We believe sustainability is in the DNA of co-operatives.”

The UK’s co-operative economy is worth more than £37 billion. There are over 15 million members of co-operatives, making it one of the largest membership movements in the U.K. SSG is a workers co-operative consisting of urban planners, engineers and management consultants focussed on climate change mitigation and adaptation. SSG works with the International Cooperative Alliance on its Sustainability Advisory Group.  Last year, they released a report on the role of co-operatives in addressing climate change at last year’s UN Climate talks in Lima, which will be the basis of the Cooperatives UK sustainability plan.

-ENDS-

Contact

Petronella Tyson
petronella@ssg.coop
+44 7950 808224

About Cooperatives UK
Co-operatives UK is the network for Britain’s thousands of co-operatives. It works to promote, develop and unite member-owned businesses across the economy. From high street retailers to community-owned pubs, fan-owned football clubs to farmer-controlled businesses, co-operatives are everywhere and together they are worth £37 billion to the British economy.
www.uk.coop / @CooperativesUK

About SSG
SSG is a workers cooperative of inspired problem solvers working to address our complex climate and sustainability challenges.
www.ssg.coop / @SSG_News

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Jeremy Murphy

New book published on ‘Community Vitality’

1st June 2015/in Community Planning & Health Planning, Frontpage Article, Neighbourhood Planning and Design, News, Public Engagement /by Jeremy Murphy

For general release

SSG in collaboration with Professor Ann Dale, Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Community Development, and Rob Newell have published their first book under a new publishing arm Fernweh Press.

Community Vitality: From Adaptation to Transformation explores key themes on what makes a community vital, why vitality is important and how vitality helps inspire and guide critical shifts towards thriving, resilient and sustainable communities. Read more

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Jeremy Murphy

Announcing a biweekly climate briefing from SSG 

31st October 2014/in Campaigns, News, Public Engagement, Team /by Jeremy Murphy

In December 2015, the world’s leaders will gather in Paris, France to finalise negotiations for an ambitious global agreement that limits the world to a less than a two degree Celsius rise in global temperature. Many believe it is the most significant global negotiation with towns and cities having a critical role to play.

“Local government is where the rubber hits the road when it comes to responding to the human impacts of climate change. We fully support funding for cities, towns and municipalities for their registered adaptation actions.”  Margareta Wahlström, The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction.

What does this mean for municipalities?

Many municipalities in Canada have completed climate action or community energy plans and have established GHG emissions reductions targets. The Paris negotiations lend new urgency to those efforts, a new opportunity to reengage, reframe, reconsider and reinvigorate.

What you will receive?

Over the next year, SSG will investigate and enquire to provide you with the answers to the key climate change questions municipalities are asking:
• What and what else can my community do to reduce GHG emissions?
• How can my community engage in the negotiations?
• What are other communities committing to do?
• What are other sectors of society doing?
• What are the highlights of key reports on climate change science, investment, energy technologies that will be released in the run-up to the Paris meeting?
We will deliver this information through a biweekly newsletter, periodic webinars and e-dialogues. During UN negotiations in Lima (December, 2014) and Paris (December, 2015), we will provide a live stream of developments through @SSG_News and a digest in the newsletter. Our goal is to empower municipalities, counties and regional districts in transitioning to a low carbon existence.

Who should pay attention to this?

Municipal, County and Regional District staff, elected officials.

What should you do now?

Sign up here for the newsletter and share with colleagues.

What is the Pathway to Paris initiative?

Pathway to Paris is a unique endeavour that bridges several of SSG’s key areas of focus: municipalities, cooperatives and the cultural industries*. We are building bridges between each of these areas to confront one of the greatest challenges we have ever faced: climate change.

Why are we doing this?

SSG is a workers cooperative; one of the seven principles of cooperation is concern for community. This is our effort to manifest that principle.

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There are discussions happening at a high level that affect every single person on this planet, to step up and be responsible for their impact on their local environment. As a municipality, who also represents you and I, we encourage you to pay attention to our feed over the next year. Not only to keep abreast of the decisions that affect you, but to have a foot in where there is opportunity to thrive.. and dare we say it, have fun. Join now!

*”The cultural shift required to build sustainable cultures will require the engagement of our best creative minds to address the causes of climate change and envisage, design and communicate resilient futures. The aim is to challenge, provoke and inspire audiences to think differently about our relationship with each other and the natural systems we inhabit.” Cape Farewell, 2014

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