Shaftesbury 2030 - Choosing Our Future

An evening event hosted by Planet Shaftesbury on

19th May, from 5.45pm at Shaftesbury School

The UN Sustainable Development Goals are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere. We all want a future that our young people can look forward to. What will we – individuals, households, businesses, community groups – have chosen to do differently if the town is progressing towards the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030? How can Shaftesbury support us to make these sustainable choices? We’re excited that our collaboration with Shaftesbury School has boosted this launch of a conversation about the Shaftesbury area in 2030.

Download full poster here >

The event begins in the early evening with short films and choice of talks. This format provides some flexibility around arrival times. Registration for participants will be open from 5.45-6.45pm. All those registered will receive details of the programme of talks by email in advance and will be able to sign-up for their preferred sessions on a first come, first served basis on arrival.

Our conversation starts over a meal. We’ll each select our food from the canteen and eat at refectory style tables which offer the (socially distanced) opportunity to compare impressions of the films and talks with others. There’ll be paper on the table to record the questions that arise as we consider what we’d like to see in or around Shaftesbury by the end of this decade. Questions will be collected from each table and grouped so that they can be put to our panel.

The panel discussion takes place after the meal and will be introduced by Alex More, the ‘Innovation Lead’ for Shaftesbury School. Alex has been a catalyst for two sustainability events at the school - this one and Looking Forward, an event for 9-14yr-olds which takes place on 11th May. He will make links between the two events before questions are put to the panel of our speakers and experts who include:

Jocelyn Elson-Riggins: researcher in marine ecology and a ‘whale poo ambassador’
Lucy Cullinane: operations director at Efeca, organisation advocating for sustainable and legal sourcing of natural resources, particularly agricultural and forest commodities.
Mark Chivers: Director & co-founder of Zero-Carbon Dorset and co-author of the Dorset 2030 report
Caz Dennett: campaigner for climate-friendly pensions
ffinlo Costain: chief executive of Farmwell and the Food & Global Security Network. Producer of the popular Farm Gate podcast.
Richard Ecclestone: Solar PV Sites Manager for Nadder Community Energy. Former Army Captain & Police Inspector now liaising with the authorities on behalf of climate activists
Sioban Boyce: Founder of the Marnhull Hub and repair café team.
Lucy Barfoot: Founder of Coconut & Cotton, the earth-conscious store, and educator of plastic-free & sustainable living.

The event will end by 9.30pm.

Download full poster here >

FILM PROGRAMME:

Full details of when the films below will be shown is in the infographic above.

Short Films

What is biodiversity, from the Natural History Museum, 3mins
Why is biodiversity important? with David Attenborough, RSA, 5.39mins
Can Fashion be Sustainable? from BBC Earth, 2.52mins
Recycling Fashion: the town turning waste into clothes, from BBC News, 3.52
The State of Sustainable Packaging – produced by the Netherlands Institute for Sustainable Packaging, 2.14mins
The Tipping Point, Climate Change: the Facts from BBC Earth, 5.15mins
The Solution to Climate Change is All Around Us a UN film describing how we could get a third of the way to our climate change goals without any technology at all, 3.48mins

Longer films

See what 3 degrees of Global Warming looks like a film showing what we face this century if we don’t do more to address climate breakdown, from The Economist, 16.23 mins
The Incredible Benefits of Agroforestry on Small Farms an introduction to agroforestry from a permaculture food forest farm in Aberdeenshire, 9.53 mins
What If a TED talk about the power of imagination in the face of the challenges to climate and nature, by Rob Hopkins, a co-founder of the Transition Network, 14.22 mins

Films

Session1 Talks in Detail

Global issues that link to local practical actions:

Pooping for the planet

Whale poo ambassador, Jocelyn Elson-Riggins, provides insights to marine ecology and blue carbon. Jocelyn is a researcher with specialist knowledge of the parasites that affect seals, an area of research which has led her to explore the effects of human activity on the marine ecosystem.

Deforestation & sustainable trade in palm oil

with Lucy Cullinane: operations director at Efeca, organisation advocating for sustainable and legal sourcing of natural resources, particularly agricultural and forest commodities.

Imagine we solved this problem: A Vision for Dorset in 2030

with Mark Chivers: Director & co-founder of Zero-Carbon Dorset and co-author of the Dorset 2030 report. The report documents very many inspiring practical projects.

Farming, Food & Global Security

ffinlo Costain will talk about why reconnecting farming and nature are essential to maintaining peace and ensuring national resilience. ffinlo is the chief executive of Farmwel and founder of the Food & Global Security Network. He has advised governments and given evidence at parliamentary committees. He is known for his work with Oxford University, promoting a more accurate understanding of the role of enteric methane. ffinlo also produces the popular Farm Gate podcast.

Talks

Session 2 Talks In Detail

Climate change: what can I do?

a talk by Richard Ecclestone, Solar PV Sites Manager for Nadder Community Energy. Richard is a former Army Captain & Police Inspector now liaising with the authorities on behalf of climate activists.

Our money matters – investments that don’t cost the earth

with Caz Dennett, a campaigner for climate-friendly pensions. A study in October 21, 2021 found that UK pension funds have an estimated £128 billion invested in fossil fuels, equivalent to nearly £2,000 for every person in the UK. What can we do differently?

Marnhull Hub: repair, reuse, recycle

with Sioban Boyce: Founder of the Marnhull Hub and repair café team. There will be a number of local enthusiasts, fixers and upcyclers, on hand to join the conversation about what we could achieve in Shaftesbury.

How to buy better and stay local

a talk by Lucy Barfoot: Founder of Coconut & Cotton, the earth-conscious store, and educator of plastic-free & sustainable living.