The speaker line up for GreenFest '22 is shaping up to be bigger and better than ever. With 3 talk venues at the event this year, you'll need to make sure you plan your day with militant precision!
We will also be running 2 panel discussions this year:
PANEL DISCUSSION AT THE LITTEN 'What does an Adapted and Sustainable Future Look Like and How do we get there?'
PANEL DISCUSSION AT THE GOOD LIFE HUB: 'The True Cost of Consumption and What we can do About it'
We will also be running 2 panel discussions this year:
PANEL DISCUSSION AT THE LITTEN 'What does an Adapted and Sustainable Future Look Like and How do we get there?'
PANEL DISCUSSION AT THE GOOD LIFE HUB: 'The True Cost of Consumption and What we can do About it'
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Climate Change & the UK
Venue: The Litten 
Experts across many disciplines will steer the conversation on climate change and ecological breakdown to UK impacts.
The day here will close with a panel discussion. |
Me & My Community
Venue: St Mary's Church 
What are we doing to address environmental issues here in West Berks and how can we as individuals, groups and communities, get involved in positive change.
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Panel Discussion
The True Cost of Consumption Venue: Good Life Hub 
Exploring the connection between people, economy and the planet, this panel of experts will discuss the environmental and ethical challenges businesses and consumers must contend with.
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Sir Brian Hoskins
Professor in Meteorology, University of Reading Chair of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, Imperial College London |
Can we Avert Climate Catastrophe?
Time: 10.30am Venue: The Litten Are we on track to save the world?
Sir Brian’s talk ‘The Challenge of Climate Change’ was one of the best attended talks of GreenFest 2019. A meteorologist, climatologist, Chair of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment and contributor to the increasingly grave IPCC reports, we couldn’t think of a better qualified person to give us the lowdown on our dire straits, in layman’s terms. The message from the IPCC is clear. We do not want to go above 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming (from pre-industrial levels). To achieve this, we need to end our dependence on fossil fuels. The UK is part of a global team and it needs to do it’s fair share towards this end goal. As things stand, we are on track for a 3 degrees Celsius world at best, by the turn of the century. This is very, very, bad news for humanity. The question is, what needs to happen for us to turn the tide on this apocalyptic future? What environmental targets has the UK Government been set and how are they faring against them? Will we decarbonise our world in time? |
Michael Liebreich
Chairman & CEO, Liebreich Associates |
Is a Clean Energy Future within our Grasp?
Time: 12pm Venue: The Litten Michael Liebreich is an expert on all things low-carbon. He is the founder of information provider Bloomberg New Energy Finance, an Advisor to the UK Board of Trade, former advisor on sustainable energy to the Secretary General of the UN, and host of a podcast on climate leadership called Cleaning Up.
In his talk for GreenFest, Michael will take stock of where we are in the net zero transition: how far have we come so far, will renewables, heat pumps and hydrogen be enough to make our fossil-hungry ways a thing of the past - and if not, what else will we need to do to save the day. |
Ollie Hunter
Owner, The Wheatsheat, Chilton Foliat (Voted the most "Sustainable Business" in 2019 by the Sustainable Restaurant Association and the Soil Associations' "Best Organic Eat out" in 2020.) |
Solving the Climate Crisis One Meal at a Time.....and How to Afford it
Time: 12.45pm Venue: The Litten Ollie Hunter has spent the last decade immersed in the foodie world. He’s been an organic wine importer, cooked street food in Brixton, reached the semi-finals of MasterChef, worked on organic farms and is a published author on the topic of sustainability.
At GreenFest 2022, he’ll talk about the food systems we depend on in the UK and its impacts on our environment, delving into the wide ranging themes, that we can connect to ensure the food we eat doesn’t cost the earth. Ollie truly believes Sustainability is the way forward for everything whether it is food, economics, energy, education, or simply making a loaf of bread ... humankind's creativity will solve our problems and we'll create an even better life than before. Join him on the #30food conversation on Instagram - @olliehunter30 |
Steve Arthur
Non Executive Director, Waterwise |
Water, Water Everywhere.....?
Time: 1.30pm Venue: The Litten Unless we are all part of a shift in how we value and use water, by 2050, parts of the UK could need more water than the environment can sustainably provide.
Climate change, population increase and the growth of new development, especially in the South East are all putting huge pressures on the most precious of natural resources, and yet it’s a resource which many families pay less for than they do for their monthly entertainment streaming services! Environmental Engineer and water industry veteran, Steve Arthur, will outline the issues faced in the UK, and globally around water scarcity and consider some of the solutions to this looming crisis in his talk for GreenFest. In a time of energy crisis, Steve will also discuss the connection between water and energy, and the role of technology in driving sustainable behaviour change. |
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Breathing Life Back into UK Land & Sea
Time: 2.15pm Venue: The Litten We are facing a climate and ecological emergency and let’s be clear; these two issues are inextricably linked. One cannot be solved without the other. Yes, we need to stop burning fossil fuels. But just as pressing is the need to draw carbon out of the atmosphere - healthy land and seascapes are our natural allies here. Nature gives us food, water, clean air, wellbeing, it reduces the risk of flooding and provides vital cooling in hot summers.
Right here in the UK, inappropriate infrastructure (for recent examples think HS2 and Ox-Cam Arc) and intensive farming has led to fragmented wild spaces and our land and seas poisoned to such a degree, that BBOWT estimates just 5% of our local environment is in a good state of nature. We are thrilled to be welcoming Estelle Bailey to the GreenFest stage this year. As Chief Executive of local Wildlife Trust BBOWT, who better to speak to us about the state of nature on our very doorstep and how we can all be part of creating wilder land and seascapes where people and nature will thrive. |
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Putting the Spring Back into Spring Lane
Time: 10.30am Venue: St Mary's Church When clean energy magnate, Michael Liebreich, bought a house in West Berkshire with 5 acres of pretty wild-looking land, he naturally assumed it would also be home to a rich and diverse wildlife. But he soon came to realise that there is a world of difference between benign neglect and a successful nature restoration project.
His purchase marked the start of a true passion project for Michael. Through extensive research and the assembly of an A-Team of specialists to guide him, he plans to restore a mosaic of truly wild spaces, spanning woodland, wood meadows and wetlands, which he dubs “putting the spring back into Spring Lane”. We’ve no doubt that hearing him share his story so far at GreenFest this September, will be informative, inspiring and will debunk a few rewilding myths along the way. |
Erica Purvis
Voluntary Education Lead Reading Hydro CBS & Former Director |
The Power of Community Energy
Time: 11.15am Venue: St Mary's Church Did you know there is now a community owned and run Hydro on the river Thames in Reading?
Erica will be tracing the history of Reading Hydro CBS, from idea to operation. Sharing insights and experiences of just what it takes to design, fund, build and run a Hydro with volunteers from across the community. She’ll also be outlining some of the wider benefits (that aren’t just about the renewable energy it’s generating) and how communities coming together, sharing skills, experience, care and passion, can be a powerful force for good. Erica is an active volunteer with Reading Hydro CBS education team and a former Director, involved with it for the last 5 years. Outwith this, she is a sustainable & business design engineer at Studio Technical Nature and co-founded a social enterprise, Design Nature CIC to support young people through design and creativity to feel empowered and enabled to imagine and create for each other and a sustainable planet. She also runs the local branch of the Circular Economy Club in Reading and is active in supporting the Reading Climate Action Network, Climate Strategy. |
Charlotte Hitchmough
Director, Action for the River Kennet (ARK) |
Save our Rivers
Time: 12pm Venue: St Mary's Church Freshwater species are in steep decline and as a group, are in fact the most vulnerable class of living things on earth!
Water companies up and down the country have faced a lot of bad press in recent times, accused of dumping sewage into UK rivers without cause. While sewage is a major problem, there are plenty of other pressures on this vulnerable ecosystem. With a background in the water industry and an extensive knowledge of the issues affecting out local waterways, Charlotte will talk us through the many threats faced by our rivers and what we can do as communities and individuals to return this precious ecosystem to health; measures ranging from the brand of flea treatment we use on our dogs, to getting hands on with a habitat restoration project planned for right here in Hampstead Norreys. |
Mike Morecroft
Principal Specialist nature-based solutions to climate change, Natural England |
Going Green
Time: 12.45pm Venue: St Mary's Church As a specialist on the impacts of climate change on ecology, Mike will more often than not, be found speaking about nature-based solutions to address the climate crisis. So, we’re really looking forward to hearing this expert’s advice on why we should care about the environment and practical actions we can take as communities, to ‘be part of the solution’.
As well as leading on climate change at Natural England and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Mike led Hungerford Church’s bid to ‘go green’. He’ll walk us through the changes the church has made, the practicalities of getting there and provide us with an insight into how we can help to address global problems in our local communities. Of course, we wouldn’t miss the opportunity to tap Mike's brains on nature-based solutions as well, so we’re grateful he has agreed to sit on this year’s Panel Discussion which will explore the topic, 'What does an Adapted and Sustainable Society Look Like'. |
David Waltham
Professor of Geophysics, Royal Holloway, University of London |
Drop a Tonne!
Time: 1.30pm Venue: St Mary's Church The maths: it is said that we can only release another 750 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere if we're to keep global temperature rises below 1.5 °C. That's pretty close to 100 tonnes for every man, woman and child currently on the planet. Unfortunately, we each produce about 6 tonnes per person per year (in the UK the average carbon footprint is in fact estimated to be closer to 10 tonnes per person per year) and that number is rising. Without a drastic greenhouse-gas weight-loss regime, we'll bust the budget in little more than a decade.
So, the maths is pretty terrifying but what can we do? At GreenFest 2022, Professor David Waltham, whose concern about modern, manmade climate change has also seen him become a passionate campaigner for the Citizen's Climate Lobby, will explain the numbers, talk us through some of the decarbonisation and carbon capture technologies currently available and provide us with practical solutions to help us all drop a tonne! |
Elaine Massung
Founder, Off The Ground |
Putting Litter First
Time: 2.15pm Venue: St Mary's Church Elaine Massung is an archaeologist fighting to change one of the things that will no doubt be a defining feature of our era when archaeologists of the future sift through our remains: litter.
To this end, her website, Off the Ground, focuses on going beyond litter picking to identifying potential solutions to the problem in a bid to end the firefighting and create clean communities, coastlines, and waterways where litter picks are no longer needed. In her GreenFest talk she will share practical actions we can take within our communities to start moving “upstream” to tackle the problem of litter. In other words, what can be done beyond cleaning to stop litter at its source? |
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Plastic Free Thatcham & Newbury
Time: 2.40pm Venue: St Mary's Church West Berkshire Sustainability Community was formed in 2021 with a view to undertaking projects within the Thatcham and Newbury localities that drive a shift toward more sustainability-focused communities.
Since its formation, this group has been on a crusade to get everyone in the community thinking about how to reduce single-use plastic, in a bid to earn the Surfers Against Sewage badge of honour: Plastic Free Thatcham and Newbury. Nikki Coome and Jenny Kirkby will be joining us on the Me and My Community stage at GreenFest, to tell us more about Plastic Free Communities, the future projects this new sustainability group has planned and how you can get involved. |
**Of course, it will come as no surprise that GreenFest has taken the plastic free pledge and commits to adopting alternatives to single-use plastic wherever we deem it feasible. It's a no-brainer. This has always been one of our guiding principles.
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How to Reduce your Energy Bills
Time: 3.15pm Venue: St Mary's Church Improving the carbon efficiency of your home has never been a hotter topic! With the recent increase in the fuel price price cap set by industry regulator Ofgem and another expected in October, many are concerned about fuel bills over the coming winter.
But, did you also know that almost 15% of the UK’s total emissions comes from heating our residential properties? Ian Gough, an expert in carbon reduction and energy efficiency measures, will share his advice on ways we can lower our fuel expenditure, from improving our insulation to modern technologies we can adopt. Making these changes won’t just have a significant and positive impact on your pocket, but on your carbon footprint too. |
Politics Matter
Venue: St Mary's Church
Venue: St Mary's Church
ENTIE POLITICS SESSION CANCELLED
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Politics Matter
Adrian Abbs Shadow Portfolio Holder: Environment, Climate Change and Public Protection |
Time: 3pm
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CANCELLED
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Will West Berkshire be Carbon Neutral by 2030?
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Time: 3.20pm
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CANCELLED
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The Green Team
Councillors Steve Masters (Speen), Carolyne Culver (Ridgeway), David Marsh (Wash Common) |
Time: 3.50pm
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CANCELLED
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Newbury MP, Laura Farris, will be taking to the stage at GreenFest’s “Climate Change and the UK” venue, so if you’re keen to hear about Government level targets and action, be sure to schedule in her talk as well.
