Chris Church runs the sustainability consultancy CEA and is chair of the Low Carbon Communities Network, a UK-wide network of 570 local organisations. He specialises in work on how communities and local councils engage in work on sustainable development and climate change. He has worked in the field as a consultant since 1990, doing research, project development, engagement and evaluation. He is a director of social enterprise Mapping for Change, and an Associate of the Green Alliance, Capacity Global, and the Community Development Foundation, for whom he has written five publications.

Chris works as a trainer, delivering courses on climate and related issues for COIN (Climate Outreach Information Network), Talk Action and Capacity Global. He is actively involved in work on environmental and social justice. In 2009 he co-authored the report 'Hard to Reach?' on the engagement of minorities and excluded communities and has worked for the Environment Agency and others on these issues.


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Isabel Dedring is the Mayor of London's Environment Adviser and is responsible for the full range of environmental issues including climate change mitigation and adaptation, urban greening, low-carbon vehicles and waste. She has worked on environment for London government, both at Transport for London and the Greater London Authority, for the last 5 years. This included producing London's Climate Change Action Plan, the first plan by a city to lay out detailed, quantified policies and programmes for attaining a set of ambitious CO2 targets. The Mayor's key environmental programmes focus on large-scale, on-the-ground delivery; these were recently summarised in "Leading to a Greener London." Isabel is a qualified lawyer; previous job experience includes 4 years in management consulting and several years working with environmental NGOs and inward investors in Kazakhstan.

Presentation: The Green Society

Empowering the public to deliver the future of sustainable development and help take responsibility for their environment. Greater London Authority is striving to make our capital one of the greenest cities in the world. GLA's environmental strategy has an overriding focus on air quality, water, waste, noise, biodiversity, climate change adaptation, climate change mitigation and energy. Amongst the successful schemes being implemented include Low Carbon Zones, increasing tree cover, waste management, the Capital Growth Initiative and the investment in cycling and electric vehicle infrastructure.

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Malcolm Fergusson is Head of Climate Change at the Environment Agency. He leads the head office team dealing with both mitigation and adaptation policy. He was formerly a Senior Fellow at the Institute for European Environmental Policy, an independent policy institute. He has a background in computer modelling and forecasting, but now specialises in climate change, energy and transport policy issues in the UK and Europe. He was a peer reviewer of the IPCC Second Assessment Report, and in the UK, he has acted as Specialist Adviser on climate change to a House of Commons Select Committee, and contributed to the national Energy Review.

Presentation:

Discussing the CRC energy efficiency scheme and the role the public sector has in meeting climate change targets. The Environment Agency has set out a five year strategy that aims to create a better place by securing positive outcomes for people, wildlife and the environment. The key areas address how to reduce climate change and its consequences; protecting the quality of our water, land and air; working with communities to enhance their quality of life; advising businesses and organisations how to manage resources more effectively and focusing on environmental outcomes not processes.

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Dr Douglas Parr is Chief Scientist and Policy Director at Greenpeace UK, looking after the science and political functions. Currently working on climate change policy in the power, heat and transport sectors, he has previously worked on a number of issues including GM crops, chemicals policy, green refrigeration, marine conservation, biofuels and nuclear power. He obtained a D.Phil in Atmospheric Chemistry from Oxford University in 1991.

Presentation: Oil – The Next Big Climate Challenge

Coal is rightly seen as the biggest climate enemy but in many ways the next biggest carbon polluter –oil – will be the hardest to get away from. The challenges and solutions to this are examined. Greenpeace takes positive action to champion environmentally responsible and socially just solutions to climate change. They have a proven record of investigating and exposing environmental destruction and bring influence on policy through political lobbying, citizen action and consumer pressure.

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Recently joining the British Gas team, Farooq's responsibility is to engage with the public/social housing sector(s) taking a consultative approach to shape strategic energy solutions and support the transition to low carbon homes, buildings and communities.

With a passion for low carbon & renewable opportunities, he has worked in the public/social housing sector(s) over 20 years in client side roles focusing on asset management & stock reinvestment developing a deep understanding of both sides of the client/supplier divide. Prior to joining the Community Energy team, he was New Business Director with KIER PLC.

Examples of Farooq's team's most recent/current projects include PV/Microgen schemes, CERT/CESP funded energy efficiency schemes, Green Streets engaging communities, and working with the Scottish Govt to deliver Energy Assistance Programme to the most vulnerable.

Farooq has previously been on the board of Housing Associations, a Round 6 ALMO, and currently is chairman of ILM, working with vulnerable young people from socio-economically deprived areas. He is also an Associate Consultant for the National Housing Federation.

Presentation: Working with Communities Towards a Sustainable Future

An overview on the Low Carbon future, the challenges it poses and the increasingly important role of community engagement.

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Jonathan Tillson has worked for most of his career in what is now Defra, dealing mainly with environmental protection. Before taking up his present post in June 2006 he spent four years at the Government Office for London.

SDU is responsible for:

• the UK's Sustainable Development Strategy and oversight of its domestic implementation;
• sponsorship of the Sustainable Development Commission;
• embedding sustainable development within Defra, across central Government and in regional and local government;
• the Sustainable Development Dialogues (with China, India, South Africa, Mexico and Brazil) and other international partnerships, notably SEED; and
• helping achieve sustainable communities, in particular through Defra's interests in the land use planning system, housing supply, sustainable buildings and construction, strategic transport issues and the 2012 Olympics.

Jonathan is married, with a young daughter, and lives in East Dulwich, London.


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Craig Bennett has recently taken up the post of Director of Policy and Campaigns at Friends of the Earth (England, Wales and Northern Ireland), one of the UK's most influential environmental organisations. He is the organisation's lead campaigner and policy strategist, representing the charity with Government and other key lobbying contacts and leading its tactical response to the changing political and policy context.
From 2007 to 2010, Craig was Deputy Director at the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership (CPSL) and, in this role, was Director of The Prince of Wales's Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change (CLG). During this time, he built The Corporate Leaders Group into one of the most influential and progressive business voices in the international climate debate, primarily through its series of hard-hitting, punchy statements in support of a strong, effective and equitable global climate deal. The most recent of these, The Copenhagen Communiqué, secured the support of over 950 companies from more than 60 countries and was widely seen as the definitive progressive statement from the international business community ahead of the UN climate conference in Copenhagen (see www.copenhagencommunique.com).
He maintains his links with the University of Cambridge, both as a Senior Associate of the Programme for Sustainability Leadership and as a visiting Programme Director at the Judge Business School. He is also Vice-Chair of Stakeholder Forum (the UNEP National Committee for the UK) and a Teaching Fellow on sustainability at the Department of Engineering at The University of Bristol.
Prior to joining CPSL, Craig was the Head of the Corporates and Trade Campaign at Friends of the Earth. He also sat on the Executive Committee of Friends of the Earth International, the Steering Group of the Corporate Responsibility (CORE) Coalition and was a Board Member of the Trade Justice Movement (TJM).
He has a BSc (Hons) in Human and Physical Geography and an MSc in Biodiversity Conservation. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).
He is a regular contributor to various publications including National Geographic Green.


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Andy has held posts in local, regional and central government as well as working in academia and consultancy. He is currently Head of Local Delivery for the Energy Saving Trust having joined them in October 2008. He is leading work to support local authorities and community groups to cut carbon emissions across their areas. Current projects include support for the nine Local Carbon Framework pilot areas, large scale retrofit financing and developing community group support tools. In previous roles he has helped develop climate change action plans for cities, worked with the main set of climate change impact predictions for the UK and been involved in international climate change negotiations as well as working on climate change projects in India, China and Bangladesh. Andy holds an MSc in applied meteorology and climatology from the University of Birmingham.


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Reg is a Researcher at the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) specialising in sustainability. He has responsibility for developing policy positions across a wide range of domestic climate and energy issues including micro-renewables, energy efficiency, behaviour change, community-led initiatives, clean tech and corporate sustainability. Reg manages and undertakes research, and liaises frequently with a broad range of stakeholders including senior government officials, NGOs, and industry groups. He has published widely and appeared on national radio. Most recently Reg has led ippr's evaluation of British Gas' flagship Green Streets challenge, in which 14 communities have been supported by British Gas to set up and run projects that generate renewable energy and reduce carbon emissions.

Previously Reg co-founded Transition Town Brighton, a community-led initiative to increase sustainability and reduce carbon emissions, and was a professional musician. He holds an MSc in Environment, Science and Society with distinction from University College London.


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Paul Isbell has been the Energy Manager of Bristol City Council since it obtained unitary status in April 1996, with 29 years experience in the energy field. The 10 person Energy Management Unit (EMU) operates as an innovative self-funded business unit within the Council with the over recovery funding some of Bristol's energy investments.

Bristol EMU were one of the first Councils to pilot the LAEF Local Authority Energy Finance Loan Scheme which was backed by part funding from the Carbon Trust. This has lead to significant carbon savings over 157 projects costing £1.8m have lead to carbon savings of 3415 tCO2. Bristol EMU was the first council to purchase green electricity and set about developing its own two 3MW wind turbine scheme on its own land with the aim of supplying its own properties.

The Council has instigated a programme of biomass boilers, now one of the largest clusters of biomass boilers in England, and set up its own wood fuel supply depot winning an award in 2006 for the best renewable energy project in SW for the Blaise Biomass boiler scheme. They also achieved in 2006 the accolade of the Best EU Energy communication plan for the Display Project which links energy awareness to the European Building Directive Display Poster. Bristol is known internationally for its pioneering energy work and was the only UK finalist in the Green Capital of Europe competition.

Paul is chair of the Mid-West Energy Group and advises on many national energy consultations. Paul was instrumental in developing Bristol City Councils sustainable energy supply strategy, which has been integrated into the Councils Energy Security Policy. He has lectured internationally for ICLEI and Energy Cities and written on the subject for Ethos, EIC and Liberty, completing an energy purchasing guide for schools for the UK government. As part of an EU programme he helped to train local authority energy managers in Ukraine.

Presentation: Promoting a Sustainable Energy Future for Local Communities.

Discussing some of the innovative schemes undertaken by Bristol City Council, such as reinvesting tariff savings made into improving the energy efficiency of council properties. Bristol City Council have made significant savings through energy efficiency measures and have developed a robust strategy for renewable energy for the city. Bristol's promotion and development of green spaces meant the council reached the final of the European Green Capital Award.

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Peter Madden is Chief Executive of Forum for the Future, a not-for-profit that develops cutting edge sustainability solutions with some of the world's top businesses and government bodies. A leading expert on green issues and futures, Peter works on the strategies and innovations needed to prosper in a low-carbon world.

Previously, he worked as Head of Policy at the Environment Agency, as Ministerial Adviser to the British Government, Director of Green Alliance and Head of Policy at Christian Aid. He is currently a Board member of the London Sustainability Exchange and the South West Regional Development Agency, and sits on the steering group of the European Commission's Paradiso Project on the future of the internet and the Advisory Council for the Centre for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability.

Presentation: Towards Greener Communities

Can the Big Society political agenda really help make our communities greener? The Localism Bill looks to devolve power from the centre and give local authorities and communities greater control over decision making. Social enterprises, the third sector and communities will have the right to bid to take over services, save assets and run projects. Forum for the Future help businesses and public service providers to understand and manage the risks that climate change will bring and to find new opportunities in tackling these global challenges.

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