Edinburgh Community Climate Forum Activities

Edinburgh Community Climate Forum

Supporting community leadership in Edinburgh’s Net Zero journey.

Edinburgh Community Climate Forum

Draft Strategy 2023

The Role of Community and Voluntary Organisations in Net Zero

Giving communities a voice in the City’s journey to Net Zero mainstream the challenge and give them a sense of agency to fix the problem.

Communities are hugely motivated and want to be involved in practical Net Zero activities. They could support the skills deficit by tackling low-risk easy to implement solutions which could freeing up specialists.

Involving communities in a citywide Net Zero Learning process could help Edinburgh advance quicker to net zero and build a culture of collaboration.

The Role of Community and Voluntary Organisations in Net Zero

Community engagement, involvement and ownership of assets and processes is key to synergizing top down with bottom up approaches.

Community groups and local residents are already developing exciting and innovative projects, as well as valuable skills and knowledge in this space.

Encouraging, Engaging and involving communities in this space will lead to a sense of responsibility and mitigate harmful backlashes

Overall Aim:

Fair, resilient, and climate regenerative communities in Edinburgh by 2030.

Key Support Objectives

1. Collective voice

2. Capacity support

3. Community leadership

Our Objectives:

We want to ensure that through the Community Climate Forum, Edinburgh’s community, voluntary and social sector organisations have:

1. Collective Voice: improved strategic voice at both local and national levels through increased channels for community leadership and through greater participation and inclusion in climate planning & action

2. Capacity & Resources: increased capacity and resources for communities to deliver transformational change.

3. Connect & Accelerate: Increased opportunities for collaboration and exchange between communities and organisations.

4. Learning: Increased opportunities for community learning & community led research.

5. Fairness by Design: ensuring a fair transition to Net Zero through initiatives which prioritise community ownership of local assets, processes and support Community Wealth Building

Human Learning Systems:

The Climate Emergency is a complex system mired with wicked problems. To work around these challenges Edinburgh needs to embrace its history as a city of learning and adopt approaches to problems which use systems thinking and learning to unpack complexity. The Community Climate Forum will be using Human Learning Systems and tools like OutNav by Matter of Focus to create a culture of collective learning within the social sector

Working to Plan

The Edinburgh Community Climate Forum will use key environmental policy documents developed by the City of Edinburgh Council as way of grounding the scope of the activities undertaken by the Community Climate Forum.

The ambition here is to move the dial on delivery of the cities plans in a way that can be monitored. By working within the three policy frameworks outlined below, we can innovate and develop a sophisticated set of asks from the Local Authority based on praxis (practice of theory)

Edinburgh Future Neighbourhoods Project

What is it:

The Edinburgh Future Neighborhoods project is a new experimental project for the EVOC’s 2030 Communities Program and will try to bring together a regenerative place-based approach to Community Wealth Building.

The Edinburgh Future Neighborhoods project will look to combine elements from Community Action Planning, Local Place Planning, Business Improvement Districts, Participatory Budgeting, Community Wealth Building and Community Chests as new ways of planning and raising capital for community projects.

Edinburgh Future Neighbourhoods Project

Community Action Plan/ Local Place Plan

Community Wealth Building

Community Chest

Local Delivery Frameworks

1. Local Authority Spend

2. Anchor organisations Spend

3. Business Improvement Districts

4. Grant from Donors

1. Green City Bonds

2. Residential Investment

3. Donations

1. Local Skilled companies

2. Collaborative Project Delivery Frameworks

Edinburgh Future Neighbourhoods Project

ENVIRONMENT

A healthy & thriving natural environment

Regenerative Triple Bottom Line

We will try to use a regenerative Triple Bottom Line approach with the Edinburgh Future Neighborhoods project as a way of ensuring that Community Wealthy Building promotes a just an equitable transition to a regenerative city.

Connecting with & caring for nature

SOCIETY Nurturing

Community wellbeing

REGENERATIVE

Living within planetary means Just & Equitable Society

ECONOMY Sufficiency of local economy

Climate Forum Open Space

What is it:

The Climate Forum is a space where key climate issues facing the city are explored and ways of addressing them identified.

The Climate Forum will facilitate three events Open Space workshop events distributed throughout the year for community and social sector organisations to exchange ideas, learn and explore in detail strategic shared climate actions.

When will it take place: Climate Forum Open Space’s will take place 3 times a year on the following days:

Climate Forum Open Space

How

it works:

Learning Tables

Learning Tables

Ideas wall/ table Flexibility to move around the room

Ideas from Learning Tables captured centrally

Open Space events encourage groups to come forward with discussion topics and participants flexibility to choose what interests them.

The Climate Forum Planning Group will share a theme ahead of the event and encourage groups to come forward with focus areas they wish to explore.

Learning Tables Learning Tables

There will also be oppertunities to exchange and network as well as have a strategic moment for collective activities, decision making and advocacy.

Learning Tables Learning Tables

Learning Table content decided by groups

To get involved and host a table, you can contact the Climate Forum Planning Group

Climate Forum Planning Group

How it works:

The Climate Forum’s Open Space events and similar important events throughout the year will be planned and facilitated by the Climate Forum Planning Group which is open to all community and third sector organisations to get involved.

How you can get involved:

The Climate Forum Planning Group will meet on the last Thursday of the month at 12pm (starting Thursday 2nd March this month) Any community and third sector groups can participate. See here for details on the day:

2030 Community Catalysers

What is it:

The 2030 Community Catalysers program is a learning and innovation accelerator program which facilitates collaborative action learning projects between groups in the city.

How

does it work:

The 2030 Community Catalysers utilises a shifting

Seasonal Spotlight/theme and applies Human Learning Systems as a method for working collectively with existing networks and groups. The program sets up temporary learning circles called Collective Action Groups to explore shared activities, learning and project delivery frameworks. The program seeks catalyze action in:

1. Skills, training & learning oppertunities

2. Improved intersectoral exchange

3. Emerging local initiatives

4. Collective Finance & fundraising

5. Local supply chain and delivery frameworks

2030 Community Catalysers Collective Action Groups

Collective Action Groups: The 2030 Community Catalysers program will break down Seasonal Spotlight themes into Collective Action Groups who will each focus on one challenge/aspect of the overall theme.

Dunbar’s Number :

In order to make sure Collection Action Groups are effective, we will organise groups into teams of 5, deliberately keeping teams manageable

2030 Community Catalysers program

Seasonal Spotlights

The 2030 Community Catalysers program operates two action learning Seasonal Spotlight a year which each last 5 months. The 5 month Turns each have four 5 week phases which start with mapping and end in consolidation and review. (see diagram below)

February March April May June

Seasonal Focus of Forum

Currently: Circular Economy

Mapping & system learning

Develop learning teams

Consolidate & review Team Activities

July August September October November

Mapping & system learning

Consolidate & review Team Activities Develop learning teams

2030 Community Catalysers Seasonal Spotlight Focus Areas

The 2030 Community Catalysers program Turns use three key policy documents Edinburgh developed by the City of Edinburgh Council as a way of decide the focus of a Seasonal Spotlight.

The aim is to creatively interpret the policies into definable collaborative projects and begin putting them into practice.

By the end of each turn we hope to moved the dial on delivery of the cities plans as well as have a sophisticated set of asks from the council for us to consolidate and expand the operation.

2030 Community Catalysers current initiatives

The 2030 Community Catalysers Program has just finishes the Building Retrofit and Repair Turn and has now consolidated the focus of that turn into a new spin off program called the Retrofit Collective which may eventually become an independent organization.

The Spring Spotlight is still to be decided though it is likely that this will be Circular Economy related as it is a strategic priority for Edinburgh’s 2030 plan

Edinburgh 2030 Roundtable

What is it:

Edinburgh needs a moment when all the parties across sectors and scales of governance can come together to assess where we are at with Edinburgh’s 2030 plans. We then need to create a shared vision between the parties and work out how it can be delivered fairly. EVOC and partners will bring together an Edinburgh 2030 Roundtable event/day of action which breaks groups into multi-sectoral themed groups and explore actions together

How will it work:

We will first establish an Edinburgh 2030 Roundtable working group with citywide strategic partners and search for funding then expand the working group to explore specifics. At the event we will have advocacy, shared actions and learning functions.

When is it:

We are looking to the 14th September but will need to agree a date with partners.

Edinburgh Future Neighbourhoods City Learning Platform

What is it

Edinburgh Future Neighbourhoods City Learning Platform brings together some the UK’s leading community engagement organisations to support communities in the delivery of various elements of the Edinburgh Future Neighbourhoods program, including community action planning, community media, and local place planning.

The City Learning Platform will invite community organisations to take part in learning cohorts where learners can exchange and gain new skills, approaches and expertise in participatory engagement and be supported in development of their community plans.

EVOC is currently developing proposals with the delivery partners on this project.

Edinburgh Climate Action Network

Development of the Climate Action Network

EVOC Climate will be supporting the SCCAN to develop a community-led and owned network of community groups and residents across Edinburgh which can act as a democratic commons for climate action across Edinburgh.

Supporting an Edinburgh Climate Hub

EVOC’s Climate will support where possible the development of an Edinburgh Climate Hub which can support communities in their climate activities.

The Climate Forum and the Climate Hub

EVOC Climate team’s ambition is to integrate a number of the Community Climate Forum’s activities with the Climate Hub and to continue developing the supporting role of the Climate Forum for Edinburgh’s voluntary, community and social sector to reach net zero by 2030.

Edinburgh Community Climate Forum

Highlights from the first year of action (20222023)

Climate Forum Highlights

Relationships:

• Started 11 Strategic collaborations within Climate Forum

• 4 New Networks developed

• 3 New Partnerships created

• 6 Partnerships in Pipeline

• Involved in 13 Climate Committees

• 5 new collaborations between partners as result of activities

Events & Engagement

• 12 events facilitated by Forum and partners

• Over 137 community, voluntary and social sector organisations engaged so far on record

• Over 700 residents engaged through Climate Forum's direct involvement in 5 communities.

• 18 events attended by climate forum team.

Capacity Building

• 8 training oppertunities generated

• Applied to 10 sets of funding for members

• 1 learning and capacity building cluster created with 8 organisations taking part

Edinburgh Retrofit Collective

Activities

1. The developing Edinburgh Retrofit Collective has emerged as a breakaway organization from the Climate Forum.

2. The ERC is being planned as a body for collectively organizing Edinburgh’s neighborhoods toward repair and retrofit.

3. The Edinburgh Retrofit Collective will also support and delivery of engagement and learning programs like the retrofit roadshow, Retrofixers as well as provide advice and support for community retrofit.

Retrofit Roadshow

Activities 1. The Edinburgh Community Climate Forum have developed a moving retrofit advice & workshop series which plugs into local/community events

2. The workshop helps communities connect with specialist advice specific to local housing typologies and forms

3. We also support residents to think collectively about retrofit and to organize into neighbourhood repair and retrofit collectives/associations based on housing form and geography.

Retrofit Roadshow

Community Buildings Network

1. The Edinburgh Community Climate Forum worked with the new Retrofit Collective and Community Buildings Network to facilitate an event looking at energy efficientcy and repair of community buildings

2. The workshop brought together architects, engineers and surveyors with community organisations to discuss ways of improving community buildings

3. We also support residents to think collectively about retrofit and to organize into neighbourhood repair and retrofit collectives/associations based on housing form and geography.

Community Buildings Network

The Retrofixers – Edinburgh Tool Library

1. Retrofixers Group has emerged from ETL as a practical support group for small measures retrofitting & training. The group plans to fund a number of trades people and train modern apprentices to deliver workshops.

2. Now exploring creating retrofit innovation centre where new materials and solutions can be showcased interactively to public

3. Developing long term concept of community learning project with retrofit of substandard buildings in the community.

The Retrofixers – Edinburgh Tool Library

Community-led Climate Action Planning

1. EVOC Commission ASF-UK to facilitate a workshop on Community-led Climate Action Planning

2. The framing of the workshop was on the ‘Net Zero Communities’ program and Local Place Planning.

3. We explored together how a participatory design and planning process can support communities working together, build on existing community initiatives and give communities the agency to transform their own neighbourhoods.

4. A report, video and poster will be available soon.

Cross-Pollinator Workshop

Share, Connect, Create Gilmerton & Liberton

1. EVOC have been in developing a collaborative partnership with the Glass House Community-Led Design studio where we will be running a Community Climate Cross Pollination workshop in South East Edinburgh (Liberton & Gilmerton) which can identify opportunities for community climate collaborations and catalyse actions between groups.

2. We are planning this workshop to take place on March 9th and aim for it to synergize with wider conversations of Liberton High School’s redevelopment, community wealth building and climate action planning.