Key take-aways from Sustain Britain Conference 2026
Anne cox, Trustee of Greening Tetbury shares a summary of key learnings from the Sustain Britain Conference on Friday 18 September.
South Cotswolds MP, Roz Savage, was the first speaker highlighting the challenges facing the country outlined in the National Emergency Briefing Conference in Westminster hall last year. The follow-up film and petition had triggered a parliamentary debate which will take place on 14 November this year. We urge you to ask your MP to attend and sign the petition if they haven't already. Check whether your MPs has signed the petition.
Hannah Pattack CEO of Form the Future led us in a game which involved facing climate shocks as a character, not ourselves. The aim of such games is to anticipate and imagine possible shocks to build consensus; generate visions; surface diverse perspectives; build resilience; identify pathways and stimulate innovation. She talked about an attitude of determined hope; good things were happening behind the scenes. For example, despite the political climate, 84% of U.S. companies are, still staying firm on their climate commitments. We also heard how alternatives to GDP were being used to measure wellbeing. Learn about two of the alternative methods: The OECD Better Life Index; and the United nations Human Development Index.
Nick Ash from Sustain Britain CIC, Royal Wotton Bassett (RWB) talked about the Sustain Supermidden on the mature landfill site in RWB. It's still in the development stage but making progress. He talked of the need to transform awareness of the problems into action. Our economy was dominated by global companies that control the media and consumption. He said, we are living unsustainable lifestyles exploiting people and finite resources and asked, do we care enough to change our lifestyles?
Nick talked about the need for community-based solutions because we couldn’t rely on our political systems to act in good time. As well as the Sustain project to site greenhouses above landfill sites and power them from the methane emissions, he gave as examples of local action the Coronation Park project in Royal Wotton Bassett, 48 acres designed to work locally with natural systems: watersheds, rivers, protect green spaces and wildlife; and the 25 year Wilts & Berks Connect Programme to restore the canals between RWB-Swindon-Wantage-River Thames and Abingdon.
Ed Gillespie Environmentalist and podcaster, hosts the Futurenaughts podcast with comedian Jon Richardson.
“Comedian Jon Richardson finds ways to make sense of, and find hope in the future - accompanied by ‘futurenauts’ Ed Gillespie and Mark Stevenson”
Ed highlighted several entry points where we could make a difference as individuals
What you eat
What you wear
Where you go on holiday
How you travel
What you do
Where your pension is (or other investements)
Check out some of our recent blog posts with tips on leading a more sustainable lifestyle.
Tony Juniper, from Natural England, said we were at a Crisis Point in 2026: food, water, energy, migration, war, health and the NHS, ecosystems and housing. We needed to support circular, regenerative, integrated, holistic, local systems. To support this, he suggested possible Government regulation, including:
Zero VAT on 100% British made goods
All goods designed to repair
He also talked about sustainable, low density housing projects with features such as being situated in woodland to keep houses cool in heatwaves.
A Quote from the Day:
"There is enormous inertia — a tyranny of the status quo — in private and especially governmental arrangements. Only a crisis — actual or perceived — produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around. That, I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes politically inevitable.” - Milton Friedman
Comments