Imagine a new energy system that is local, community-owned, renewable and rooted in bringing social and economic benefits to local communities.
Community Energy is a system of energy production in which groups of citizens produce their own renewable power and share the economic benefits among the local community. Join us to learn more about what’s happening with Community Energy in the UK and how you can get involved today!
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Hosted by environmental journalist Lucy Siegle with special guests:
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Leila Fortunato, Director of Banister House SolarÂ
Agamemnon Otero MBE, Founder and CEO of Energy Garden
Steve Shaw, Founder and Director of Power for People
+ live Q&A
Tuesday, 4th May
7pm BST
This is a virtual event.
Join us for a deep dive into the community energy projects featured in the We the Power film and hear from Leila and Agamemnon who will talk about the benefits that community energy has had on local people and the ways that you can get involved with community energy here in the UK.Â
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However there are still barriers to accessing community energy currently in the UK due to restrictions on the production and selling of energy. Meet Power For People, a not-for-profit organisation campaigning for the UK to rapidly transition to 100% clean energy via the Local Electricity Bill. If the Bill becomes law it will enable people to directly purchase the energy produced in their local community, bringing wide ranging community benefits and increasing the uptake of renewable energy. Learn how you can support the Local Electricity Bill and help Power for People get this Bill passed in UK Parliament.
We will share a link with you on the day of the event.
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This is a free event. However, if you would like to give a £5 donation to a grassroots environmental organisation, it’s easy. Check out non-profit groups around Europe on Patagonia Action Works, find one you like and hit ‘Donate’ on their profile.Â
Lucy Siegle is a journalist and broadcaster and opinion leader based in the UK who specialises in climate and nature stories. She is a familiar face on UK television where she has brought many environmental stories to mainstream audiences including the problem of single use plastic for the One Show, BBC1. Her book, Turning the Tide on Plastic: How Humanity (and you) Can Make Our Globe Clean Again was published in 2018.Â
Photo credit:Â @zoelaw
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Leila Fortunato is a Humanities teacher and Founder of Black British Studies offering online courses in Black History to adults and children and bespoke webinars in diversity and Black British History. She is a Director on Banister House Solar, the largest community owned solar system on social housing in London whilst also working with Energy Garden to facilitate short training courses in employability skills for local young people.Â
Agamemnon is CEO of Energy Garden, co-founder of Repowering, Brixton Energy, Community Energy England, and has sat on the UK Government’s Community Energy Contact Group. He has a M.Sc Architecture: Advanced Environment and Energy and previously worked as the Director for Renewable Energy Project Finance and Social Responsibility at a financial institution. In 2014, he was named a London Leader; in 2016, he was awarded an MBE for services to community energy; and in 2017, he was named one of the 51 Most Impactful Green Leaders globally by CSR Congress.Â
Steve Shaw is Director of Power for People, a not-for-profit organisation, campaigning for the UK to rapidly transition to 100% clean energy and for this to benefit local communities. Before founding Power for People in 2017, Steve worked on a number of campaigns including the campaign for the Climate Change Act and ran the campaign for the Sustainable Communities Act.
