Day 1: Saturday, 14 January 2023
9:50 - 10 am: Welcome remarks by Lord Deben & EA Sustain founder Joanne Ooi
10 - 10:50 am: Where are we now?
Speaker: Tony Juniper. Moderator: Mark Cocker.
A snapshot of British environmental policy, including recent policy initiatives to curb carbon by 2030, and a report card on conservation by one of the nation’s most knowledgeable, experienced and influential environmentalists.
11 - 11:50 am: Sustainable Food
Speakers: Patrick Holden & Neil Ward. Moderator: Joanne Ooi.
How are soil, agricultural systems and nutrition interconnected and what do we need to do to make our food systems truly sustainable. What is the right balance to strike between the competing imperatives of restoring soil health, feeding the nation and cutting carbon?
This event is supported by Groundswell Agriculture.
12 - 12:50 pm: Hydrogen Cars & Circular Business
Speaker: Hugo Spowers. Moderator: Pamela Cox.
The founder of the world’s first independent hydrogen car company, Riversimple, explains why hydrogen vehicles are a crucial part of the transportation mix and how Riversimple’s business model incentivises fuel efficiency. What can other industries learn from the company’s revolutionary circular business model?
1- 1:50 pm: The ABCs of Art Marketing - a workshop
Panelists: Simon Carter, Matthew Burrows* & Joanne Ooi. FREE
A panel of artists and art marketing experts explain the principles and tools of professional art marketing and how to apply these rules in everyday art practice. They also discuss the crucial importance of why collaboration and joining forces is even more important when living outside a big city.
VIDEO NOT AVAILABLE
2 - 2:50 pm : Groundswell — a movement
Speakers: John Cherry & John Pawsey. Moderator: William Sieghart.
Two pioneers at the forefront of regenerative agriculture explain what regenerative agriculture is, the original inspiration for their groundbreaking projects (pun absolutely intended!) and the changes in farmers’ mindsets and practice that will be required to make the transition from industrial to regenerative farming.
This event is supported by Groundswell Agriculture.
3 - 3:50 pm: Reinventing Fashion
Speaker: Christina Dean. Moderator: Joanne Ooi.
Short of adopting a fully circular fashion economy and halting the manufacture of new clothes, what can the fashion industry do to minimise or repurpose waste, in terms of business models, technology and culture. On the flip side, how can consumers detect greenwashing and modify their own consumption to mitigate the industry’s damage to the environment.
4 - 5 pm: Art & Environment
Speakers: Veronica Sekules, Steve Waters & Kaitlin Ferguson. Moderator: William Sieghart.
Creative practitioners at the forefront of environmental art and sustainability explain how culture not only nourishes our souls by celebrating the beauty of nature, but can pave the way towards both personal awakening and environmental consciousness.
5:10 - 5:50 pm: Nature - for Millennials
Speaker: Sophie Pavelle. Moderator: Louise Gray.
The 27-year old science communicator and author of ‘Forget Me Not: Finding the forgotten species of climate-change Britain’ talks about her mission to awaken her own generation to the joys of nature, including the highs and lows of her low-carbon odyssey across Britain to study 10 species of wildlife, each one a microcosm of anthropogenic change.
6 - 7 pm: Planet Birdsong
Performers & Speaker: Conference of Birds and Peter Cowdrey. Moderator: Mark Cocker.
A talk and performance by pianist and composer Peter Cowdrey. Cowdrey is the founder of Planet Birdsong and Conference of Birds. The former is a multi-disciplinary initiative that has developed tools and resources to support acoustic engagement with nature. The latter is the musical extension of Planet Birdsong, performing music directly inspired by bird sounds.
Day 2: Sunday, 15 January
10 - 10:50 am: Rewilding, a Primer
Speaker: Professor Alastair Driver. Moderator: Louise Gray.
One of the nation’s most prominent and influential advocates of rewilding unpacks the subject for us and separates facts from fads: What is rewilding? Where did it come from? What are its benefits in terms of both biodiversity and carbon sequestration? How well understood and tested is it? What are the minimum conditions needed for success? How does rewilding tie into national agricultural policy? What’s the state of play on the ground at present?
11 - 11:50 am: Rethinking Education from the Ground Up
Speakers: Tim Oates, Sass Brown & John Gordon. Moderator: Mark Cocker.
To make sustainability and conservation second-nature, education at all levels and ages requires wholesale transformation. In this panel discussion, teachers and education experts share their experiences and proposals for changing curriculums, attitudes and teaching.
VIDEO NOT AVAILABLE
12 - 12:50 pm: Sea Change
Speaker: Charles Clover. Moderator: Louise Gray.
In his first book, End of the Line, Charles Clover delivered a disturbing wake-up call, describing the systematic decimation of fish species favoured for human consumption due to a combination of politics, corruption, food culture and misplaced science. Luckily, his new book Rewilding the Sea proposes solutions to reverse the ravages of commercial fishing. The answer is in the title of the book and what’s more, it has the powerful side benefit of sequestering carbon
1 - 1:50 pm: Marketing for Farmers
Speakers: Jonny Crickmore & William Kendall. Moderator: Joanne Ooi. FREE
Creating unique, value-added consumer products and services is one of the the best ways for farmers to escape the commoditisation trap that defines so much of industrial agriculture. Two expert farmers from East Anglia who have built great brands share their knowhow and advice on what it takes to create great food products and memorable brands.
This event is supported by Groundswell Agriculture and Sutton Hoo Chicken.
VIDEO NOT AVAILABLE
2 - 3 pm: Farming in East Anglia - Where do we go from here?
Speakers: Sarah Langford, Josiah Meldrum and Jake Fiennes. Moderator: John Pawsey.
A panel discussion about agriculture, farming and culture in the region where we live.
This event is supported by Groundswell Agriculture.
3:10 - 4 pm: Helen Macdonald in conversation with William Sieghart
William interviews Helen about what it is about birds that moves her, how birds are a canary in the coal mine of climate change and the important role of nature writing in awakening our environmental consciousness
4:10 - 5:10 pm: Sustainable Entrepreneurship
Speakers: Tom Barton & Josiah Meldrum. Moderator: William Kendall.
These days, “sustainability” is a ubiquitous watchword on every corporate website but which companies are really putting their money where their mouth is? In this discussion, founders of two companies that have reconfigured their business models to make them truly sustainable share their entrepreneurial visions, war stories and triumphs.
This event is supported by Anglia Capital
5:20 - 6 pm: A Story of Seaweed
Speaker: James Moore. Moderator: Joanne Ooi.
Unbeknownst to the average consumer, seaweed can help us transition to more sustainable agricultural and food systems, in addition to sequestering carbon. One of the investors spearheading its commercial development explains the history, science and research behind seaweed’s manifold applications — as a biostimulant, nutritional supplement and human foodstuff.
6:10 - 7 pm: Bhutan, Land of Hope
Speakers: Farmer Sangay & John Pawsey.
Choosing to farm as his mode of transforming self, society and economy, Farmer Sangay is a forerunner of Bhutan's unique brand of sustainability and exemplifies a national identity that has Gross National Happiness (GNH) as its pole star. In his conversation with Suffolk farmer John Pawsey, Farmer Sangay will discuss the nation's challenges and opportunities including food security, land use and the role of heritage, GNH and shared values as guiding principles of its future development.
This event is sponsored by MMBP & Associates
