The Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability recently connected with the local community through two local festivals. Image University of Edinburgh stall at Edinburgh Climate Festival 2024 The Meadows Festival To help generate ideas for the University’s next Community Plan, the Community Team (the people behind Ed Local) got creative with Edinburgh’s youngest residents at this year’s Meadows Festival. Taking place on the first weekend in June each year, the Meadows Festival is a community-led festival that takes place next to the University’s George Square campus. The festival is a great weekend out for all the family. There are stalls selling items old and new, wellbeing activities, campaign groups, food, drink and performances by local up-and-coming musicians. The University often has stalls at the festival. This year, the Community Team were side-by-side with colleagues from Edinburgh Futures Institute, the Tattoo My Science initiative, and the Wandering Womb. The free tours of the new Edinburgh Futures Institute building were a sell-out success. Meanwhile, Francesca Hearn-Yeates was busy sharing her PhD research on endometriosis using a life-size recreation of a womb. In the Community Team, we asked children to make a dream jar and fill it with their dreams for their lives in 2040. It is important that we hear from this generation as our new Community Plan will determine the University’s future contribution to shaping the lives of people living locally. Food, jobs, family and birthdays were big themes, but the biggest of all was animals. It was a good reminder to us involved with creating the next Plan that relationships, a secure home situation and the natural world are essential to the wellbeing of us all. The Meadows Festival [External] Tattoo my Science Edinburgh Futures Institute Edinburgh Climate Festival At the end of June, we participated in the Edinburgh Climate Festival, also held on the Meadows. This event focuses on sustainability and climate action, drawing a diverse crowd passionate about environmental issues. The festival provided an excellent platform for organisations and individuals to come together, share ideas, and promote sustainable practices. At our stall, we gave out free wildflower seed packets and discussed the University's sustainability progress and targets, including our net-zero by 2040 goal and our forest and peatlands programme. We enjoyed engaging with attendees, listening to live acts, and exploring the other stalls. Edinburgh Climate Festival [External] Community Engagement The engagement and enthusiasm from the community at both festivals have been inspiring. The insights gained from the Meadows Festival will help to shape our new Community Plan, while our experiences at the Edinburgh Climate Festival will drive our sustainability efforts. Together, these events have strengthened our commitment to fostering a vibrant, sustainable, and community-focused future. Related Links Our Community Plan Sustainability This article was published on 2024-07-22
