Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Oxford 2040 event! The event explored what a thriving Oxford in 2040 could look like, and what action we need to take, drawing on Damon Gameau’s inspiring film ‘2040‘.

Our panel of guest speakers included Barbara Hammond MBE from the Low Carbon Hub on energy, Abena Poku-Awuah from the Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel on travel, and Harpreet Kaur Paul, lawyer and climate-just solutions consultant, on food and farming.  A recording is now available here.

Key messages from our guest speakers and participants included:

• Addressing inequality is fundamental to achieving a thriving Oxford.
• In tackling our local issues, we need to recognise the international dimension and Oxford’s place in it.
• Building on a flotilla of existing local initiatives, we want to develop and grow Oxford’s circular economy. Oxford should be a city for connecting, not shopping.
• On energy, we are moving towards a decentralised, renewables reliant, electricity reliant world, where lots of very small installations can all be joined together – Project LEO (Local Energy Oxfordshire) aims to demonstrate how this can be done in a way that benefits everybody, that is accessible for everybody and managed in an equitable way.
• On travel, if we want to transform our streets and neighbourhoods for the better, we need to rethink the space we have surrendered to cars and, instead, create safe, green and healthy spaces for people to connect.
• On food and farming, the concept of food sovereignty could help address environmental issues and inequality in Oxford, emphasising local production and use of agro-ecological methods.
• “Things are doable” – and people can be motivated to act by a sense of collective values.

Helpful ideas and resources include:

• Oxford Friends of the Earth, Fast Forward Oxfordshire
• One Planet Living
• The Economics of Happiness
• Project LEO (Local Energy Oxfordshire)
• Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel Pop-Up Experience
• Transition Streets
• La Via Campesina on food sovereignty

A fuller report of the event is available on our website.

We plan to continue conversations on these issues with our members, our fellow community groups and other environmental organisations in Oxford, and the city and county councils. If you would like to be involved or find out more, please get in touch:  info@lcon.org.uk.