Watch this video too

On Sat 11 Oct the free CLIMATE CHANGE & ME festival, held at Highbury Fields School, will offer loads of tips about energy efficiency and saving cash. There's also films and discussions every night from Mon 13-Thurs 16 Oct, starting 6pm designed to help you reduce your carbon emissions with minimal pain.

Here's a funny video that might help your family turn the lights off and switch off at the wall - so that the next electricity bill will be less of a shock...

Watch Shane Meadows' climate change ad Media guardian.co.uk

The organisers

The CLIMATE CHANGE & ME festival is a joint event run by Highbury Fields Secondary School, Drayton Park School and Islington Green Living Centre. It aims to empower the people in Highbury - and other parts of Islington - to become more energy-efficient, save cash & have fun tackling climate change.

The photo shows some of the organisers (l-r): Kerry Kirwan from the Green Living Centre; Julia Hodson, acting head at Highbury Fields School and Zophie Hodgkinson who leads on sustainability at Highbury Fields School. All the events are being run at Highbury Fields School, except the car boot sale on Sunday 19 October which is at Drayton Park, Arvon Road, N5. See more about Highbury Fields School here. Here's how to find the school using streetmap.

Drayton Park School is represented by head teacher Rosie Walden and Emma Jones, who leads on eco issues at the school, and runs the gardening club. See more about Drayton Park School here.

When is it? CLIMATE CHANGE & ME is a free festival on Sat 11 October, 11am-5pm held at Highbury Fields School. Just turn up (crèche, activities for teenagers too). Lunch on sale provided by the Iraqi Women’s League. TBC

There are also films & talks every evening from 13-16 Oct, at 6pm, Highbury Fields School. See the timetable for details on another post on this blog.

Watch this video

On Sat 11 October come to Highbury Fields School for the free CLIMATE CHANGE & ME festival. It's a chance to learn, think about and share ways to tackle climate change without breaking the bank.

"You don't have to be green to be green." Here's a toe-tapping tune that emphasises in a witty way how easy it is to live a sustainable life if you are watching your cash and making sure you are as energy-efficient as possible. It's just a minute long. Enjoy!

Watch MTV Switch anti-'greenwash' video Media guardian.co.uk

Eco raffle

At the CLIMATE CHANGE & ME free family festival on Sat 11 October there will be a raffle. Buy a ticket and you could have the chance to win interesting -and sometimes hard to find - eco goodies.

Prizes include:

A unique cloth shopping bag from the world's largest environmental organisation, Friends of the Earth. Or avoid the raffle risk and buy one for just #3 at www.foe.co.uk/shop.

>>The brilliant new book How can I stop climate change (Collins) - see sample pages here.



>>Win the new eco cleaning mitt from Enjo. Enjo is the brainchild of Johannes Engels who invented a range of cleaning fibres which eliminate the need to use harmful chemicals in the home and workplace, make a positive contribution to reducing land, waste and water pollution, and that produce better results in less time and with less effort.

Timetable 11 Oct

Drop in to the CLIMATE CHANGE & ME free family festival to the events you think interest you, or stay for the whole day. Lunch will be on sale and there's free tea and coffee. Below is the programme of events from 11am - 6pm. Please note the organisers reserve the right to change this.

11 – 11.15 housekeeping, welcome songs by North London Mosque children/young people HALL
Welcome by comic writer Pete May. HALL

11.15 – 11.55 Speaker Polly Higgins (talk & questions) HALL
Time travel in Dr Who’s tardis for an overview of climate change

11.55 – 12 Facilitator introduces Islington’s Mayor HALL

12 – 1pm first adult workshops (one in each of 3 classrooms)


12 – 12.30 – Young people's performance HALL

Lunch available from 12.30 – 1.30
Lunch provided by Iraqi Women’s League TBC

1.15 – 2pm Speaker TV’s Penney Poyzer (talk and questions)
Climate change & me (including travel, energy efficiency, kitchen, food and community)

2-2.05pm Facilitator HALL

2.05 – 2.45pm Question Time with a twist. Politicians (Jeremy Corbyn MP, Cllr Katie Dawson, Cllr Greg Foxsmith - chaired by Bob Gilbert) HALL
What are you doing about climate change here in Islington?

2 – 3.50pm Come to the SWISH (posh clothes swap) hosted by Kelly Webb-Lamb (producer of The Apprentice)

2.50 – 3.50 second adult workshops

2.50 – 4.45 Creative recycling - a child focused workshop – maybe making something that could be taken away/shown off/ pester power/campaigning?? Run by Rohan Knox

2.50 – 4.45 Campaigning for kids workshop on pester power/campaigning?? TBC

2.50-4 Chance to look at stalls & ask questions
Opportunity to write pledges - what are you going to do about tackling climate change?

4-4.03 Facilitator HALL

4 – 4.40 Speaker Dilys Williams (talk & questions) HALL
What’s fashion got to do with climate change? More than you think…


4.45-5pm FACILITATOR Thank you & close with song by North London Mosque children/young people TBC, HALL

5- 6pm Cup of tea & chat
Chance to look at pledges/swap contacts. Questions for any of the workshop facilitators, questions for stall holders.


WORKSHOPS
1) How can I make my Victorian House more energy efficient?
Facilitators: Antony Melville & Sarah Harrison

2) How can I save cash and save the planet?
Facilitator: Kerry Kirwan, from the Green Living Centre

3) How can we have more fun in our street?
Facilitator: Debbie Warrener

If you have any questions please contact Nicola, 020 7704 6420

Films & talks 13-16 Oct

FILMS, TALKS AND CLOTHES SWAPS run from 6-9pm at Highbury Fields School during the CLIMATE CHANGE & ME FESTIVAL. Snacks will be on sale.

Mon 13 Oct – Enjoy Al Gore’s classic, Oscar-winning film, An Inconvenient Truth

Tues 14 Oct – Go plastic bag free with Message in the Waves, the film that inspired first Modbury and then more than 100 towns to go plastic bag free. Also meet Orlando Jopling who spearheaded a community campaign to get Newington Green to go plastic bag free.

Wed 15 Oct – Watch the film that launched the Transition Town movement, The End of Suburbia with Duncan Law from Transition Town Brixton OR
Wed 15 Oct OR bring a posh piece of clothing you no longer wear and join a SWISH clothes swap. (7-.8.45pm)

Th 16 Oct Watch Power of Community - how Cuba coped without oil followed by a discussion led by Mark Donaldson from the Green Living Centre (expect lots of info about Transition Towns) OR
Th 16 Oct OR get practical advice how to green your office in a talk from Friends of the Earth (7-8pm)

If you have any questions please call Nicola, 020 7704 6420.

Green your office

Come and find out how Friends of the Earth has reduced its paper use, found sustainably sourced products and encouraged staff to recycle everything - from tea bags to PC monitors at Highbury's CLIMATE CHANGE & ME evening conference. Tickets for the evening events are free, just turn up anytime from 6pm at Highbury Fields School, Highbury Hill. Karen's inspiring workshop runs from 7-8pm on 16 October.

"Of course you'd expect Friends of the Earth to have good recycling systems in place, but we've found that you need to keep on encouraging and inspiring staff. We make it easy, we explain what and why, and we give out awards," says Karen Liebenguth who has worked at the environmental campaigning organisation, based in nearby Old Street, for three years.

Karen (right) is in charge of keeping Friends of the Earth's office and staff green. Come and find out the innovative, but simple, ways this is achieved. Karen can answer your questions too.

If you've ever felt frustrated by the waste in your office then please come and find out how to do something practical about it on Thursday 16 October from 7-8pm.

Useful books: Save Cash & Save the Planet (Collins) available here.