Innovating to tackle the climate emergency

The annual Malvern Festival of Innovation returns for another edition from the 4th - 8th October 2022 with an evening symposium on Tuesday 4th October devoted to the Climate Emergency.

The session will open with a keynote from Dr Mike Goodfellow-Smith on the global challenge we now face and the need for a step change in our actions if we are to tackle the climate emergency in time. Mike was until recently a resident of Malvern, but has now taken up the position of Lecturer in energy, engineering, environment, sustainability and climate change at the University of Wales Trinity St. David's.

Councillor Natalie McVey, the Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Housing and Health at Malvern Hills District Council, will then provide a view of the climate emergency from Malvern. Natalie, a member of the Green Party, will discuss some of the initiatives already underway in and around the town, but also highlight what we are missing and where we need to accelerate progress.

Dr Emma Philpott MBE, who will chair the session, explains, “Many people I talk to want to respond to the climate emergency by doing something. But to many it feels like an unsurmountable problem that an individual, family or small business would have little or no impact on. We decided to convene this session to provide an overview of the situation, highlight how small contributions can add up, and provide examples on what can be done.”

Dr Adrian Burden will finish the presentations with a look at what has been done to improve sustainability and reduce environmental impact at the Wyche Innovation Centre, a commercial property on the Malvern Hills that supports small businesses, entrepreneurs and hosts Café H2O. This talk will consider the impact of solar photovoltaics, LED lighting, EV charging as well as various energy saving devices.

There will then be a panel discussion with the speakers joined by Martin Hyden, the Head of Sustainability, Partner, Patent and Trade Mark Attorney at Wynne-Jones IP, a Gold Sponsor of the festival this year. This segment will be an opportunity for the audience to participate in a discussion that may lead to new initiatives and collaborations to take forward within the community.

The event will be staged at The Coach House Theatre and is free to attend, but registration is required as seating is limited. There will then be networking and light refreshments to continue the conversation next door at Bloom.Space. For more details about the week’s full programme, our generous supporters and sponsors, and to book tickets, please visit: https://www.festival-innovation.com/