The City of Edinburgh Council’s Post

I am happy to share my certification in The National Implementation of the Paris Agreement #Sustainability #Climatechanges #Greeneconomy #SustainableFinance #TheParisAgreement

It was a pleasure meeting Her Excellency, the Governor of the Cayman Islands Jane Owen, last Thursday as a Sustainable Cayman Ambassador and Protect Our Future representative. The topics of conversation included biodiversity loss, Central Mangrove Wetland conservation, and innovative food security opportunities, and I presented the future of the renewable energy sector. The experience proved to be highly insightful to me, and some key takeaways from listening to the Governor's responses included: 1. There needs to be an emphasis on open communication between Caymanian residents and members of the CI Government. - As innovators, advocacy leaders, young professionals, and the future of Cayman, our concerns are not just important, they are crucial. We have the potential to shape the future of our country, and it's essential that our voices are heard by the policymakers and decision-makers of Cayman's development. 2. Having a vote is not just a right, it's a responsibility. It's essential for creating the change we want to see in our country. However, we are currently not seeing enough of the Caymanian youth taking up this responsibility by registering to vote. - As a democracy, we have the potential to shift the course of our future development - starting with casting a vote. 3. A stronger bridge between the values of the UK Government and that of its Overseas Territory is yet to be formed. - As the newly elected UK Labour Government has vowed in its Manifesto to become a global green energy superpower, I would like to see more emphasis on achieving our National Energy Policy (which in 2023 had only reached 3% of its "100% renewable energy by 2045" goal). I left the meeting feeling energized with the knowledge that the Governor is open to hearing our thoughts, and that there is a possibility for Her Excellency to be the mouthpiece connecting our concerns and solutions to members of the CI Government.

WorldGBC calls on EU policymakers to prioritise sustainable built environment policies: https://lnkd.in/eZpCCAcb 📍 Find Us @WestcleanUK: https://lnkd.in/eJd3WtH4 #cleaningservices #facilitiesmanagement #propertymanager #commercialcleaning #property #housingmarket #professionalcleaning

WorldGBC calls on EU policymakers to prioritise sustainable built environment policies: https://lnkd.in/eKUJ2Qq5 📍 Find Us @WestcleanUK: https://lnkd.in/erfNMvHu #cleaningservices #facilitiesmanagement #propertymanager #commercialcleaning #property #housingmarket #professionalcleaning

Earlier this week, our CEO Judith Sykes FREng joined Samantha Freelove MIEMA, CEnv, Diego Padilla-Philipps, and Marc Hobbs at the Major Projects Association’s ‘No Planet B! So what can I do?’ conference.  On the MPA’s fifth anniversary of raising the importance of sustainability, Judith was part of the discussion on how major projects can move from being part of the problem to being part of the solution to responding to the climate crisis.     🔄💡Taking the long view on adaptation and resilience, she spoke about how it is often the most vulnerable communities that are impacted. From exploring different resilience strategies across her career, she then highlighted the carbon cost of protection and the need for collective action to deal with systemic challenges.   Overall, the conference raised two critical insights:    💥 Delivering the systemic changes needed will require ‘busting out’ of conventional siloed working arrangements.    💬 To really define what we are trying to achieve and what system intervention is required, more input needs to be established in the early stages of a project.   Reflecting on the day, Judith commented: “It was a pleasure to be part of the insightful discussion at No Planet B! Pooling the collective minds of the MPA members, we created a playbook for how these issues could be tackled through major project delivery. It’s clear we need much broader perspectives in defining the brief and outcomes to ensure we are solving the right problem. And to recognise a shift to programmes of systems change that don't always require building more - especially in the context of resource, skills, and carbon budget constraints.”    🎥 View the keynote presentations here -https://lnkd.in/d5ayyUvb.      Tideways | WSP in the UK | Jacobs | Useful Simple Trust   #SustainableEngineering #Adapation #Panelist   

“The stakes couldn’t be clearer: either we reshape our markets for nature, or brace for nature to reshape them for us.” We were interested to read this blog from Lindsay Hooper, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)’s CEO, on why protecting nature requires more than 'feel-good' projects from businesses. Reshaping how the public and private sectors communicate and collaborate is central to the Charter’s mission.   “Addressing these issues will require a different level of dialogue between the public and private sectors—conversations that go beyond platitudes to tackle the redesign of markets, subsidies, and economic incentives. The UK has made some progress with recent reforms in agricultural policy, but much more is needed – internationally – to develop mandates that drive change, catalyse innovative business models, and empower local decision-making. The strategic use of catalytic capital and philanthropy can help kickstart this shift, but policy leadership is essential to set the rules of the game, remove regulatory barriers, and embed nature into industrial, economic, and regional development strategies.” Read the full blog here: https://lnkd.in/eet77RtM  

Essex County Council recently commissioned us to carry out an evidence base for planning policy, which has now been made available for all local authorities in Essex to use when setting policy. Among the questions posed were, how do we know exactly where to set the limits, and how much more does it cost to use low embodied carbon materials? More from our sustainability team Clare Murray and Rania Kapitani on the latest RIBA Journal https://lnkd.in/eazjvUah #policy #embodiedcarbon #sustainabledevelopment

🌱"Discover the 4 key elements of sustainability!"💼 -Governance -Environmental -Social -Economic #sustainabilityconsulting #sustainabilityconsultant #sustainabilityconsultants #sustainability #carbonreduction

Our recent report with the World Economic Forum highlights the roadmap for effective environmental materiality assessments in MENA, offering high-level guidance on the environmental topics and metrics businesses should prioritize. Partner and co-author Wissam Yassine emphasizes that as the sustainability landscape in MENA continues to evolve, businesses and governments must work together to drive meaningful and impactful change across the region. Explore the report. https://atbain.co/3OdZAVo

When did Kommunalkredit issue its first environmental bond? Learn more about our sustainability strategy in our annual report https://lnkd.in/dqsSQumw #FactOfTheWeek