Conference Seeks Common Ground on the Climate Crisis

Is it possible to create home-grown solutions to the complex challenges of the climate crisis? Common Energy, an emerging network of students, staff, faculty and regional partners centered at the University of Victoria, hopes to accomplish that at the upcoming Common Energy Conference on Feb. 5 at UVic.

“Our goal is to move UVic beyond climate neutral, so it does more to solve the climate crisis than it does to cause it,” says Jamie Biggar, a member of Common Energy and a student representative on UVic’s Board of Governors. “Working with regional partners interested in the practical task of greening Victoria, we can use the knowledge and resources at UVic to help transform the region.”

Using an innovative “open space” format, the conference will create a series of focused discussions about key areas such as energy, transport, and civic engagement. There is no detailed agenda or keynote speakers. Instead, the conference is designed to unlock the collective knowledge and creativity of the participants to create realistic proposals.

The conference takes place from 1 to 9 p.m. in the Michele Pujol room in the Student Union Building. There will be afternoon and evening sessions and refreshments will be offered. For further information about the program visit Common Energy’s collaborative website at www.commonenergy.org

“We have to start working together at the local level to come up with the best solutions as fast as possible,” says Naomi Devine, a member of Common Energy and a UVic student. “The more perspectives, the better the quality of the work that we will produce,”

Common Energy will take the ideas from the conference to form working groups to plan and implement local solutions over the coming months. Those interested in attending the conference are invited to register by sending an email to commonenergy@gmail.com

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