I’m Jodie, a volunteer for Birmingham Friends of the Earth. The organisation was invited to the ‘Tread Lightly conference 2017’. This is an annual conference hosted by Footsteps, a group which brings together groups and faiths in Birmingham to respond to the challenge of moving to a low carbon future. Myself and our Campaigns Support Worker, Libby, had the pleasure of attending the event which took place on 19th November 2017. It was held at Birmingham Progressive Synagogue, an interesting building which I had never been to before.
At the start of the event there was a chance for Birmingham Friends of the Earth (and other groups) to have an information stall and talk to people about our campaigns. We concentrated on our Air Pollution Campaign and our Climate Refugee Campaign as we decided these had the strongest links to a low carbon future. We were pleased to receive a lot of interest in both of these campaigns and collected quite a few signatures for our ‘Breath of Fresh Air’ petition.
There was then a chance to listen to talks from other organisations, such as the Wildlife Trust, about their work this year towards a low carbon future. We were sat around tables in small groups so that, at certain points in each talk, we could discuss our thoughts on what was being said. It was interesting to talk to others and hear their ideas.
The event provided a great opportunity for networking with others with similar environmental goals. We thank Footsteps for inviting Birmingham Friends of the Earth to the event.
