The aim of Envirolution is to to increase understanding, connection and engagement with the natural world, helping us transition toward a more sustainable future for us all.
After a long hiatus due to COVID-19, Envirolution Festival is back in person on Saturday 27th May 2023, 1pm-7pm in Platt Fields Park, Fallowfield.
As Manchester’s leading environmental community festival, Envirolution aims to explore creative ways to enrich our lives, communities and environment. The festival has been running since 2010. However, like the rest of the world, it had to stop in person events due to the pandemic, moving the festival online. 2023 will be the first year Envirolution Festival is back live in Platt Fields park and it is shaping up to be the best year yet!
Get ready for a programme packed full of interactive workshops, inclusive talks, world music on our two solar-powered stages, wellbeing activities, children’s games, market stalls, delicious food by GRUB, MUD Kitchen and much much more.
We’re also working with the amazing Platt Fields Market Garden which, with the help of the Envirolution team, who took a fenced off disused bowling green and turned it into a permaculture paradise.
We can’t wait to welcome Manchester’s passionate communities to this inclusive, free celebration of creativity and alternative approaches to reducing our impact on the environment. Everyone is welcome, from the diverse communities that surround Platt Fields park and across Manchester.
Line up so far….
Talks
Cllr Linda Foley – As Deputy Executive Member for Environment and Transport, Linda has made it her mission to provide Carbon Literacy training for 25% of Manchester’s residents, pushing to make Manchester the first carbon literate city in the world.
Dr Chris Jones – Knowledge Exchange Fellow at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.
Ardwick Climate Action – Inspiring group and recent finalist at the Be Proud Award, Ardwick Climate Action brings together the community in one of Manchester’s most deprived areas to help people take action on climate change and improve their local area.
Wellbeing Area
The Resonance Centre will be bringing their spirit of connection, community, and social inclusion to this year’s festival with free yoga and meditation workshops all day.
World music
Stepladder Records are bringing an amazing array of world music to our solar stages at this year’s festival.
The Galivantes – Galivantes are an eight-piece rowdy ska band from Manchester whose sound is hard to pin down – not least because they have three lead singers and a range of influences from ska punk, reggae, disco, folk and rock. They are possibly best described as a blend of The Pixies and Sublime, mixing strong driving beats with fiery vocals, crunching guitars, funky bass, and a chaotic cacophony of brass, all wrapped up around a politically charged power-to-the-people message
Get in touch!
With 4 weeks still to go until Envirolution festival arrives, we’re still looking for engaging and interactive stalls and workshops.
From August to September there’s a chance for YOU to have your voice heard. A series of workshops happening all around the city will give you the unique chance to tell our leaders what you think should be happening about the climate emergency.
Please help us spread the word and tell everyone you know.
Click the link below to find out more and sign up! https://zerocarbonmanchester.commonplace.is/proposals/in-our-nature-community-assembly/step1
On Saturday the 6th of March Envirolution is hosting a get together to discuss: How Envirolution can save the world!
If you have been to our events before, saw wwwINvirolution.org last year, or just want to do something about climate change! Then you are most welcome.
Get involved and help us plan and shape a more sustainable and happier society for us all. Starting now!
The meeting will happen online at 11:00 am UK time.Register in advance here:https://us02web.zoom.us/…/tZcqduGrrDsiGdNjoxZeMnGE0… After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
So tell all your friends and come and get involved in the Envirolution revolution. Let’s build the kind of world we want to live in
What a year last year was! Nobody could have imagined how much our lives have changed in the last twelve months. But with the horrors of the Covid-19 pandemic have come opportunities to reflect on what we value the most, and for many a chance to rediscover their connection with nature.
For us at Envirolution, it was a chance to try something new with our first ever online festival, INvirolution.org
It was also a chance to take stock and think about what we’ve been doing over the last ten years and see how we can make a bigger impact.
So we teamed with a group of PhD researchers for the University of Manchester’s Collaboration Labs programme. The group interviewed over 40 people who have attended an Envirolution event, given a workshop, ran a stall, or is one of our volunteers. The research was so good the team even won the Universities Project Excellence Award! Heres what we found…
This will help us figure out how we can improve and work with more partners and policy makers to try and encourage the lasting change we need to see as the world is trying to recover.
But we are always open to suggestions! What do you think?
Not only do we have a bucket load of things to watch and do on our website but we’ve also created a Campaign Hub where you can get to meet some of Manchester’s most influential campaign groups…
Join via Zoom to hear about how they are changing the environmental landscape of the North West and beyond.
In the Hub you can expect to find Greenpeace Manchester, Global Justice MCR, The Carbon Literacy Project, Manchester Friends of the Earth, Frack Free Greater Manchester, Steady State Manchester and Greater Manchester Community Renewables
Community festival organisers Envirolution are delighted to confirm the digital version of their festival, INvirolution festival 2020, will be taking place on Saturday 20 June.
In response to the Covid-19 crisis, INvirolution will be a virtual festival dedicated to the idea of what people want the planet to look like in this changing world, with a focus on the hashtag #myfutureplanet.
With their base in the city of Manchester in the UK, there will be a range of bands, inspirational stories happening locally and workshops coming from the North of England.
Due to the global possibilities of the digital festival, there is also set to be some worldwide involvement, connecting people as far away as Australia and Kenya into this newly-widened festival scope.
Key topics will include inspirational discussions and ideas around sustainability, community spirit and insightful ways to help shape our climate in a post-coronavirus world.
The virtual festival world will have live features and talks as well as pre-recorded entertainment due to begin at different times like a typical live festival. The content will be hosted on www.invirolution.org and applications can be taken to be included in this festival until Saturday 13 June.
INvirolution also presents opportunities for other environmental and sustainable causes to get people involved with their latest campaigns, with Green Gathering and Extinction Rebellion confirmed to participate.
Green Gathering director Emma Fordham said: “We’ve had to postpone our 2020 festival but we’re collaborating with Green festivals internationally on how to come out of this pandemic stronger and more sustainable than ever. Thanks to INvirolution we’ll have a platform to demonstrate what we do this June.”
For press enquiries, media opportunities and further information, please send any queries to hello@envirolution.org.uk.
On Saturday 20 June INvirolution festival is coming…
This will have all the areas and activities we usually have on at our events plus so much more! This time we have people from all over the globe involved. We will have talks and music, stories and art, campaigns and recipes, and loads more! So make sure you tell everyone you know. INvirolution is coming to a screen near you.
Everything you expect from Envirolution
Envirolution Festival 2020 is not happening, but INvirolution is! Expect music, talks, wellbeing, food, games, art and learning. All the things you expect from a festival embedded into a digital world.
Something new for everyone
Every part of the INvirolution festival is created to provide opportunities to learn something new or share inspiration about things we can do to reduce our impact on the planet. What do we want our society to look like? During the pandemic we have had time to think about the important things, and seen a huge reduction in greenhouse gas emissions! What can we learn from this and what would we like done differently from here on in.
INvirolution is here to offer you a voice in this discussion. What would you like to see happening?
Want to help us put on something amazing?
Envirolution is a festival for all, made by all. If you’d like to volunteer your time to make this years online festival super special, please get in touch! You can find out more here.
How to organise an outdoor, green event might be something not at the forefront of people’s minds right now, the nights are drawing in, and the prospect of cosy evenings tucked up in front of a warm fire is probably more appealing.
However, here at Envirolution we are already looking forward to our 10th Anniversary festival in May next year, and planning is well under way amongst our volunteers and core organising team. So, if like us, you want to host an event where the community gets involved and has an environmental theme, here are our top tips for making it a success!
Choose Your Location
The location is key to hosting a sustainable event. How easy is it for visitors to access using public transport? Is there lots of natural light to cut down on energy consumption? And does the venue already commit to being environmentally friendly, with existing schemes in place such as recycling, or actively looking to make improvements to the environment?
Ban Single Use Plastic
Cutlery, straws, drinks bottles, plates, food containers; all items designed for convenience and to be quickly disposable. Except of course, they are not. On average, plastic takes 1000 years to decompose and 8 million tonnes of the stuff is being dumped in the oceans each year. Is it any wonder our precious marine life is being choked to death with stats like these?
What Will You Offer Visitors?
An outdoor event is big business for food and drink suppliers! People love to try new dishes and sample food they wouldn’t necessarily try at home, so do you go all out for a vegan event? Or do you think this would deter some people from attending? The point to this is whatever you decide to offer visitors, make sure it is ethically sourced and suppliers meet your ‘green expectations’ for YOUR event!
Implement a Recycling scheme
One of the fundamental ways to ensuring your event cares for the environment is to implement a recycling scheme that is highly visible, widely encouraged, and importantly easy to use! Often people give up to recycling because it is not clear what goes where and what can and can’t be recycled! Make sure your recycling bins are EVERYWHERE and that you have plenty of volunteers on hand to sort the waste at the end of the day!
Contact Us!
So, if you are feeling inspired and you now know how to organise an outdoor green event, or if you want to put an green festival in your diary for next year, why not come along and visit the Envirolution Team on 23rd May at Platt Fields in Manchester M14 6LA.
Or, if you feeling inspired to get involved but not quite ready to host your own festival, why not become an Envirolution volunteer? We have loads of opportunities for you to become part of the team, even if it’s just a couple of hours you can give, we are always grateful! We also welcome bands and caterers that share our environmental ethos to get in touch, or if you have something unique to offer with a ‘green theme’ you can contact us here for more information about Envirolution 2020.
It’s going to be really special next year, and the excitement and energy that makes this event happen is already well under way! So make sure you contact us TODAY to find out how you can take part in a fabulous festival and do your bit for the environment!
It’s been a busy weekend in the City of Manchester, Extinction Rebellionhave been out on the streets, bringing their non-violent action climate protest, to a street near you, and what a beautiful Northern Rebellion it has been!
The peaceful protest, which ended yesterday with a ceremony around the big yellow boat situated on Deansgate, has been perfectly executed by the Extinction Rebellion Crew to bring awareness and enjoyment to the citizens of Manchester.
And, happily, thanks to the full cooperation between Greater Manchester Police and the XR organisers, there has been no trouble, and no arrests have been made throughout the duration of the protest.
So, what has this weekend’s activities all been about?
In a rather sobering report from the WWF scientists, who
track the existence of life on earth as we know it, state that humans are
responsible for wiping out around 60% of all birds, mammals, fish and reptiles
since 1970.
Speaking to Jo, one of the XR supporters attending the protest
at the weekend, it was clear that this message from the scientists is having a
profound effect on some, if not all of us, making people like Jo feel compelled
to act.
In an interview for Envirolution and questioned on how environmental
campaigners can continue to get their message out to those who have not yet
woken up to the crisis Jo stated;
“I’m not an activist, I’m a mother of three. I’ve given up my job to do this, because I’m scared and people are scared. Just because they are choosing not to be here, doesn’t mean they are not scared. we need to get more people like me to talk about this as a shared human experience and we need to normalise this and give permission for people to talk about it”.
During the interview, it was clear that Jo was
particularly emotional and impassioned about the climate crisis affecting
humanity.
She went on to say how apologetic she and the rest of XR were
for causing a disruption, and also how she would much rather not have to do
this, preferring to have a night in her own bed and see her husband and
children to spending sleepless nights on Deansgate.
However, and this was the key to Jo’s personal reasons for taking part in Northern Rebellion, it was all about the human connection to the climate crisis and the connection to each other that spurred Jo on.
And the visibility of protesting in such a high-profile
fashion is just one of a series of ways to raise awareness.
Since giving up her job, Jo has also given talks to
groups and taken the XR message to the doorsteps of local communities, and she
was not afraid to admit the whole thing brings tears to her eyes, which is part
of her very appeal, as she engages with you on a very human level.
Over Consumption causing the Climate Crisis
And rather poignantly, as you look around Manchester at the
shoppers encouraged to ‘buy more stuff’ you see the connection between humanity
and the threat to the survival of civilisation are inextricably linked.
‘Bigger, better, cheaper, more, more, more…’ or, ‘buy this
and your life will be improved’ are messages we are openly and subliminally fed;
in shop windows, on our television screens, on our laptops, audibly on the
radio and music streaming services and in magazines and newspapers we read
every day.
Increased human consumption of everything
means more greenhouse gases are being produced, meaning the earth is heating up
which means that ice caps are melting, fires are raging and basically, our
fragile eco-system simply can not cope.
All of these changes to our climate are leading to an
increase in extreme weather events, rising sea levels and the extinction of a
massive range of species as in the WWF report.
What Can Humanity do to Reverse the Impact of Climate Change?
So, what can we, as ordinary human beings, do to reverse the
impact of climate change?
Julia
Steinberger, Professor of Ecological Economics at Leeds University,
studies the fascinating subject of the relationships between the use of
resources and the performance of societies.
In her speech in front of a packed crowd on Sunday afternoon,
she spoke of the importance of teaching our children critical
thinking skills and about questioning the messages we are fed on a
daily basis, designed purely to create manipulated thinking.
She spoke about the what we need to live well, and a need for an opposition to consumerism to drive the climate message.
However, and this is the human connection that people like Julia
and Jo are so very good at, within her address Julia spoke about mass consumption
being the real problem, and rather than expecting us to all give up on our one
holiday a year abroad, it is an introduction of frequent flier levies, opposing
airport expansion and making more towns and cities traffic free that will have a
more wide reaching impact.
She also made reference to the generation of advertisers who
promoted smoking as cool and the candy cigarettes that were popular with kids,
saying ‘Who are we to ever tell people what to do or what to give up? But what
we can do is read the scientific evidence around climate change and try to
change our own habits to make that difference’.
So, for example, if somebody does not want to commit to
giving up meat entirely, that is their choice, but the fact that they are
prepared to reduce their consumption is a step in the right direction and has
to be seen as a good thing.
The Joy of XR
And so, as my time at XR Northern Rebellion came to a close,
and I marvelled at the impact of the absence of traffic in the centre of
Manchester, (no polluted air, the freedom to wander blithely down the middle of
the road, children and dogs playing happily), and I felt the deep joy of
dancing in the middle of Deansgate to the magnificent Drum Machine, I couldn’t
help but think wouldn’t it be wonderful if this atmosphere was replicated on
high streets up and down the U.K.
And with lots more planned events and a growing
support for the movement, it actually could be.
XR are fully committed to their 3 Demands of the U.K
Government, Tell the Truth, Act Now and Citizens Assembly;
all they would really like is for more ordinary people like me and you to join
them, listen to their message and pick up the baton.
Contact us
So if you want to know more about the XR network or Envirolution with regards to direct
non-violent climate action, you can contact us here.
We love to hear your views and ideas, and we are currently
busy planning our 10th Envirolution Festival for May 2020, so if you
want to get involved, we always have a need for volunteers or local action
groups who want to take part!
Contact us TODAY to find out more!