International Sustainability Campaigning Briefing and Workshop
Bournemouth Conference 2019
International Sustainability Campaigning Briefing and Workshop - Setting the Standards
Date/Time: Sunday 15th September 2019 2.45pm - 4.30pm
Venue: Granville Suite, Trouville Hotel Bournemouth, BH2 5DH
Speakers: Jane Brophy MEP; Caroline Voaden MEP; Andy Gheorghiu, EU lobbyist (Food & Water Europe); Stijn Carton, Project Manager (European Climate Foundation)
Session Chair: Keith Melton, Vice Chair (Campaigns) GLD
This is a major GLD International Strategy Event intended as a capacity building exercise for Parliamentarians and key GLD activists to begin developing a regional framework to support the international campaigning activity of MEPs and Green Liberal Democrats. The world is currently facing at least two major existential threats - the Climate Crisis and serious Biodiversity Loss. Either one could prove fatal or near fatal for humanity and the current Earth biome. Taking both together we will need a concerted political effort to stave off the worst effects, hence the need for a high level global political strategy.
Jane B rophy MEP is, of course, a long-time member of the GLD exec and will provide us with a keynote view of the issues we face. Caroline Voaden, MEP is a full voting member on the EP Environment Committee in Brussels.
Andy Gheorghiu, based in Brussels, is a full-time campaigner, consultant and activist for climate/environmental protection, energy policy and democracy, and a policy advisor for "Food & Water Europe". Stijn Carton works for the European Climate Foundation, also in Brussels, and consults on the topic of power & heating sector decarbonisation.
GLD member, Phil Bennion MEP will also be present, towards the end of the meeting, and we anticipate at least two more MEP`s may be able to take part as well (we are awaiting confirmation, but indications are quite positive), so it is vital to have a good turnout of leading GLD activists too.
International Campaigning
As most of you will probably know, the membership of GLD has more than doubled (indeed, nearly tripled) in the last 2-3 years, so we do not yet have a clear pattern to our campaigning as a unified force. We believe that we can make a much bigger impact if we can formulate a "house style" that develops the synergies of scale. We need also to identify clearly how we should FOCUS our campaigning to achieve the best, most effective results.
Martin Horwood MEP, President of the Green Lib Dems will `open` the activist session. As GLD President, Martin is well-placed to review the skills set available for campaigning on the basis of the fast-growing membership in the last few years.
The party has not had 16 MEPs before and GLD has yet to make use of our increased membership to develop a regional grouping of activists that can support the activity of our MEPs in environmental campaigns on an international basis. This workshop is intended to resolve these issues and strengthen our campaigning reach! Do come along if you can...
Setting the Standard
If you are not convinced we can change the world - just listen to the enthusiasm of our MEPs after only a couple of months in Brussels - let us join with them in making Sustainability the standard for the world....
https://www.facebook.com/LibDemMEPs/videos/723328311461533/
Keith Melton, VC (Campaigns) GLD