With Islington Faces everyone has an energy story

Aim

How to tackle climate change at home? We'll ask Islingtonians what's confusing or challenging & then interview locals who've got the answers

Islington Faces hopes to raise £1,200 to build a bank of unique interviews with members of the community that aim to help tackle our climate change and energy questions with positive solutions.

HERE'S THE PLAN

Islington Faces is a small charity (set up in 2019) which has already interviewed 330+ people who live or work in Islington (see the pic below of the home page). We know everyone has a story, but might some of our Islington neighbours also have solutions about how to tackle climate change from a heating, eating and travelling perspective at home and in our borough? Yes, they're bound to!

WE'RE GOING TO NEED YOUR HELP

So, for this project - called WITH ISLINGTON FACES EVERYONE HAS AN ENERGY STORY - we'll ask locals what confuses or challenges them about getting to zero carbon by 2030. Then we'll see if we can introduce that person or family, whole street, food bank or cafe regulars to one of the neighbourly energy "experts" who can turn a problem into a solution. Let's say Meme and her family couldn't figure out how to stop their home costing so much to heat. We'd then introduce them to the wit and wisdom of Andrew who is an Energy Doctor (yup, real thing).

With 200,000 people living in Islington there's a good chance that someone here is already doing good things to reduce pollution, cut energy or move us all towards greener ways to travel.  What's extra nice about this project is that it will involve loads of you sharing your wisdom with interested neighbours. Photos below are scenes from the Inspiring Islington exhibition where readers got to meet interviewees - a wonderful way to build community.

HOW IT WORKS

For Everyone has an Energy Story, Islington Faces will ask you & your neighbours (via surveys, doorstep chats etc) what's bothering you on the climate change front - not the big picture policy stuff which politicians need to do. We want to know what you can do in your life here in Islington. We think you may have questions about:

• Heating
• Eating & Getting around
• Anything else you want to know

Once we've collected your questions Islington Faces will figure out who locally is offering answers (or maybe even bigger solutions) & invite them to do an interview for the Islington Faces blog on www.islingtonfacesblog.com . Hopefully we'll also be able to organise a meet up for everyone involved over a cuppa and probably cake (or some tasty seasonal goodie). This could be the start of a beautiful friendship... with added energy knowledge.

BE PART OF 'EVERYONE HAS AN ENERGY STORY'
"I'm really excited about this new Islington Faces project. People struggle to save money and have warmer homes, often with negative consequences for their health and wellbeing. This initiative aims to support Islington communities by connecting people with energy questions with the people with energy answers locally. We hope it will make a really positive difference." Paula Vandergert, chair of trustees for Islington Faces

"20 years of research on climate communications has shown me that local voices are both powerful and essential. We don’t identify with economists or scientists, and we don’t trust politicians. We listen to people like us, living in our community who we can identify with. Please support this excellent project to share local stories - it really is the key to change." George Marshall, founder of Climate Outreach and author of Don’t Even Think About It: Why our Brains are Wired to Ignore Climate Change.

"In the face of the pandemic, I believe Islington Faces is more vital than ever as a means of connecting to our neighbours and community." Rosemary Brown, from Canonbury

"Islington Faces is a brilliant community initiative which was started by Nicola quite a few years ago now. Islington appears to have a never-ending supply of interesting and fascinating people who Nicola manages to track down so they can tell their stories. The interviews are always entertaining to read and give the reader the opportunity to learn more about their neighbours and our wonderfully interesting and diverse neighbourhood. I was one of the early interviewees and greatly enjoyed my few moments of 'fame'." Sue Jandy, from Highbury

You'll be able to see updates about the project on Islington Faces here.

OUR ASK
To take this further we need to ask you to make a donation. Please check out the rewards we are offering too. We'd love you to be part of Everyone has an Energy Story.

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OUR TRACK RECORD
SCENES FROM PAST PROJECTS: Inspiring Islington photo exhibition

Islington Faces has made so many friends since the first post in 2012. The photo above was taken at the Ringcross Community Centre, N7 in summer 2019. It shows photographer Kimi Gill and chief writer Nicola Baird hanging the Inspiring Islington portraits for a free photo exhibition that also toured Islington Museum and Space4 in Finsbury Park. When the photos were taken down at Ringcross the Pilion Trust said it was like saying goodbye to the family.

In the spirit of that comment, please think of Everyone Has An Energy Story as an opportunity to ask any question about the future and then selectively decide what you think is good advice. If you love that advice then take it, if you don't think it's that great, then just keep on doing things the best way you can.

Thank you to Oxana Bondyuk for creating this film; Kimi Gill for Islington Faces' portraits & Islington Faces trustees for their help putting this Crowdfunder together. And thank YOU for your support. 

Best wishes from Nicola - who is a bit of an eco bunny and also the joint author of a book called Save Cash and Save the Planet (Collins, 2005) 

This project successfully funded on 21st December 2020