Upcoming Event: Developing Local Energy Markets - 8th November
Energy Local Bridport is organising an all-day conference in Bath Guildhall on Wednesday 8th November with the aim of sharing experiences and building capacity to further develop the Energy Local model, using local renewable energy in local communities. Speakers include Sally Murrall-Smith from Energy Local Totnes, Pete West from Energy Local Bridport, Benny Talbot from Energy Local Bath and West, and our very own Mary Gillie and Amy Charnley-Parry from Energy Local CIC.
The focus of discussion is exploring new opportunities for local energy markets, microgrids, supplying businesses, and the bigger picture, including speakers based in Europe, the South West Net Zero Hub and Power for People. Book your place here. All are welcome to attend!
Upcoming Event: Energy Wise Show – 11th November
The Energy Wise Show will be held in Totnes Civic Hall 
on 11th November, 12-5pm. The show aims to share information on community responses to climate change and the increasing cost of living. It will be an Energy Saving and Energy Transitions event where people can come to get advice about reducing energy consumption and costs, draft proofing, grants, retrofitting, trading locally-generated renewable energy, carbon footprint assessment, as well as showcasing some of the low carbon and renewable energy technology and the companies that can provide it locally.
You are welcome to attend. There will be a collection of inspiring speakers who will give various energy talks throughout the afternoon and also a café to relax & chat. More information available here.
Why bilingualism is important to us
Earlier this month, Mary shared her perspective on why we champion bilingualism at Energy Local. We feel passionately that everybody in the UK should be able to access what we write, in the language they speak.
“I started working in the Bethesda area, Wales, several years ago. At that time, I never thought I would move to live in Wales. My mother always encouraged me to learn other languages. Some of my family are French and I grew up with children who spoke Punjabi and Urdu so I always appreciated languages. So from the beginning, I took the opportunity to learn Welsh. We see the world differently when we think in different languages. This is a wonderful experience but it also helps us to understand and appreciate how other people think...”
Read more here.
Question time at Energy Local Corwen
We had a great time this month helping the community in Corwen with their Energy Local questions. From timer plugs to tablets, we were able to offer everybody who came something that could help them with their energy usage. Keep an eye out for our next Energy Drop In – and maybe think about hosting a similar event in your community!
Advisor training in Settle
Action Climate Emergency (ACE) Settle recently completed the two day advisor training. It hasn't been an easy road so far for them, and we know there will be more challenges ahead, but with their determination to improve local energy resilience and reach net zero as a community, they are going to create a successful and proactive Energy Local Club in the coming months.
Settle ACE has huge ambitions to include as much of the area as possible in the Club, with a plan to expand the amount of generation available in the Club over time whilst growing the membership. We are very much looking forward to supporting ACES in their plans and are excited to see the local benefits!
Celebrating neurodiversity in our team
Amy, Mary, and Tor have written an excellent blog on the strengths of neurodiversity in our team and how it improves our work. Check it out here.
“It’s 2023, it’s not enough – or beneficial – for businesses to add “neurodiverse” to their equality and diversity checklist. There needs to be an understanding of how neurodiverse colleagues work and practices that enable them to work to their strengths, for the benefit of the whole business. Whilst there is undoubtedly effort required to understand different brains, those challenges are welcomed and are far outweighed by the brilliance that can be found therein!”