Written by Emma Temple
This month, Leeds Craftivists explored how Climate Activism begins at home.
We’re in the midst of a housing crisis. Unaffordable homes and rocketing energy bills are exposing how the way we live is quickly becoming financially unsustainable for most of us. On the other side of the same coin, the way our homes are built is unsustainable for the planet – residential properties are responsible for around 20% of energy-related carbon emissions globally.
How can we use our homes to build a carbon free future, and prevent the ongoing climate crisis? We learnt about carbon neutral housing, and how we can balance building affordable homes for our growing population without sacrificing our precious natural resources and biodiverse green space.
As usual, to make this dream a reality, we’ll need to inspire the people in power to make it happen! So, we crafted tiny paper houses to send to Leeds City Council. We not only need to invest in affordable housing so everyone has access to a safe place to call home – we need that housing to be carbon neutral and contribute to biodiversity.
Think green spaces, solar panels, community gardens, pedestrianised streets… Our little houses will be a beautifully crafted reminder that a better future is possible!
Keep reading to get inspired, and inspire others about safer, greener housing for all! For our craft activity, you’ll just need paper, pens and a few staples or glue.
At the session we watched this informative and inspiring Ted Talk:
We are sending our houses to Leeds City Council Planning Committee to let them know we are passionate about seeing sustainable housing here in Leeds. Please do get involved in this campaign by following the instructions on this video:
Here is a template letter you can edit to send to the Planning Committee:
Dear….,
I am writing to you in your role as a member of the City Plans Panel from the Leeds Craftivist group. We are writing to encourage you in your move towards a greener future.
We all know housing is key to creating the sustainable future we are all hoping for. Please keep encouraging developments that take seriously their carbon footprint in building, improving biodiversity locally and creating homes that mean people can live a low carbon lifestyle. I am so encouraged by developments like CITU and would love to see more sustainable housing developments that factor in community building. We believe your committee can be part of the solution.
Many thanks for reading and enjoy the pop-up house,
Name
Leeds Craftivists are taking a summer break in August, but keep an eye on our Events page and our socials for details of meetings from September onwards.