Bristol’s Green Capital programme unveiled

George Ferguson said Bristol’s year as European Green Capital will be judged a success only if people across the city are aware that meaningful work to make every community greener has been done.

The mayor made the remarks as the first official programme of events to celebrate Bristol’s year as green capital was launched on Friday. Alongside the events was the unveiling of the official logo and slogan for the year: In it for good. 

Bristol-based Cirque Bijou have been commissioned to open Bristol’s year as the UK’s first European Green Capital. The initial programme of 40 events include: 

• A new network of 100 electric vehicle charging points will be completed in February;
• Cameron Balloons will unveil the world’s first modern solar powered balloon to launch at the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta;
• Expansion of the City Car Club network; 
• Greentech Camp to provide children and teenagers the opportunity to learn about and explore how technology can be used for green goals;
• Art installation commissioned from Park Street water slide creator Luke Jerram;
• Community Tree Planting Week to mark National Tree Week – a special community planting week which will see 36,000 new trees in Bristol by spring 2016.

The Bristol 2015 company said the year would have three key strands: delivering tangible programmes across every community, putting Bristol’s green tech firms on the world map, and ensuring the city delivers a strong message to the international climate change conference COP21 in Paris at the end of 2015.

Artist Luke Jerram, the brains behind the Park Street water slide earlier this year, is set to reveal details of a green capital-inspired art installation in collaboration with the National Trust. He has also unveiled a plan to install 200 swings throughout the city for people to play on throughout the year.

But there has been criticism that some of the events were already in place and have been given a green capital rebranding, while the year overall has been attacked for still lacking “clear commitments and legacy”.

The mayor said the Bristol team was “not intimidated” by previous green capital cities.

“The success [of European Green Capital] will be judged on two levels. It must be meaningful to every citizen of Bristol. It must give people a lift, just as it has in schools that are now helping pupils to grow their own food. 

“We will have failed if people don’t know what we have done to help their communities become greener.

“We will also be seen at the green city of 2015, we will make the most of that on the world stage and reinforce the importance of the decisions that will be made at COP21 in Paris.”

But Green Party councillor Rob Telford said that while there was a need to remain positive, he said some events were simply being rebranded and more effort needed and needs to go into taking the year out to a wider city.

“We need to get more people aware of events and highlight how people are already doing great, green things,” he said.

Liz Zeidler from the Bristol Green Capital Partnership – the umbrella group for green community groups – insisted that a city that is “riddled with amazing projects” now has the support to allow small groups to thrive in 2015. And she insisted there would be complete transparency in providing grants from the £2million pot.

“There is capacity now to allow us to think about what is going on in the city, so these groups can get the attention they need and deserve,” she said.

“One of the reasons the grants process was delayed was to make sure there was a transparent system where people weren’t doing favours for their mates. It couldn’t be more rigorous.”

But Labour parliamentary candidate for Bristol West, Thangam Debbonaire, said more needed to be done to overcome the “struggle to get any real idea of what it will mean for Bristolians”.

“We all want a low carbon future and interesting debates and school talks are all very well, but we really need to know how the lives of Bristolians will be affected into the future.”

For more information about Bristol’s year as European Green Capital, visit the Bristol 2015 website.

Picture above: From left – James Durie (Business West), Savita Custead (Bristol 2015), Andrew Kelly (Festival of Ideas), George Ferguson (Bristol mayor), Andrew Garrad (Bristol 2015 Ltd chair), Liz Zeidler (Bristol Green Capital Partnership), Luke Jerram (artist)