What can we take forward?

For residents and community groups to contribute to

transformative, resilient, and fair shift to Net Zero Edinburgh, there needs to be…

1. A link to everyday concerns, health and wellbeing

This responds to the need for policy and engagement to be more holistic and consider the issues that affect people regularly

2. Trust between households and the council

There is a need to bring the gap between councils and households together. Fostering trust, kindness and solidarity is key.

3. A Safe Space for Experimentation

We need to be less afraid of failing in the way we try to tackle net zero.

4. Less Jargon

Participants highlighted the need for more simple information being disseminated to the communities with less technical dialogue.

5. Easier pathways to community led action

This responds to the need for ease of entry points for communities to engage with activities that they want to lead or be involved in.

6. A commitment from Local Authorities to Support Communities

Local authorities need to prove they are committed to supporting communities. This can be through long term funding and incentives, legislation that supports communities which would also allow job opportunities within the communities.

7. A distinction between what should be

community-led vs -owned

There is a need for clarity around what should be community led and what should be community owned. This needs to be explored further between communities and the council.

8. Fun approaches and activities built into engagement

Participants highlighted a great need for all engagements with communities to be fun and enjoyable. The process needs to be rewarding on a personal and collective basis.

9. Inclusivity

We need to recognise variance in the community and the capacity for self organisation that ranges in wealth, class education, density, transience, language, ability etc

10. Realistic timescales

There needs to be realistic timescales for change, recognising that actions could be short, medium or long term.

11. What is missing...?

Whilst the above principles were ones that crossed over scales, there were many other suggestions within the groups such as clarity on the relationship between owners and non owners, a greater need to understand equity, creating space and time for people to think and respond individually, an agreed definition of net zero by council and communities, learning from best practices of other cities.