BANZAI

Bruntsfield Area Net Zero Action Initiative

Category: Event

  • Discussing The Oil Machine

    Discussing The Oil Machine

    On 13th March, BANZAI organised a local screening of The Oil Machine, a powerful documentary made available to us by Edinburgh Climate Coalition and directed by local documentary filmmaker Emma Davie. After the film, a panel consisting of Councillor Ben Parker (Morningside Ward), local activist Annie Lane, and Outreach Coordinator Rachel Caplan shared their thoughts, and locals asked questions, leading to some stimulating and thought-provoking discussions.

    One of the key topics was how to manage the energy transition, taking into account practical issues of appropriate technology, the need for politicians to recognise the urgency of taking action, and the importance of ensuring that the costs are spread fairly across communities and socio-economic groups. 

    Ben Parker was asked about the feasibility of requiring new housing developments in Edinburgh to adopt low-carbon heating infrastructure from the outset. He commented that this had not yet been explored but pointed to steps towards district heating systems such as Edinburgh’s first net zero development at Granton Waterfront. He touched on the difficulties of interacting with commercial developers and how the City of Edinburgh Council is currently focussing on the challenge of retrofitting its own housing stock. 

    In response to the question of how to persuade Councillors to give more priority to the climate emergency, Ben suggested that writing to them personally could be very effective, as was requesting face-to-face meetings with specific Councillors. 

    After the event, I wrote to Ben and mentioned a great retrofit initiative called Energiesprong for council housing — this started in the Netherlands but is now in the UK too and he said he’d make some enquiries. 

    Annie Lane discussed the importance of giving a platform and voice to those who have been marginalised but increasingly affected, e.g., by the cost-of-living crisis which sees people needing to choose between feeding their family and heating their homes. The idea of a Just Transition is that no one gets left behind.

    She also spoke about how being a climate activist can be lonely until you find local groups and communities to act with and support/be supported by. She encouraged people to connect with local groups and bring a pal along to events. This was nice to hear and made me appreciate the BANZAI community and events like this — of which I know we’ll hold more. 

    The discussion highlighted the need for places and spaces to talk and how these have diminished as funding has been squeezed. This is so critical and part of being a community; it seems to me that the more time and space we allow ourselves, the more impactful and empathetic our actions can be. Again this made me appreciate the space BANZAI is holding here and the importance of maintaining and growing this. 

    Whilst The Oil Machine is a sobering film, the post-film discussion was extremely valuable: such an important example of the time and place we need to engage about the greatest issues we’ve ever faced as humanity. 

  • I died last Saturday

    I died last Saturday

    I died last Saturday. With 16 other people. In the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town. Five of us from BANZAI joined an XR Die-In on the morning of  27th August 2022.  Deliberately theatrical, and scheduled to coincide with the last week of the Fringe, the action drew attention to the continuing failure of the government to urgently address climate and ecological breakdown.  

    Close-up of XR Die-In participant lying on cobbles under a sheet, with bare feet visible
    “Will clearly carry the memory of the last thing I see: a bright blue sky, J’s smiling face and a white sheet fluttering over my head.”

    None of us in the BANZAI group had been rebels in one of XR’s Non-Violent Direct Action events before. We were impressed by how well organised the Die-In was,  and by the level of care and mutual support that was manifested by the participants. We gathered 30 minutes in advance of the Die-In for a group briefing and were reminded that even though global warming was still lower than 1.5 C, the people of Pakistan had lived through extreme heat this summer, followed by devastating floods.

    Three XR Die-In participants clothed in red costumes, standing in front of St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh

    It’s hard to know how much impact such actions have. The Die-In attracted lots of attention from Festival goers and press photographers, and was sympathetically reported on by Reporting Scotland, Yahoo News, STV News and The National. All this helps, in a small way, to bring the climate emergency to public consciousness. And, as one of our group said, “doing something must be better than doing nothing!”

    Close up of XR Die-In participants clothed in red

  • Home Energy and Retrofit Meeting, 20 June 2022

    Example of how thermal imaging can help visualise the energy efficiency in a home
    Thermal imaging can show heat loss through domestic windows
    Register for tickets

    We will be holding a public meeting on the topic of Home Energy and Retrofit, 7.00 pm – 9.00 pm, Monday 20th June, at Bruntsfield Evangelical Church, 70 Leamington Terrace,=.

    The Retrofit Challenge

    Home energy and retrofit present major challenges, both for individuals and for society as a whole. This public meeting will focus on how to approach the task of retrofitting typical Edinburgh tenement flats and homes in order to increase their energy efficiency. On the plus side, fixing the problem of wasted heat will reduce bills and improve domestic comfort. It is also going to be crucial in realising the Council’s ambition of making Edinburgh a net zero city by 2030. On the other hand, retrofitting older buildings, especially tenements, requires money, good planning, and reliable, skilled contractors. So it is important that we gain as much information and insight as we can about the options open to us.

    Finding the resources to change the fabric of our homes is daunting. This meeting will address topics such as:

    • What retrofit measures can individuals take to improve energy efficiency in their homes?
    • When does it make better sense to look at retrofitting groups of properties, for example in a whole tenement, rather than just on an individual level?
    • How might we deal with the social and financial challenges of retrofit and low-carbon energy distribution at a communal level?

    Meeting Schedule

    We will start with brief presentations from three experts:

    • Jo McClelland — architect with EALA Impacts, a social enterprise for sustainability in managing our built environment
    • Calum Duncan — Calum Duncan Architects, locally-based RIAS Sustainable Building Design and RIBA Conservation accredited architect
    • Cat Magill — Dark Matter Labs, a non-profit collaborating with communities to shape institutions and infrastructure in responding to the climate crisis

    The talks will be followed by a refreshments break, a panel Q&A session and an opportunity for informal discussions in breakout groups. The panel of presenters will discuss how their different areas of interest align and address questions from attendees, both in the plenary session and in informal discussion time.

    Register for tickets

  • Bruntsfield Climate Café, 5 May 2022

    How do you feel about climate change?

    Maybe that’s not a question you ask yourself. Many people don’t.

    Yet the climate crisis evokes lots of feelings, in all of us. And sharing these can be helpful. You will have an opportunity to do so at the Bruntsfield Climate Café, 6.00 pm – 7.30 pm, 5 May, Eric Liddell Community (Café Annex).

    A climate café is a safe, confidential space to express thoughts and emotions around what’s happening to our climate, without being judged. That’s the only agenda. The focus is not on debate or activism — there are plenty of other spaces for that. 

    We call it a café because it’s a relaxed environment and there will be refreshments (tea, coffee and cake). 

    Everyone is welcome. The only requirement is that you are willing to listen and respect what other people bring.

    If you’d like to come, please let us know in advance. Expect up to 10 people per café, including two facilitators. 

  • Sustainable Community Café 2022

    You are warmly invited to a community event on Saturday, 5 March, 2.00 – 4.00 pm: the Sustainable Community Café, in the Upper Hall, Bruntsfield Evangelical Church. It will be a welcome opportunity to catch up with each other (and make new friends!) as we emerge from winter and the ups-and-downs of Covid.

    There will be cake, coffee, tea and soft drinks, a raffle and silent auction, kids’ activities, and plenty of blether. And BANZAI will host stalls on themes such as:

    As well as all that, we are looking forward to participation by neighbouring sustainability initiatives such as Dig In Community Greengrocers, Fountainbridge Canalside Initiative and The Forge.

    The venue is wheelchair-friendly.

    We will update this page as more information becomes available. Date of last edit:

  • Our first street Spring Clean

    Our first street Spring Clean

    Despite the very un-springlike weather of gusty winds and cold drizzle, nine of us gathered together for the first Leamington Terrace Spring Clean. We had already advertised the date — Saturday 5th February — and decided to persevere with our plan, albeit with some misgivings. The initiative emerged from the GatE group, inspired in part by the leaf clearing project started last autumn by Merchiston Community Council, and we also received expert advice and the loan of street cleaning equipment from Helen, one of the leaf clearing project’s organisers.

    We mainly focussed on cleaning the gutters on the west side of the street, which were clogged with wet leaves, rubbish, mud, weeds and a huge amount of grit. Not being very invested in metrics, we failed to count exactly how many bags we filled, but probably around 10 of them, together with a large amount of Christmas tree debris, which went to garden composting bins.

    In addition to being able to relish the visible effects of the clean-up, there was a cheerful team atmosphere that we all appreciated. It’s great to meet new neighbours and to get to know others a bit better. And even it was only a small contribution to making the world a better place, there is something very empowering in working together on a communal goal.

    If you suffer from FOMO, don’t worry: we will do it again soon! Perhaps it will become a monthly ritual.