The Centre for Climate Engagement will participate for the first time in the annual Cambridge Zero Community Day. The event is open to the public and will be attended by organisations including Cambridgeshire Libraries, Cambridge Resilience Web, CHaOS and the Cambridge Centre for Landscape Regeneration.
On our stand, we’ll be asking the question, “Who should be responsible for leading climate action—government, businesses, or local communities?” This question is of fundamental importance to all our work, as it explores where responsibility lies and how leadership can be shared or coordinated across sectors. Prior to the event, we’ll ask the same question over social media, encouraging everyone to get involved in the debate and voice their opinion.
We will host a Citizen’s Jury in the afternoon to discuss the question with all attendees, including representatives from local government, business and local community groups(4:15 to 5:00pm). The audience will be invited to ask questions of the panel, and to participate in a fun interactive poll.
Please come along to meet us on the day – we look forward to many interesting conversations.
Meet the Panel
Representing local politics: Councillor Bridget Smith
Bridget began her career in health and education before moving into politics 15 years ago. As a self-employed community development consultant, she focused on environmentally sustainable community buildings, winning several awards. Elected as District Councillor for Gamlingay in 2008, she became Leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council in 2018. She sits on the board of the Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority and has been involved in the Oxford to Cambridge Corridor for the past 7 years leading in the creation of the OxCam Environmental Principle. She recently joined the government-led Cambridge Growth Advisory Group.
Representing local business: Savinien Gauchet
Savinien holds a Master of Engineering from IMT Mines Alès, France, with a focus on strategy, innovation, and advanced materials. At Cambridge Design Partnership, he led sustainability initiatives including Eco-design services, and ESG compliance. Now an independent consultant, he supports the development of sustainable technologies and advises organisations on environmental and regulatory challenges. His experience bridging corporate strategy and grassroots action enables him to deliver impactful, actionable sustainability solutions across sectors like FMCG, healthcare, and consumer tech.
Website link:
https://sustainabilityinprogress.com/
Representing local community: Chris Pointon
Chris leads Cambridgeshire Climate Emergency, who organise a network of community climate leaders around the county, providing support, advice and resources for one another. He is also a director of the Great Collaboration, an initiative that supports action on climate and biodiversity amongst towns, parishes and community groups. It is currently piloting in East Anglia ahead of a national rollout. Chris works for Icebreaker One, a not-for-profit creating a web of data to accelerate the transition to net zero.
Website links:
https://camemergency.org
https://greatcollaboration.uk
https://linkedin.com/in/chrispointon
Representing student community: Alexander Robinson
Alexander Robinson is a graduate student and Environmental Representative at Hughes Hall pursuing an MPhil in Anthropocene Studies. Having previously obtained a BA in Political Science from the George Washington University, Robinson formerly worked on environmental policy as a legislative intern in the US Senate. A native of Athens, Georgia, Robinson is writing his dissertation on Biden-era Arctic policy. He explores the tension between the government’s stated goal of environmental protection and its underlying desire to exploit a changing Arctic for geopolitical gain.
Linked In profile: www.linkedin.com/in/afhr2.
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