Energy Saving Week - part 1!

Phew – well, it’s nearly the end of another successful Energy Saving Week, and whilst I promise to give you a full round up next week of the key media highlights and successes, I thought I would take the opportunity to quickly mention two other stand-out events of the week.

If you managed to catch the highlights of Prime Minister’s Questions on the news this week, you may already know about the first one – especially if you spotted a flash of very bright green just behind David Cameron.

This was intrepid Conservative MP Bill Wiggin, who was the only MP courageous enough to sport one of the ties were giving to MPs to show their support for Energy Saving Week. I understand that Mr Cameron was somewhat startled by Mr Wiggin’s attire when he turned round at one point during the session! But here at the Energy Saving Trust we are delighted that he so publicly demonstrated his support for our message that energy efficiency is cheapest and cleanest way to cut your carbon emissions and your energy bills.

Bill Wiggin MP (unfortunately without the green tie!)

As well as giving this message to the public, we also want to make sure that MPs are aware of this important issue and indeed, pass on good advice to their constituents. So during this Energy Saving Week, we held two advice stands, complete with Energy Doctors, in Parliament, giving information to MPs and the many other people who work there.

We were pleased to receive a visit to the stand from Energy and Climate Change Minister Joan Ruddock MP (pictured here with our Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Chris Watt – sporting one those ties so you can see just how bright they were – Energy Doctor Salim Njonga and Shelley Green from our Consumer Marketing team).

I

n all, we gave some 80 of the ties to MPs who support Energy Saving Week. But sadly only Bill Wiggin was brave enough to wear one on national television!

The second event - a real coup for us – took place on Monday, when I invited local authorities from across England to join me for a roundtable discussion with Iain Wright MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. The event focused on the challenges local authorities face, what role they see themselves playing in reducing emissions, what barriers they have faced and how Government can help local authorities going forward.

The local authority roundtable in action

One of the outcomes from the event was in showing that local authorities do need and want leadership from government and other local authorities on the ‘green’ agenda - and that working in partnership with other organisations is crucial to tackling the issue of climate change. Another issue discussed was the problems local authorities face when trying to install renewable technology in their area.

I was also pleased the local authorities present were in agreement that the issue of climate change needs to be raised, and that to secure real progress involves us all working together to win hearts and minds.

Anyway, as I promised at the beginning of my rather long post, I shall send round the key media highlights and successes early next week. I won’t give away any more information – other than to say we even secured coverage in the Daily Sport. This surely has to be a first for any environmental organisation?!