New Thinking, Innovation and Action
Climate Action Scholarships
We know that alone we don’t have the answers to solve the climate and biodiversity challenge. We know we need to collaborate to inspire the next generation to help us on our mission and generate new thinking and solutions to tackle the issues that we think our sector needs get to grips with to address the big challenges facing us all.
Often in sustainability, the solution lies in re-thinking the way the questions are posed, and in fact putting 2 or 3 questions together, therein lies the answer! Our suggested topics span 3 main areas:
Sector capability & leadership
- How can the built environment to support faster achievement of The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)?
- Can the UK Construction & Built Environment sector achieve UK Net Zero Targets and the SDGs?
- Are skills shortages holding back the decarbonisation of domestic and non-domestic buildings?
- What are nature based solutions and can the sector enable greater capability in delivery of them?
- What would be the new skills and technical abilities needed to obtain to deliver a zero-carbon future?
- How do we attract the next generation of talent and skills? Can we even define what these talents are?
Value and supply chain delivery mechanisms
- How can Finance and Insurance sectors aid SME’s and smaller projects to be more sustainable?
- How can we enable our supply chain and SMEs to make the transition to Net Zero and deliver the SDGs?
- How do we enable new technologies to scale? How do we gain value chain confidence in their purchase and use? What role can the financial and insurance systems play in enabling this transition?
- Our clients and suppliers face the same challenges as we do, but why does ‘business-as-usual’ seem to prevail despite our agreement to achieve a zero carbon / zero impact world?
- How do we harness Digital and AI technologies to maximise realisation of true sustainability in the sector?
- Do we need to re-invent construction methods and materials, to suit net zero thinking and architecture?
- How can we change from reliance on tools which are purposed for hand use, to readymade / machine-built elements, but at the same time bringing people along with the new skills and thinking required?
Rethinking value, values and incentives
- How do we monitor the effect of decarbonisation and improved ecosystems to prove the benefits?
- Biodiversity and Nature: How do we maintain economic growth in the built environment, but reverse the negative impacts on natural systems?
- How can we to incentivize clients and building owners to decarbonise their buildings and rebalance built environment ecosystems?
- What different infrastructure and culture do we need and how can we get there?
- How can we help encourage and enable a more Equal, Diverse, and Inclusive workplace and culture within the built environment and its related industries?
The Climate Action Committee welcome applications for Climate Action Scholarships that address the climate, biodiversity and social challenges related to the built environment.
What are the possible solutions that we need to explore?
We do not have all the answers, but perhaps some areas to explore could be;
Technical
- New forms of: energy generation, materials, composites, methods of construction, offsite fabrication
- And above all, bringing new types of thinking into action
Economic
- Circular business models – this is a matter of economy not just recycling!!!
- Consortia around Power Purchase etc.
- Space as a service
Collaborative
- Leveraging existing relationships and forging new ones, working with the usual and unusual suspects
- Lets use social media more and discover new networks to bring on board
- Finding and employing more diverse people with more diverse thinking and skills.
People
- Developing new skills and training to deploy new technologies
- Lots of people want to work in sustainability, lets find ways to promote the built environment as a sustainable career across all trades
- Levelling up agenda