Creating The Future We Want - The 2020 Cuthman Lecture
268
Published 2020-10-19
The pandemic has enabled us to pause and reflect what matters most in our lives. During lockdown, many of us gained a renewed appreciation of our families, our friends and neighbours and our local community. Now, we have a clear choice in front of us. Do we return to the old normal or do we create a new future?
There is even greater urgency to change, as we are not only dealing with the virus and a depressed economy, we are also facing climate breakdown and ecological collapse. We have to change our lifestyles, and we have to do it quickly. The good news is that we have the knowledge and tools to achieve this, and also to improve both the quality of our lives and of our community.
In this talk author and environmentalist, Paul Hannam, will outline a new vision for our community based on his work as co-chair of Greening Steyning. Applying exciting new research in health and wellbeing as well as established spiritual principles, Paul will describe how we can live healthily, happily and sustainably as we confront these challenges.
Paul and over fifty local residents are actively developing a positive vision for Steyning, Bramber and Upper Beeding that brings together best practices from around the world, and he will describe how other towns and villages have tackled climate change and built resilient and flourishing communities.
Ultimately, we need a new story about what it means to be human. We need to reconnect to our spiritual roots, our community and, above all, our Earth. We are part of nature, not separate. We are citizens, not consumers.
Paul is a Sunday Times bestselling author and former fellow of Oxford University where he taught environmental management. He has worked in the field of behavioural change and leadership for over 30 years as an entrepreneur, academic and consultant.
The Cuthman Lecture is a lecture in Steyning, West Sussex