On a cold night in November, I found myself standing at the top of an old windmill in Upminster, admiring the huge wooden gears that operate the millstones and considering how long this building has been part of the local skyline.
It was one of the more unusual venues for the creative climate workshops I run with my company, Fern Culture, but it felt like a powerful setting for thinking about solutions to the planetary crisis.
The Upminster Windmill is more than two centuries old, and as I looked at those antique mechanics, I was reminded that many of the solutions we’re seeking already exist. In front of me was a perfect demonstration of how ‘clean energy’ is produced, and wind turbines are a great example of how modern approaches can adapt the old ways of doing things that have been proven over millennia.
That evening’s workshop (held in the community hall next door) brought together a group of creatives and culture workers, connected by their interest in the climate crisis, to explore how creativity can help us nurture a flourishing future for Havering.
I often start workshops like this by asking those gathered to imagine, together, the future we’re all longing for. At the windmill, I asked participants to sketch out what they imagined the front pages of the local newspaper will look like in 25 years’ time, if we work together to do everything we possibly can to ensure a flourishing future.
Participants imagined community biking buses; student-led learning programmes that centre community, art and environment; rewilded landscapes; biodiverse parks; self-sufficiency in terms of food production; community kitchens; local microbreweries creating jobs; festivals in every high street and windmills in every ward. Even a 2052 Olympics hosted in Havering, featuring new sports such as wild swimming and tree climbing, with a fully sustainable and locally sourced organic menu, naturally.
“It’s striking how much the futures described by the participants I’ve worked with tend to hold in common. People wish for clean, safe places to live; opportunities to engage with nature; nourishing food and healthy lifestyles.”
Rarely do people tell me they’re longing for more buildings or traffic; no one wants shopping malls to replace green space, or their food to come in more plastic packaging. I think it’s helpful to remember that, in spite of political differences, at heart humans often share a similar set of values and desires for ourselves and the next generation.
For me, this is what climate action is all about. While engaging with the stark realities of how climate change is already playing out globally can feel overwhelming, and the language around ‘net zero’ can be alienating, centring an inspired, shared vision for the future is a great motivation to take action.
The writer William Gibson once said “the future is already here – it’s just not very evenly distributed”. When I look at those headlines written by the participants at Upminster Windmill, I think that he’s right. Because in so many ways the future we’re longing for already exists – the examples that came up in our workshops included the Harold Hill Wombles, tree planting schemes at Manor Nature reserve, community gardens, repair shops and skill sharing schemes. So instead of starting from scratch, our job is to recognise the brilliant things that are already happening, and consider how we can amplify them through creativity.
Ultimately this demands that we reimagine the role of arts and creativity – not as a ‘special field’ that sits apart from the change making towards a better future – but a way of existing with our sleeves up, bringing our sense of poetry, story, beauty and joy to the allotments, community kitchens and parks where the future is already happening.
There’s still time to contribute! Join us at the Havering Low Energy Visitor Centre at the entrance to Raphael Park on Tuesday 3 February, 6.30 – 9.30pm, and share your ideas for Havering’s future.
