Wednesday 26 April 2017

Vivienne Westwood to come to IFLAS in Cumbria


Vivienne Westwood, iconic fashion designer and environmental activist, will come to the Lake District to give a talk and take part in a question and answer session at the University of Cumbria’s Institute of Leadership and Sustainability (IFLAS) on Tuesday, 20 June 2017.


“Exploring and Challenging Ideas on Sustainable Leadership, Climate and Social Change”

Vivienne Westwood (Image by Jürgen Teller)



“We’re delighted to welcome Vivienne to our Ambleside campus in the heart of the Lake District and offer her an ideal platform to deliver her thoughts and inspirations on subjects close to her heart and ours,” Prof Julie Mennell, Vice Chancellor, University of Cumbria said. “In our 10th anniversary year we could not think of a better place than Cumbria and the University of Cumbria for this kind of debate. We’re sure Vivienne will spark a stimulating and exhilarating discussion as she is exactly the kind of thought-provoking guest we love to welcome at our university.”

Vivienne is looking forward to talking about steps she believes everyone can take to help make a difference to one’s own life and the future of locations such as the Lake District.

“My fashion and my activism support each other; they are driven by the same motor. I want a better world. I say “Buy less, choose well, make it last.” Quality not Quantity. I use my green politics for graphics on clothes and my shows carry my activism themes. I use every opportunity to open my mouth.  I try to select, analyse and concentrate the most important information so people can cut through lies and propaganda and see what is real,” the designer said. “People ask, what can I do to help save the environment? In all my time as an activist, I’ve never had a satisfactory answer to give: Inform yourself, talk to your friends, support the NGOs, save a plastic bag; every one of your decisions count. This is the answer, but doesn’t go very far to solving the total problem which is overwhelming. Now we realise the answer: SWITCH to a Green Energy supplier.”


“It’s a war for the very existence of the human race. And that of the planet. The most important weapon we have is public opinion: go to art galleries, start to understand the world you live in. You're a freedom fighter as soon as you start doing that.” 

Vivienne is a Trustee of human rights organization Liberty and Patron of Reprieve. She has continually campaigned for the release of Leonard Peltier for many years and is also a campaigner for Amnesty International.

As well as Human rights, Vivienne is passionate about the environment and actively supports the charity, Cool Earth, in their efforts to save the rainforest and stop climate change, as well as supporting the Environmental Justice Foundation and Friends of the Earth- amongst others. Vivienne is also an ambassador for Greenpeace and in 2013 designed their official ‘Save the Arctic’ logo and in 2015 launched a global campaign to stop drilling and industrial fishing in the area.



Vivienne has worked with the United Nations, Environmental Protection Agency to re-establish the fragmented forests of Europe, and has also joined forces with the International Trade Centre- a joint body of the UN, since 2011 to produce bags through their Ethical Fashion Initiative. The programme currently supports the work of thousands of women from marginalized African communities and empowers informal manufacturers and craftspeople to enter the international value chain - providing an income for some of the poorest people in the world. The collections are created using recycled materials from slums and land fill and the income helps to stop the need to continue deforestation in the area.

Vivienne inaugurated the 'Climate Revolution' at the 2012 London Paralympics closing ceremony and continues to rally charities, NGO's and individuals to join forces and to take action against disengaged political leaders and big business.

Vivienne has also written her ideas in a Manifesto called “Active Resistance to Propaganda”. The AR Manifesto evolved through her fashion shows which she uses as a platform for her cultural and environmental concerns.  It is a call to become more cultivated and in doing so gain the strength and wisdom needed to live life well now and to save the planet for the future.  Vivienne’s monthly diary and more information on her concerns, passions and campaigns can be found at www.climaterevolution.co.uk


Vivienne Westwood will appear from 5.30-7pm in the Percival Lecture Theatre, University of Cumbria, Ambleside LA22 9BB
The event will be open to all with a percentage of tickets reserved for students. Tickets will be free and will be released shortly.

To register an interest email rsvpevents@cumbria.ac.uk

Friday 7 April 2017

Doctoral studies on sustainable leadership - welcoming Aimée

The doctoral research community on sustainable leadership at the University of Cumbria continues to grow. This month we welcome Aimée Leslie to begin her research on leadership in environmental organisations in the context of increasing concern about progress on conservation.

Working with Professor Jem Bendell at the Institute for Leadership and Sustainability (IFLAS), with support from Dr Maria Mouratidou of the Business School, Aimée will be looking at how environmental professionals evolve as they learn about the variable impacts of their strategies.

Aimée Leslie works as a senior manager at the environmental organisation WWF International and will research with IFLAS part time:

"I’m from Costa Rica. Originally I studied and worked in communications and the media industry, but I have always been passionate about conservation, so when the opportunity to change a volunteer role into a full-time job came, I took it and have dedicated to marine species conservation ever since. I’ve worked for different NGOs over the years, but have spent the last 6 years in Switzerland, working for WWF International. Sustainability, more than a concept is a way of life; one where we care as much about others (people, species, and the environment) as ourselves, and where we put common good above our own interest. This is something I truly believe in and hope, that for the benefit of future generations, more of us choose having a more satisfying life by consuming less and giving more."

Aimee will be joining the internal research symposium on leadership at the University in Carlisle on July 17th and the week-long module on Sustainable Leadership this September in our Lake District Campus in Ambleside. Starting on Sept 12th, that module is open to other professionals in the sustainability field as well as those working on staff development or organisational development and change. Information on that course is here.

To contact Aimee about her research, or Professor Bendell about doctoral studies, email iflas@cumbria.ac.uk

Monday 3 April 2017

Free Place on Professional Fellowship for our MOOC alumni

Financial Health Fellowship - looking for the best ideas to tackle financial exclusion and exploitation 
**Free place available for a Money and Society MOOC graduate**
DEADLINE APRIL 10TH 2017
1.7 million adults remain unbanked in Britain today. Only 41% of British households are saving, while 12 million people lack access to affordable credit. Financial exclusion damages mental and physical health, undermines social relationships and can affect households’ ability to fulfil basic needs such as food and heating. We can and need to do better than this.
 Financial Health Fellowship brings together the Finance Innovation Labs experience incubating innovation and Toynbee Halls expertise tackling financial exclusion and exploitation across the UK.
The six-month Fellowship programme, running May to November 2017, is designed for start-up businesses, but we also welcome applications from later-stage innovators facing significant change and innovators within existing financial organisations who want to repurpose a product or service to support financial health. It will boost strategic know-how, transform leadership skills and prepare Fellows to scale their businesses. You can find out more here. 
IFLAS at the University of Cumbria is delighted to host the retreats of the fellowship in our beautiful Lake District campus. We have an active research programme on the topic of currency innovation for sustainable development and outreach via our free Money and Society online course.
If you did that course then if you are accepted on this competitive programme, you can attend the fellowship for free. The Finance Lab are looking for people with the best ideas to address financial exclusion and exploitation, offering access to fairly priced financial products that are easy to understand and control, and support people’s financial welfare.
Apply now! Deadline: midnight 10 April 2017.
MOOC graduates – write “MOOC” in the contribution box of the application form. One free place is reserved for a MOOC alumnus who fulfils all of the Fellowship selection criteria, to be selected at the Fellowship team's discretion. 
Wonder what IFLAS does on this topic? See our paper for the United Nations on currency innovation, and this interview about the MOOC with Professor Bendell.

IFLAS is also celebrating the 10th Anniversary of our University's formation with a free summit on monetary reform and currency innovation, at our London Campus. 60 alumni of the MOOC will be attending (only MOOC alumni may attend).

The summit occurs during our 5 day residential course on sustainable exchange. There is still time to enrol for the non credit bearing option here.

Join some of our past students, including many currency innovators...
 

Want to know more about this area and our future courses? Contact iflas@cumbria.ac.uk