FOOTPRINT
Footprint is a two-day climate innovation event that focuses on the positive steps we as individuals and communities can take towards a more sustainable future. It was founded in 2018 by Sarah Mercer, after a successful public outreach event in the previous year called Changes in the Arctic, co-organised with Mariama Dryak, and is now an annual event. In 2018 Sarah Mercer was awarded the 'Caring for the Environment Award' for her work on Footprint by Maggie Bosanquet and Paul Riddlesden, members of County Durham’s Environment Partnership.
An interdisciplinary and multi-media event, it combines traditional lectures with interactive workshops, musical performances, art exhibitions and film showings, culminating in an event wide planning workshop to create action plans to begin working on. Footprint aims to bring together not just the students and staff of Durham University, but also local residents of Durham, Newcastle and other nearby areas. It is hoped that as the event expands, we will host a national and international audience (attended virtually to reduce the carbon footprint of the event).
The event was created with the environment in mind both in content and in practice. We chose central locations so that delegates were able to travel to the event via public transport and catering was provided by ReFUSE, a charity based in Durham that uses food waste to run a cafe and provide event catering. All the food and drink not provided by ReFUSE was organic and fairtrade where possible. The event was paperless, with programmes being sent to the delegates in PDF format, as well as one large poster on the day. There were no single use items and no unnecessary branded materials.
