Sustainability Cafe: Just Space
Come and meet up with other purpose driven businesses to share ideas, inspiration and learning around the theme of sustainability.
What's it about?
How can we make genuinely affordable, accessible and inspiring work spaces for Oxford’s creators, makers, doers and fixers helping to build a more inclusive economy?
Hear how Makespace Oxford have been testing and developing new models by unlocking empty buildings through the Meanwhile in Oxfordshire programme to inspire a more just use of space that works for communities across Oxfordshire.
How does access to green space, which improves physical and mental well being, intersect with climate justice? And what are communities around Oxford doing to promote and facilitate this access? Hear some examples of what Community Action Groups are making happen with their local greenspaces.
The aim is to encourage an informal but supportive environment for businesses to:
- be inspired and learn from others
- share knowledge and examples of best practise
- develop your own sustainability strategy and policies
- encourage collaborations and partnership development
- stimulate interest and thinking on what is desirable and possible
Themes and topics for the Sustainability Cafe sessions will include:
The food system - how to think about impacts and how to make change
Biodiversity - why it's important now and how to save it through what you do as a business
Retrofitting your business
Waste and circular economy
Green finance, pensions and investments
Refreshments will be provided.
This month's speaker
Andy Edwards from Makespace
Andy has co-founded a range of successful purpose-driven community businesses. As director of Makespace Oxford CIC, he is dedicated to finding creative community uses for empty and underused buildings. As project designer of Transition by Design collective, Andy also brings a passion and specialist knowledge of ecological design and the use of waste materials in building; he has led research projects on community-owned and innovative renewable energy technologies and is a founding member of Kindling Housing Cooperative.
Katherine Chesson (she/they) from CAG
Katherine joined CAG Oxfordshire in January 2022 supporting a team that facilitates a network of 100 community action groups across the county. Prior to CAG, they spent ten years at the US-based National Park Foundation supporting programs and partnerships that engaged people with their national parks. In that role, Katherine provided strategic direction focused on creating equitable access to public lands for historically excluded communities. They are passionate about addressing climate justice through the lens of community access to greenspaces.
The venue
Flo’s is a Community Benefit Society and Social Enterprise Hub with community-owned café, nursery, refill shop, community midwives clinics and more. Based in Florence Park, it opened in September 2018 and has become a popular place for people to meet, eat, work, play, create, and learn. Located in the middle of a park with a strong environmental ethos it has nature in mind and wellbeing at its heart.
Flo's is run by People Place and Participation Ltd (PPP Ltd) - a charitable community benefit society which set up Flo's - the Place in the Park as a community enterprise hub. Flo's is currently on a journey to reduce 0 carbon through solar power, energy efficiency measures and better waste management.
About eScalate
eScalate, is a three-year project, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which runs until September 2022 to support Social Enterprises, social entrepreneurs, enterprising charities and purposeful businesses in Oxfordshire.
Support includes:
- one to ones
- workshops
- peer support sessions
For more information about the eScalate programme, visit www.oxfordshirelep.com/escalate
Please note that this event is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and is delivered as part of the eScalate programme to help SMEs. By engaging in this programme you are being offered assistance under the De Minimis regulation which allows a company to receive up to but not exceeding €200,000 of public funding (at the applicable exchange rate) of De Minimis aid over a rolling three-tax year fiscal period. This De Minimis declaration does not cover undertakings engaged in: the primary production of agricultural goods and fisheries/aquaculture, road freight, services of general economic interest and export related activities and activities favouring domestic over imported goods. Please note, support cannot be given to undertakings (businesses) in difficulty. In order to receive support from this programme, you will be required to complete an application form and other relevant documentation. If you need to check your current position for state aid please contact us. If you would like any further information on De Minimis aid and Special Drawing Rights (SDR) subsidies, please see the state aid page on the OxLEP Business website: