- Posted on November 1st, 2022
The Colour Green Lab Returns
Following our successful 2020 pilot programme, we are pleased to announce the launch of The Colour Green Lab for 2023.
If you require details of The Colour Green Lab or the application form in a different format please get in touch with Farah Ahmed.
The climate crisis is not simply about Net Zero, but a crisis of social relations. Its history is rooted in colonial extraction, and its impacts continue to be divided across lines of race, gender, disability, class, citizenship and geography.
However, climate solutions often fail to take this injustice into account. The perspectives of people at the frontlines of climate impacts – people of colour, Indigenous people, migrants, disabled or LGBTQ+ people – are underrepresented across the movement. Figures from The Race Report show that people of colour only make up ~7% of the workforce in climate, environment and conservation professions in the UK.
The arts and culture sector also faces many challenges around the lack of representation of marginalised communities, meaning that the narratives and solutions offered in response to climate breakdown are incomplete and can reinforce greenwashing, environmental racism, and other harmful practices.
At Julie’s Bicycle, we aim to ensure that people belonging to marginalised communities who are working in the arts and culture sector have the tools and support needed to advocate for climate action and justice.
The Colour Green Lab
The Colour Green Lab is an introductory environmental knowledge and skills programme which supports and empowers cultural practitioners and artists of colour to participate in, and lead on, environmental action in the UK.
This eight part digital programme, running on Zoom from January – March 2023, connects creative practice with the basics of environmental science, policy, activism, economics, material systems, and climate justice. This series of online workshops will provide access to learning, inspiration from leading voices from the sector, and a space to connect with a community of peers.
The Colour Green Lab is free to attend.
Who is the programme for?
The programme is aimed at people of colour in creative organisations and individual artists of colour who are new to the climate conversation and would like to engage with climate and environmental issues in your work. You may have some knowledge or experience but would like to improve your confidence and literacy in environmental concepts.
“The Colour Green Lab is a brilliant opportunity to connect with like-minded sustainability enthusiasts who are also invested in understanding the intersectionality within climate justice. It will not only provide you with tangible learnings you can apply in your other work, but also present ideas that both inspire and challenge you to think outside of a Western context. This lab is perfect if you’re looking to advance the impact of your environmental work and engage Global voices.”
– Emma Blake Morsi, multi-disciplinary arts producer, participant on 2020 pilot course
*People with more experience in climate work may find our Creative Climate Leadership (CCL) programme more suitable.
Creative Climate Leadership (CCL) is an international training and transformation programme to empower artists and cultural professionals to take action on the climate and ecological crisis with impact, creativity, and resilience. A new programme for the UK has just launched, and another for Northern Europe is launching soon.
Find out more about Creative Climate Leadership
Overview and dates
Sessions will take place on the following dates. Each session is 2 hours and 30 minutes.
- Welcome and introduction to the programme – 18th Jan 2023, 10am-12:30pm
- Systems change, not climate change – 19th Jan 2023, 10am -12:30pm
- Intro to climate science and policy – 25th Jan 2023, 10am-12:30pm
- Land, nature and biodiversity – 1st Feb 2023, 10am-12:30pm
- Material systems – 8th Feb 2023, 10am-12:30pm
- Resilience and collective care – 15th Feb 2023, 10am-12:30pm
- Culture and climate action – 22nd Feb 2023, 10am-12:30pm
- Making change happen – 1st March 2023, 10am-12:30pm
The Lab will be hosted by Julie’s Bicycle’s Climate Justice Lead, Farah Ahmed (she/they), supported by the broader Julie’s Bicycle team and sector-leading speakers.
Participate
The Colour Green Lab 2023 is now full. If you are interested in joining please register for the waiting list and we will get in touch if spaces become available.
If you require the application form in a different format please get in touch with Farah Ahmed.
Additional information
Find out more about Creative Climate Leadership
Find out more about JB’s Creative Climate Justice Programme
