John Flamson, University of Liverpool Director of Partnerships and Innovations, co-chairs the partnership
Liverpool’s Green Partnership, which aims to support the city’s need to become a green and sustainable city, has been launched at the University of Liverpool.
The University is a key participant of the Liverpool Green Partnership . Other key partners include Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, Liverpool Vision, the NHS, the Eldonians and the Diocese of Liverpool. The initiative also has the support of Mayor Anderson and Liverpool City Council.
Sustainable City Vision and Plan
One of the key recommendations from the launch event was the need to develop a single Sustainable City Vision and Plan. It also recommended that the Mayor of Liverpool works with city region leaders to develop new financial models to stimulate local growth, demonstrating real commitment to sustainable development.
The findings of an audit of the current environmental performance of the city and of Liverpool City Region were presented at the event. Bristol was recently announced as the European Green Capital in 2015 and Liverpool has not ruled out bidding for the title in future years.
John Flamson, the University’s Director of Partnerships and Innovations who co-chairs the partnership, said: “We have looked closely at the marking system used in the Green Capital bidding process which will help us if we do bid for the title. While our audit did reveal some areas where a lot of work is needed, such as cycle lane provision, it did also show that Liverpool is well on its way to being a green and sustainable city and we believe the Green Partnership will help us to develop and build on this.”
Krista Kline, leading Los Angeles low carbon expert, delivered the keynote speech at the launch. She shared her experiences of creating a sustainable city at the event .
Collaboration is key
She said: “Collaboration is key in connecting policy makers to local climate research – and vice-versa. Both sides benefit from ongoing conversation about climate action goals. As the research provides us with better information about local impacts, the response to climate change will continue to evolve.”
John Flamson added: “Successful cities are collaborative cities, working together to make the city the very best it can be, economically, socially and environmentally. We hope to learn from the experiences of Los Angeles and bring together some of the excellent projects that are already underway in Liverpool.”
