JUMP for joy
Celebrating Trustees Week/COP26 crossover
Emily Dyson, Head of Communications at IVAR and Trustee at The JUMP:
At IVAR we often talk about how we are ‘of and from the sector’ – our staff, associates and trustees have all occupied different positions working in and with communities. I am an example of that – as a trustee of newly formed charity The Jump, which promotes six shifts individuals can make to help address climate change.
To celebrate the unlikely crossover of Trustees Week and the start of COP26, I wanted to share a bit more about the exciting work The Jump are doing. So, I’ve invited Tom Bailey, the charity’s founder and director, to talk about his efforts to spread climate-consciousness.
Tom Bailey, Founder of The JUMP:
The JUMP is a new grassroots climate movement – and recently also a registered charity – creating joyous, on the ground alternatives to consumerist mindsets, cultures and systems.
Why? Because recent leading science shows that as we approach COP26 we need industry to quickly roll out new solutions like renewable power systems, energy efficient buildings, and electric vehicles. We also urgently need government providing strong invectives, policies and laws. But, even with all this, we won’t be able to green fast enough to keep up with our demand for more and more stuff. We also need a ⅔ reduction in the impact of consumption, particularly in rich countries, in just 10 years! Otherwise preventing ecological meltdown is impossible. Human society would be even more wonderful without our current obsession with more and more stuff, as Caroline Lucas, George Monbiot, Gaia Vince and Adrien Chiles have all separately made the case for in the last week alone.
How? By inviting citizens ‘Take The JUMP’ to the future, by trying six shifts to protect our earth, live with joy and meet great people. The science behind the JUMP shows citizens and communities are not powerless, but can & must have a huge role through trying these shifts. By mildly reducing our consumption, we make time for creativity, care, craft, comedy, community, connection, contentment, camaraderie and more.
Who? The JUMP is for anyone who is concerned about our earth and wants to know how to have a practical and positive impact, but is not necessarily part of the ‘environmental movement’.
Where? We are partnering with local groups around the country to try these shifts. As an example of this inspiring bottom up leadership, The JUMP has teamed up with local community group Zero Carbon Guildford (ZCG) to help the town of Guildford become one of the world’s first 21st Century towns and economies.
Together we are running talks, workshops, contributing to physical spaces with art and inspiring messaging, and helping shape a large-scale community space, obtained by ZCG, in the old New Look on Guildford’s main shopping high street. This space includes JUMP posters, talks and even The JUMP’s first digital wall allowing Guildfordians to explore how they can prevent ecological meltdown and connect with local projects! Keep an eye out for a big joint event at the Guildford space on Black Friday, November 26th.
Two joint events that have already taken place include a collaboration between JUMP, ZCG and the Centre For Understanding Of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP), led by one of the world’s leading sustainable economists Professor Tim Jakson, to host a public event at Guildford Cathedral focusing on the changes we can make as a community to tackle the escalating climate crisis. It included workshops with children and a wellbeing tent. A second event was on the 26th of September when Guildford closed some of its roads to celebrate local action and innovation. As part of this the JUMP and Zero Carbon Guildford engaged with the local community on how they can have an impact in preventing ecological meltdown. The citizens of Guildford, at least, are ready!
You can join the movement by signing up here to ‘take The JUMP’ for at least a month, or if you would like to get in touch with the organising team please email team@takethejump.org
Tom has 15 years experience as a climate change researcher and consultant. He’s worked in the public, private and charity sectors, and was the technical lead behind the UK Labour Party’s Green Industrial Revolution strategy for the 2019 UK election.
