Professor Michael Neuman, Professor of Sustainable Urbanism, and Dr Mireille Tchapi, Research Fellow of Sustainable Urbanism, wrote an article for The Conversation about grassroots projects raising awareness and taking action on sustainability issues.
In the article, Professor Neuman and Dr Tchapi discussed the importance of grassroots projects and their activities. However, they noted that “these groups can be limited by time pressures on volunteers, a low level of influence with local government and difficulties in public engagement and enlisting diverse members.”
They also discussed their London Soundings project, which documents the efforts of grassroots projects to promote sustainable living in London and attempt to solve problems the government is not addressing. The groups focus on a variety of topics, including climate change, environmental quality, gender equality, sustainable education and local foods.
They spoke about local grassroots networks in London, and said: “Grassroots networks such as those features in our London Soundings project can make a significant difference by communicating with local authorities on behalf of local people.
“But the reception by city government and local authorities can be uneven. In most cases, we found that strong and continuing commitment in borough affairs is critical.”
