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Green conference hosted at City Hall
28 March 2025On 19th March, City Hall hosted a conference around the theme of ‘Creating a Greener London: Business at the Forefront of Inclusive Growth’. Phoebe Winter, Green Skills Project Coordinator, attended on behalf of the Mayor’s Green Skills Academy for Local London.
The event united leaders in the built environment, clean energy, and green spaces industries to discuss how changes in business practice could lead the way in the green transition.
One of the most interesting points of discussion was the importance of a ‘people first’ approach towards retrofitting. Imandeep Kaur, Co-Founder and Director at CIVIC SQUARE, suggested that the national efforts need to start at the level of neighbourhood involvement in order to create a sustainable green economy. This would involve retrofit initiatives being influenced by those in the communities in which they are taking place.
Colin Timmins, Director of Homes at National Energy Action, continued this theme, by highlighting that retrofit should be thought of as something happening to people, not just to their homes. Many experience anxiety surrounding changes to their homes, which should be further acknowledged when trying to encourage eco-conscious home improvements.
Imandeep and Colin’s ideas created the overall sense that a greater focus on people could help combat reluctance towards retrofitting their homes. Retrofit would stop being something which happens to their house, alienating the inhabitant, and instead becomes a collaboration between the inhabitant, retrofit team, and their homes.
It was great to see Phillip Graham, Executive Director for Good Growth at the Greater London Authority (GLA), mention the work of the Mayor’s Green Skills Academies in training Londoners in these skills. It was also fascinating to hear about all the other GLA-funded projects which work towards improving the environment and expanding job opportunities.
Thank you to the Workforce Integration Network (WIN) Toolkit Team at the GLA for organising this event. If you are an employer interested in learning more about the WIN Toolkit and how it can help you diversify your workforce, please email greenskills@lsec.ac.uk
Author: Phoebe Winter, Green Skills Project Coordinator
