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Cabot office weekly roundup – 15 June 2012

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Source: AWH
Saturday saw us on a stall in Bristol City Centre shouting about climate change and sustainable fish.  We had a brilliant time meeting with members of the public and engaging them in an important issue.  Our marine biologist, Steve Simpson was on hand to answer the more difficult questions posed.  We also had a ‘sea’, full of (rubber) fish which big and small children could catch.  On the bottom of each fish was the name of a species which was lying in an ice box on our stand.  Having real fish on display was great to make learning about sustainable fish fun and engaging, even if people just came over to point at the fish and say ‘eurgh!’ - we got them thinking about their fish food choices.

An interesting Steering Group meeting was had on Monday.  We discussed public engagement activities, had an update from Jonty Rougier on BRISK activities and talked about gaps in Cabot’s expertise.

We have launched the Cabot Open Call for 2012/13.  We have pots of money available for pump-priming, closing date for applications is Tuesday 21 August.   See our website if you would like to learn more.

We had a thought provoking time at our Big Green Week event – called Patterns of Change.  The sold out event featured some of our top speakers talking about the changing global environment over time, intermingled with video clips from iconic environmental films Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi.  The success of the event has highlighted the need for more public engagement which we will continue to work on over the Summer.
Image from End of the Line

We are now on Flickr so if you fancy having a nose at recent activities, head to http://www.flickr.com/cabotinstitute
 
Steve Simpson also answered questions after the screening of End of the Line for Big Green Week on Thursday.  This is an incredibly powerful film which we would recommend everyone watch.  Steve answered questions on sustainable fishing and what we as individuals can do to stop overfishing.  It was a real eye opener!

John Craven
At the end of this week we have been preparing for our presence at the Festival of Nature, getting brochures, pull ups and other literature ready.  We will be in the ocean acidification area of the University of Bristol’s stand tomorrow and Sunday in Millenium Square. 

And Cabot Institute Manager Philippa Bayley will be fulfilling a childhood dream of meeting John Craven when she introduces him at his talk on Saturday at 2.30 pm. See you there!

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