New funding to help communities address the root causes of climate change and ecological crisis

Dr Joanne Tippett

With the world vastly off-track and heading towards runaway climate change, how do we work with others to make a difference in our homes, local communities and regions?

An academic from the University of Manchester, Dr Joanne Tippett, has been awarded a prestigious British Academy Innovation Fellowship to help break through confusion and inertia in the face of the overwhelming challenges we face with a novel approach to sustainability learning. 

The RoundView is a science-based framework for sustainability learning, visioning and decision-making.

Playing the RoundView at Launch of Wigan and Leigh National Nature Reserve

The RoundView gives a clear set of guidelines for redesigning the way we do things to fit within natural cycles, so we don’t cause environmental problems in the first place. Applying these guidelines creates a shared narrative; building hope that transformative change is possible, and confidence that our actions are likely to move us towards genuine sustainability. 

A key innovation is conveying the message of the RoundView through three-dimensional games, using word puzzles, visual art and poetry. This allows for self-guided learning and hugely amplified reach. Over 130,000 families and community members have engaged with these games in the first year of trialing the games in heritage sites and museums.

The £120,000 British Academy Innovation Fellowship forges a new partnership with the UK National Commission for UNESCO, and will help Dr Tippett to continue developing the RoundView and investigate how the framework can be rolled out globally. The funding will focus on working with communities and partners across the UK’s UNESCO-designated sites (including Biospheres, Global Geoparks, World Heritage Sites and Creative Cities) to engage communities in planning and visioning new ways to move towards sustainability in their local landscapes, neighbourhoods and organisations. 

This project will specifically work with communities in Southern Ayrshire and Galloway, Greater Manchester and Perth. This will include the first installation of the RoundView games in public libraries, with exhibits in Manchester Central Library and Urmston library in Trafford to be launched in Manchester City of Literature’s Festival of Libraries, 7-11 June 2023.

This Fellowship will see the development of new learning tools, including creating digital, downloadable versions that can be accessed by individuals, teachers and organisations worldwide. The fellowship will provide Dr Tippett with resources to deepen her partnership with UNESCO and to share the RoundView with international audiences.