15 September 2021
Testimonials from people featured in this Press Release available on Insulate Britain’s YouTube channel.
Why would a single mum, a carpenter and two retirees walk onto the M25 on a busy weekday morning and block traffic? People involved in the Insulate Britain protests this week speak out. [1]
Here’s what they had to say:
Nat, from Tetbury, Gloucestershire said:
“As a single mum, money’s tight but I can’t let my kids live in a fridge. My house is a typical British house. It’s a 1930s semi. It doesn’t have cavity walls and it’s drafty so in the winter I keep having to whack the heating on. It’s gas and I worry about the cost, but I feel so guilty because of the climate crisis.
“Insulate Britain is a practical response to the need to cut carbon emissions that will also improve our everyday life. It’s a win-win proposal. Good for people and the economy, as well as helping the climate.”
Cameron, 31, a carpenter from Cambridge said:
“We don’t want to be here, we also have jobs we have to get to, but we’re choosing to be here because we’re in absolute fear. This year has shown that our carbon is too high so we’ve just got to reduce it right away.
“We’re trying to encourage the government to take action to reduce carbon emissions. Unfortunately, in a house that only talks about the economy, we have to disrupt the economy because that’s the language they speak.”
Andrew , 75, from Lydney, Gloucestershire who is a retired probation officer said:
“Insulating all houses will prevent thousands of deaths in winter, greatly reduce fuel poverty and is the most cost effective way of reducing CO2 emissions, while creating thousands of good jobs.
“I am 76 and want a quiet life, but I cannot do that while the government is doing nothing about the climate crisis, except making promises it has no plans to fulfil. They have to stop slacking, really stand up for Britain and start taking real action.”
Mags, 34, a social worker from London said:
“Insulating our homes produces the most effective solution per pound spent of all the things we need to do about climate change. Plus it will lift so many families out of fuel poverty – as a social worker I’ve seen how poverty makes things so difficult for people. So let’s get on with it.
“They won’t do anything without us making a big fuss. So I’m here to do that.”
Louise, 55 a teacher from Cambridgeshire said:
“I’ve spent my working life supporting young people. Now I want to protect their future. In the summer I left my job to join Insulate Britain to appeal non-violently to the British Government to insulate and retrofit all the homes in this country. This will create a 15% reduction in carbon emissions. This will help 2.5 million families out of fuel poverty. It will protect thousands of vulnerable people from dying of the cold each year and it will create hundreds of thousands of real jobs.
“Boris Johnson, you were going to do this anyway, so please start now. Britain can lead the world towards net zero and we can secure a safe future for the young people in this country.”
ENDS
Press contact: 07737 457105
Email: insulatebritainpress@protonmail.com
High quality photos and video footage available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Kucq-NfhnZLGJWwLx1HX03cWR7M9Y2-m
Video Content
Testimonials from people featured in this Press Release available on Insulate Britain’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8N5mAeeCLbD-AFUqtPaF0g
Insulate Britain: ‘Civil Disobedience on the M25’ 14.09.21. Credit Real Media: https://realmedia.press/insulate-britain-m25/
Website: https://www.insulatebritain.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/insulatebritain
Twitter: https://twitter.com/insulatelove?lang=en
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8N5mAeeCLbD-AFUqtPaF0g
Notes to Editors
[1] About Insulate Britain
Insulate Britain is a new campaign group that is calling on the UK government to put in place policy and funding for a national home insulation programme starting with all social housing.
We demand the Prime Minister and the government to #getonwiththejob, face up to their responsibility and lead our country through the climate crisis.
We are ordinary British citizens with simple and achievable demands to #INSULATEBRITAIN
The UK government must immediately promise to fully fund and take responsibility for the insulation of all social housing in Britain
We demand a national home insulation strategy that gives British people the justice they deserve: a future for our loved ones, lower energy bills and safer living conditions
We are scared: our livelihoods are at risk and the futures of our children are uncertain
The Climate Crisis is a threat to all: we demand the government to act now
Our Demands
1. That the UK government immediately promises to fully fund and take responsibility for the insulation of all social housing in Britain by 2025;
2. That the UK government immediately promises to produce within four months a legally binding national plan to fully fund and take responsibility for the full low-energy and low-carbon whole-house retrofit , with no externalised costs, of all homes in Britain by 2030 as part of a just transition to full decarbonisation of all parts of society and the economy.
Further information about Insulate Britain and our demands here: https://www.insulatebritain.com/
Technical Report on home energy efficiency here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HtOQmArzkDxhIYJrv9lBcl9lOUwfKoe7/view
[2] Letter of support for the aims of the Insulate Britain campaign:
https://www.insulatebritain.com/industry
https://www.architectsdeclare.com/news
Architect’s Declare: https://www.architectsdeclare.com/about
Architect’s Climate Action Network: https://www.architectscan.org/about