Latest news with #DerekWalker
South Wales Argus
3 days ago
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Future Generations Commissioner wants more renewable energy
Derek Walker wants the Welsh Government to be more ambitious, with increased solar, wind, and water energy sources owned by and generating money for local people. Mr Walker, who challenges the government on improving future citizens' lives, envisions more Welsh schools, health centres, and community buildings running on renewable energy, with communities benefiting financially. In Torfaen, 14 schools are benefiting from renewable energy sources, which has included the installation of solar panels. The project has resulted in an estimated saving of 2,459 tonnes of CO2 and £240,000 in annual energy costs across Torfaen Council. This has allowed some schools, like Garnteg Primary School, to buy laptops and iPads with the money saved on energy bills. Ceri Williams, Schools Energy Finance Officer at Torfaen Council, said: "Every school has reported fantastic results – even on a cloudy day, energy is being generated and savings being made." The project is also an educational tool for students, with plans to integrate the data and learnings from the solar installations into the curriculum. Headteacher, Susan Roche, said: "The solar installation project is an exciting opportunity for all the school community. "Not only will the school make huge financial savings, but it will equip our pupils with vital life skills and knowledge about green energy for the future." The Welsh Government Energy Service has invested £210 million in more than 400 projects since 2018. This investment is expected to yield an estimated £367 million in local income and savings. Wales has already achieved 1GW of locally owned renewable electricity and heat capacity, against its target of 1.5GW by 2035. But Mr Walker wants to see at least a doubling of this target to 3GW by 2035, with 1GW enough to power half a million homes. He has urged the Welsh Government to provide more resources and support for community-led renewable energy projects in his Future Generations Report. He also requested public bodies to collaborate more with communities, release land for local energy schemes, and purchase the generated energy. Mr Walker said: "Community energy will play a crucial role in addressing climate change, involving communities in decisions, reducing energy bills, creating jobs, and helping Wales become more energy-resilient in the future." Paul Cowley, Community Renewables Technical Manager at Welsh Government Energy Service, said: "The Energy Service provides a range of technical advice and funding support to local councils and social enterprises. "The latent demand for such projects is huge, so we welcome the commissioner's call for more community energy in Wales."
Business News Wales
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Business News Wales
Future Generations Commissioner Urges All Councils to Back Veg in Schools Project
The Future Generations Commissioner is urging all Welsh councils to commit to children having more Welsh vegetables on their school dinners. Five new councils have now signed up to the Welsh Veg in Schools project, following seven who joined last year. Now Derek Walker says he wants all 22 to do the same as part of his calls for a national food plan. The Welsh Veg in Schools initiative is increasing the supply of locally produced organic vegetables in school meals and Mr Walker said it could be part of a long-term plan to improve Wales' food security and ensure equal access to local, affordable, healthy and sustainable diets. The commitment was one of several made in direct response to the commissioner's report by organisations at the Future Generations Action Summit at National Museum Wales which marked 10 years of the Well-being of Future Generations Act on the launch of the Future Generations Report. The event was attended by 300 people. Katie Palmer, Head of Food Sense Wales, announced that five new councils – Pembrokeshire, Torfaen, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea and Gwynedd – will join Welsh Veg in Schools. Bridgend, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Monmouthshire, Powys and Vale of Glamorgan councils are already part of the scheme. Welsh Veg in Schools is a pilot project co-ordinated by Food Sense Wales that aims to get more organically produced Welsh veg into primary school meals across Wales. Working with partners including Castell Howell, Farming Connect Horticulture, as well as a number of growers, it builds on the commitment from Welsh Government to ensure every primary aged child in Wales is offered a free school meal and that the food used to produce that meal, where possible, comes from local suppliers. Katie said: 'At its heart, Welsh Veg in Schools is about getting sustainably produced, local veg into schools to nourish children via their school meals. We aren't producing enough vegetables in Wales and we need to be building our own supply base, bringing benefit to local communities and reducing our reliance on imports through connecting local growers with local wholesalers and fostering relationships that help businesses flourish.' Food Sense Wales published a report that said around 25% of all vegetables served in schools across Wales could be organic by 2030 with the right planning and investment in infrastructure, and that an increase of 3.3p per meal per day from local authorities and the Welsh Government could enable the inclusion of two portions of local organic vegetables in school meals seasonally. Meanwhile, at the event Pembrokeshire National Coast National Park Authority committed to a real Living Wage plan within two years, which the commissioner is asking for from all public bodies as a critical step to tackle poverty. Pembrokeshire National Coast National Park Authority Tegryn Jones said: 'A living wage makes a real difference to people, it provides a decent standard of living and allows workers to save for the future. 'I encourage all other public bodies in Wales to take this step towards accreditation so that we can shape an economy at local and national level around fair work, for current and future generations.' Ardiana Gjini, Executive Director of Public Health at Hywel Dda University Health Board, committed to using the agreed definition of prevention between Welsh Government and the commissioner's team, to be a pilot site to map their preventative spend. Sir Michael Marmot spoke at the event about the commitment by Welsh Government for the whole of Wales to become a Marmot region – which means committing to tackling inequity through action on the social determinants of health. Aled Vaughan Owen, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability from Carmarthenshire County Council, talked about the action Carmarthenshire is taking on climate and nature, including a new approach to pasture cutting for pollinators and dedicating council farms to vegetable growing. Julie-Ann Haines, CEO of the Principality Building Society, gave an overview of the role of the private sector in delivering a more sustainable future. Professor Emmanuel Ogbonna CBE, Professor of Management and Organization, Cardiff Business School, spoke about the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan and its central role in ensuring that a more equal Wales is a core impact of all action for future generations. Young voices included Saffron Rennison, Public Affairs Executive for Football Association of Wales, and Future Generations Leadership Academy Alumna, who discussed using the Well-being of Future Generations Act in her work, including advocating for better representation of women and Black, Asian and ethnic minority people in football. Derek Walker, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, said: 'The 50 recommendations in my Future Generations Report will help Welsh Government and those delivering public services to improve lives in Cymru. A week after publishing the report, I am already seeing major commitments to my calls and I urge more public bodies to sign up – including the 10 councils who are yet to make a commitment to more vegetables on school children's plates. 'I look forward to seeing more action on nature recovery, more involvement of communities in shaping policy, ringfenced prevention budgets to solve problems before they occur, a national food plan and a real Living Wage plan by every public body within two years.' Hannah Jones, a social and environmental advocate and the outgoing CEO of The Earthshot Prize, was a keynote speaker. The Earthshot Prize is a prize and a platform founded by HRH Prince William and the Royal Foundation in 2020 to search, to spotlight and scale solutions that can help repair and regenerate the planet in this decade.
South Wales Argus
11-05-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Welsh veg in school dinners call by as Torfaen joins scheme
This comes after the release of his Future Generations Report. Derek Walker wants all 22 Welsh councils to join the Welsh Veg in Schools project, which aims to increase the supply of locally produced organic vegetables in school meals. He believes this initiative could be part of a long-term plan to improve Wales' food security and ensure equal access to local, affordable, healthy, and sustainable diets. Five new councils, Pembrokeshire, Torfaen, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, and Gwynedd, have signed up to the project, joining seven who signed up last year. Mr Walker said: "The 50 recommendations in my Future Generations Report will help Welsh Government and those delivering public services to improve lives in Cymru. "A week after publishing the report, I am already seeing major commitments to my calls and I urge more public bodies to sign up – including the 10 councils who are yet to make a commitment to more vegetables on school children's plates." The Welsh Veg in Schools project is a pilot initiative coordinated by Food Sense Wales, aiming to get more organically produced Welsh veg into primary school meals across Wales. Currently, only a quarter of a portion of vegetables per head of the population is being produced in Wales. The project has the potential to increase the market to help realise this commitment. Katie Palmer, head of Food Sense Wales, said: "At its heart, Welsh Veg in Schools is about getting sustainably produced, local veg into schools to nourish children via their school meals. "We aren't producing enough vegetables in Wales and we need to be building our own supply base, bringing benefit to local communities and reducing our reliance on imports through connecting local growers with local wholesalers and fostering relationships that help businesses flourish." Last week, Food Sense Wales published a report that said around 25 per cent of all vegetables served in schools across Wales could be organic by 2030 with the right planning and investment in infrastructure.
South Wales Argus
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Big Issue announces Cardiff debate with free tickets
The event, which will take place at Cornerstone, will feature a panel of experts including Derek Walker, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, and Rocio Cifuentes MBE, Children's Commissioner for Wales. They will be joined by award-winning investigative journalist Will Hayward and Big Issue co-founder Lord John Bird. The panel will discuss the future of Wales at the Big Debate on Wednesday, May 14. The public are invited to attend for free and can bring questions for the panellists. Tickets are available on Eventbrite. It is part of a series of community events in Cardiff in mid-May, organised by the Big Issue to encourage community-led responses to societal issues. The Welsh capital is the next destination of the Big Community Roadshow, with Big Issue teams coming to Cardiff from Monday, May 12 to Wednesday, May 14 to both report on and actively support issues facing people in poverty across South Wales. The three-day line-up of events includes a five-a-side football tournament, which will be held on the evening of Tuesday, May 13 at Gôl Cardiff to raise funds for the Street Football Wales team to attend the International Street Football Tournament in Oslo this August. Paul McNamee, UK editor of Big Issue, said: "Big Issue is born of the streets and works, at our core, by listening to those we exist to serve. "Our Big Community Roadshows allow us to get closer to the action, and we're very excited to be bringing it to Cardiff this May. "We've got a great series of activities in store, made possible thanks to our brilliant sponsor Wales & West Housing Association." For more details, visit the Big Issue website.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Big Issue announces Question Time-style event in Cardiff
The Big Issue has announced a Question Time-style event in Cardiff. The event, which will take place at Cornerstone, will feature a panel of experts including Derek Walker, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, and Rocio Cifuentes MBE, Children's Commissioner for Wales. They will be joined by award-winning investigative journalist Will Hayward and Big Issue co-founder Lord John Bird. The panel will discuss the future of Wales at the Big Debate on Wednesday, May 14. The public are invited to attend for free and can bring questions for the panellists. Tickets are available on Eventbrite. It is part of a series of community events in Cardiff in mid-May, organised by the Big Issue to encourage community-led responses to societal issues. The Welsh capital is the next destination of the Big Community Roadshow, with Big Issue teams coming to Cardiff from Monday, May 12 to Wednesday, May 14 to both report on and actively support issues facing people in poverty across South Wales. The three-day line-up of events includes a five-a-side football tournament, which will be held on the evening of Tuesday, May 13 at Gôl Cardiff to raise funds for the Street Football Wales team to attend the International Street Football Tournament in Oslo this August. Paul McNamee, UK editor of Big Issue, said: "Big Issue is born of the streets and works, at our core, by listening to those we exist to serve. "Our Big Community Roadshows allow us to get closer to the action, and we're very excited to be bringing it to Cardiff this May. "We've got a great series of activities in store, made possible thanks to our brilliant sponsor Wales & West Housing Association." For more details, visit the Big Issue website.
