What are Tales of Energy Research?
They’re a creative endeavour, trying to make energy research (and solutions) more accessible, as well as giving researchers a chance to find more creative ways to express themselves and any solutions they may have.
Humans tell stories all the time, but the type of story is important to conveying different information. This project was founded by UK sustainability researchers Carolynne, Katherine, and Torik, and they explore how to communicate their research on energy, sustainability and/or climate solutions.
There were a number of outputs which I have listed here for you, although, as the project is still ongoing, there is going to be more in future. You can keep up with the development on social media or by following (or participating) in the follow-up projects.
- Public and academic engagement
- Academic paper: https://www.yesmagazine.org/environment/2023/07/14/climate-fairy-tales
- A fairy tale – Fever (written by Becky Tipper) : https://www.yesmagazine.org/environment/2023/07/14/climate-fairy-tales
And if you’re in research, this is where you can come in.
‘Write and Pitch a Climate Fairy tale in a week’
If you are interested in climate stories or have been inspired, why not have a look at their ongoing project at https://tellingtalesofenergyresearch.wordpress.com/write-and-pitch-a-climate-fairy-tale-in-one-week/
What does this entail?
Everything is on the website, but the main focus right now is on a week-long (online) writer’s retreat between August 28th and September 4th.
You can participate online and the deadline for expressing interest is on the 31st of July.
How did I get involved?
As an illustrator I was approached in order to make some of their ideas come to life. The project was extremely appealing to me and I both enjoyed the discourse, as well as the challenges that came with this project.
For me it was also personal, the environment is such a vast topic. It is difficult to feel like you’re included in the solution to problems such as climate change, the energy crisis, etc. This was a very satisfying way to be able to contribute in my own way.