Grantham Climate Art Prize

How will we build, heat and light our homes and cities?

The highest percentage of our global greenhouse gas emissions come from electricity and heat generation. A sustainable city will likely contain:  

• Solar panels on roofs, rooftop wind turbines, and even community microgrids generating power and heat; 

• Energy generating pavements and sensor-controlled lighting for paths/ pocket parks; 

• Heat pumps on buildings; geothermal energy plants on the outskirts of the city. 

Resources on sustainable energy: 

BBC Bitesize: Energy Sources and Sustainability. 

Where will we shop?

• Repair cafes; vintage stores, refurbished tech retailers and upcycled furniture stores; 
• Delivery bikes with trailers; 
• Libraries of Things, where you can borrow items e.g. to do DIY. 

Resources on sustainable shopping: 

Imperial’s innovators who’ve created plastic-free sequins; recycled dyes; plastic free vegan leather grown from bacteria. 

What will we do with our waste?

Less consumption means less waste. Sustainable cities will have a circular economy, where waste and pollution will be cut, materials will be circulated, and nature will be regenerated, with features like these:

• Turning waste into products, from packaging made from onion skin or seaweed, to plant pots made from seafood shells; 

• Drop off points for reusable crockery, as ClubZerØ is pioneering;  

• Smart recycling and compost bins; anaerobic digestion plants on city outskirts.

Resources on reducing, reusing and recycling:  

BBC Bitesize: Waste and Climate Change; the Ellen MacArthur Foundation have a good diagram of the circular economy.  

How will we get around?

• Car-free, cycle zones that have health, air quality and climate benefits; 
• Trains, trams and buses, including hydrogen buses and hydrogen haulage trucks; 
• Electric vans and cars, e-bikes and e-scooters, charging points and EV hire schemes; 
• Healthy streets that are mobility friendly, where people are encouraged to walk to gain the climate and health benefits; 
• Cargo drones and underground robots to transport supplies, and planes that run on sustainable aviation fuel.  

Resources on sustainable transport:  

BBC Bitesize - Transport & Sustainability; Sustainability mag’s ten green transport solutions, Imperial’s five things you should know about sustainable travel and this  Carbon Intensity of Travel graph.   

Where will we source our food and drink?

One eighth (12%) of our global greenhouse gas emissions are from animal-based foods with beef and lamb the worst offenders. Meanwhile, one third of all food is wasted, contributing to 8 - 10% of global human-made greenhouse gas emissions Sources of food in a sustainable city will include: 

• Indoor vertical farms like GrowUp and aquaponic farms, integrated into buildings and underground; 

• Lab-grown cultivated meat and alternative proteins like insect-based food and microbial foods generated through processes such as fermentation;  

• Community Larders to prevent food waste. 

Resources on sustainable food:  

BBC Bitesize - Food and Sustainability;  Grantham’s Climate-Friendly Pop-Up Kitchen,  How to save the planet – one meal at a time; Our World in Data’s Environmental Impacts of Food Production graph.  

How much nature will there be – and where?

Nature-based solutions play a vital role in reducing the impacts of climate change. In cities this can reduce the impact of flooding, absorb heat and purify air. Protecting less than 1% of land could help save a third of unique and endangered species. Sustainable cities will be home to: 

• Green roofs, vertical urban forests, wildflower areas and pollinator pathways;  

• Urban wetlands and natural water management systems like permeable paving, rain gardens and tree pits; 

• Pocket parks to reduce heat and provide food; 

• Water refill points and air quality sensors. 

Resources on nature-based solutions: 

The WWF Guide to Urban Nature-Based Solutions. Check out Cyanoskin, a start-up that  has created a microscopic algae coating for buildings to trap carbon dioxide.