I’ve been quite flattered and honoured to have been nominated and shortlisted for the 2016 UKGBC Rising Star award. The essay, below, was one I wrote as part of the shortlisting process. I firmly believe every word, and I do hope that UK leaders find a better way forward than the choices they’ve made (or failed to make) the last 12 months. We have a lot of work ahead of us – as a nation and a global community – and we need to all work together to build a better future for the generations that come after us. More information about the Rising Star award can be found on Su Butcher’s blog, here.

Many thanks! – Lisa Pasquale

What piece of advice would you give to government and business leaders?

The current government has backed away from investing in renewables, supporting innovation in low-energy technologies, and regulating to ensure an efficient building stock.

These priorities were laying down infrastructure to ensure the country’s long-term fuel security, thus reducing how much of the UK’s GDP is paid to oil-producing countries, and politically de-tethering the UK from foreign states. They were about decreasing the pressure on the NHS to treat medical conditions resultant from living in sub-standard housing. They were about creating a skilled workforce and developing competitive British businesses to hold sway in a greener international marketplace. They were about reducing how much money households and businesses burn in fuels, and enabling them to invest in their businesses, their children and their communities. Politicians and business leaders need to focus on building a national infrastructure that will enable the UK to economically thrive in the long-term and maintain its position as a global leader in innovation for the next century.

So, leaders: please focus on the long-game of creating economic stability by investing in these areas; those abandoned priorities actually supported very business-savvy national objectives.