Prestigious names are being unveiled for Yorkshire Sustainability Festival 2024 (YSF24) as sustainability guru, Kevin McCloud, will be taking to the speaker stage at The Yorkshire Sustainability Conference later this year, to share his knowledge and passion around sustainable construction and design.

Kevin McCloud, who has presented Grand Designs since its launch in 1999, is passionate about and committed to sustainable architecture. In his recent documentary with Mary Portas and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, The Great Climate Fight, McCloud and his co-hosts made clear that the UK Government has a step by step plan to fight climate change, provided by the Climate Change Committee, they’re just simply choosing not to follow it. With bills rising for everyone as the cost-of-living crisis continues to rip through the UK, McCloud advocates for the importance of better standards for new builds which will not only make them more sustainable but will save money on gas and electricity bills for regular people. It’s becoming clear that not only is the transition to a sustainable future vital for the planet but it’s vital for ordinary working people too.

Kevin has received an MBE for services to sustainable design and energy-saving property refurbishment and is passionate about making his living space planet friendly. This wealth of knowledge and sheer passion for change will no doubt inspire more businesses and attendees of The Sustainability Conference to be heroes in the sustainability sector themselves.

What is the Yorkshire Sustainability Festival?

Building on the success of Yorkshire Sustainability Week in 2023, which was the biggest gathering of sustainability professionals in the North of England, Yorkshire Sustainability Festival has evolved and expanded for 2024. This year the series of events are set to be bigger and better, with events being planned in North, East, South and West Yorkshire, to bring to life the biggest sustainability festival in the UK right across the region. With an audience of leaders spanning public, private and third sectors, Yorkshire Sustainability Festival is beginning to become a regional Conference of People (COP).

The two week festival of events, starting 10th June 2024 will include The Yorkshire Sustainability Conference, on 18th and 19th June, with headline speaker Kevin McCloud attending day two of the event, focusing on Future Cities at Cloth Hall Court in Leeds.

Day one of the conference will be focused around a circular economy with tracks including manufacturing, SME support, economy and finance and waste. The headline speaker will be announced shortly but expect a household name in the world of retail and sustainability.

Key sponsors and supporters of the event to date include: Leeds City Council, Alrose Productions, Beyondly, boxxe, Imageco and Severfield.

Kate Hutchinson, founder of Yorkshire Sustainability Festival and The Sustainability Conference, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to have Kevin McCloud joining us on our Future Cities Conference day as part of Yorkshire Sustainability Festival 2024."

"We’re bringing together leaders from the public, private and third sectors all passionate and committed to building a sustainable future for Yorkshire at YSF24. Kevin’s knowledge and passion for sustainability in the built environment will no doubt inspire our regional leaders to work together with our business community to build a truly sustainable Yorkshire.”

On extending YSF across the Yorkshire region, Kate Hutchinson added:

“The response we received last year was fantastic but a common theme in the feedback was to hold more local events. For 2024, we’re running events right across the region so I’d encourage businesses both big and small to get involved and contribute to the knowledge exchange across the festival to develop and achieve our sustainable development goals both locally, and nationally.”

How to get involved in YSF

Yorkshire Sustainability Festival offers a range of events to help organisations reduce their carbon emissions, improve their sustainability, and create new business opportunities in the green economy; from roundtable Sustainability Symposiums to a wide range of fringe events, including The Yorkshire Sustainability Conference. As well as attending events across the week, businesses are also invited to organise their own fringe events under the Yorkshire Sustainability Festival banner.