📅 Held on 27 January 2026 — 🕠 17:30–20:00 — 📍 Waterfront House, Enderby, Leicester

The East Midlands Sustainability Partnership (EMSP) and Stephen George + Partners (SGP) hosted a hands‑on workshop that explored practical approaches to reducing embodied carbon in the built environment. The event brought together architects, engineers, sustainability specialists, cost consultants and manufacturers for an evening of collaboration, discussion and practical learning.

The session talked about delivering net‑zero buildings, thanks to Doug and Vincent from ACAN!, participants took part in presentations, discussions and interactive activities designed to deepen understanding of carbon impacts across a building’s life cycle. From Mesh, we heard about barriers to counting carbon on projects. We explored barriers to who should pay for carbon counting, how digital tools could be used to speed the process up and become more efficient (and therefore, less cost). Doug put forward a proactive approach to counting carbon with the focus on efficiency and digital tools to bring the cost down. One challenge raised through the Q&A was on quality and experience of people undertaking these assessments. Carbon counting is an emerging field which does need professionals and experienced people to work in.

During the ACAN! materials doughnut workshop, each table provided a circular assessment for a different building material, using the ACAN! Framework and tools provided from Kate Raworth’s book “Doughnut Economics”. It was amazing how easy it was for us to engage with the materials, without being material experts (although there were definitely some in the room!). The assessment provided challenging though on how to consider different materials and the longevity of it, particularly during disassembly and end of life. The event concluded with groups sharing their acquired knowledge on the materials and how to apply the framework across the supply chain.

Speakers & Contributors

• Stephen George + Partners (SGP) | Served as host organisation—an AJ100 architectural practice recognised for its sustainable, innovative design across multiple sectors. 
• Doug Johnson, Founder of Mesh Energy | Shared case studies and insights into achieving net‑zero buildings, along with an introduction to Mesh Energy’s collaborative platform.
• ACAN! – Architects Climate Action Network | Facilitated a climate‑literacy workshop using principles from Doughnut Economics to explore responsible material use and lifecycle impacts, led by Vincent Macdonald, Climate Literacy Coordinator.