Ellie Harrison –The Glasgow Effect: A Tale of Class, Capitalism and Carbon Footprint

Ellie Harrison is an artist and activist based in Glasgow. She is best known for her controversial 2016 project The Glasgow Effect, for which she refused to leave Glasgow’s city limits, or use any vehicle except her bike, for a whole calendar year. A real-life experiment in ‘thinking globally and acting locally’, the project enabled her to slash her carbon footprint for transport to zero, and to invest her time, energy and ideas in community activism – helping to establish several local projects and campaigns aimed at making Glasgow a more equitable, sustainable and connected city, including the Get Glasgow Moving public transport campaign, Carfree Glasgow and the Glasgow Community Energy renewable energy co-operative. Her first book, ‘The Glasgow Effect: A Tale of Class, Capitalism and Carbon Footprint’, was published by Luath Press in 2019. A new and updated edition will be launched on 1 November to mark the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow (COP26).

Brava to Ellie Harrison for continued integrity and conviction, as she uses her education, skills and (self-acknowledged) privileged position as an artist to challenge the failing economic status quo and ruffle the feathers of our corrupt, complacent establishment in Glasgow and beyond. Zara Kitson, former Head of Community Engagement for The Prince’s Trust Scotland

“I can’t say that this book has been an easy undertaking, but it was a necessary one. I have emerged stronger and with more conviction than ever that in order to address the ‘climate emergency’ we must urgently reduce the amount we travel and the amount of energy we consume. Not least because a happy, healthy and sustainable life can and should result from committing and contributing to the community where you live.” Ellie Harrison, The Glasgow Effect, July 2019

Read Ellie Harrison’s article The Glasgow Effect from the November/December 2021 issue of Resurgence & Ecologist

Join Ellie for a Q&A with Marianne Brown, followed by an interactive book club chat. Please email your questions for Ellie and the discussion afterwards to bookclub@resurgence.org with the subject line QUESTION FOR BOOK CLUB. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions during the meeting via the Zoom online chat.

Order a copy of ‘The Glasgow Effect: A Tale of Class, Capitalism and Carbon Footprint’ here.

Read Ellie Harrison’s article in the November/December 2021 issue of Resurgence & Ecologist ‘Setting the Stage for Better Public Transport’

Photo credit: Bruce White

This is a free event. Any donations will support The Resurgence Trust, an educational charity (no. 1120414).

www.resurgenceevents.org