SEDA Conference 2025
3-5 October, Edinburgh
About this event
Sufficiency is not about austerity, deprivation, or resignation. Sufficiency is about knowing what is enough. Efficiency is not enough, no waste is not enough. Understanding that material abundance and selfish hoarding, extraction, and expansion is the antithesis of ethical, ecologically sound manner of behaviour.
IPCC Report 2022 defines Sufficiency as, “a set of policy measures and daily practices that avoid the demand for energy, materials, land, water, and other natural resources while providing wellbeing for all within the planetary boundaries.”
We need to challenge our status quo of the consumption mindset. Embracing “Lagom” and the true meaning of “wellbeing economy” in its deeper ecological intent, understanding healthy limits, rather than using it as the appropriated terminology to rebrand, and justify more growth.
We need to believe in regeneration – which in turn would restore the ecosystem and grant us clean air, clean soil, and clean water. That sufficiency is the foundation of regeneration. Sufficiency is what would enable us all to thrive.
We will explore:
social and community sufficiency in our built heritage; exploring empty homes as opposed to ‘build build build.’
materials on land and in oceans, soil, and food dynamics.
world sufficiency from energy to water with a closer look at the north/south divide.
reimagining future settlements, neighbourhoods, and fair accessibility in infrastructure.
equity and disability in the sufficiency equation.
scientific understanding; learning from how Nature does sufficiency.
All of this, together with much discussion and inspiring workshops, led by provocateurs, we hope to reconnect ourselves with nature and the planet. Challenge our thinking and behaviour with a positive take home message to spread to others.
We have a great line up of speakers who are listed further down this page. You can read their bios to find out more about them!
We believe in site visits and hands-on workshops, unique qualities of a SEDA conference! This conference site visit is on Sunday 5th October. We will be looking at a wellbeing community that provides food boxes from a walled garden for those who cannot afford food, where the soil is enriched by biochar as a circular system. We go on from there on a guided trip to learn the skills of foraging, and what it means to do it in a sufficient manner and not strip nature bare.
Krystyna and Jim Johnson Award for Sustainable Architecture, will have the shortlisted students present their projects for the Judges to award the winner on Saturday 4th October.
This conference will be an exploration of the wider issue of “Sufficiency.” As always, it will be full of thoughtful and insightful discussions!
This page will be regularly updated in lead up to the event, so check back over the coming weeks to see a detailed event programme and speaker biographies.
Event details
Friday - Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge Edinburgh EH1 1EL
Optional Friday Dinner - Guru Bali - http://www.gurubaltirestaurant.co.uk/
Saturday – Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue, 16 St Mary's Street Edinburgh EH1 1SU
Sunday – Visit to Sustainable Thinking Scotland*, Walled Garden, Kinneil Estate, off Provost Road, Bo’ness, EH51 0PR
*Transport is self organised, car share with other conference guests, or public transport (Scotrail from Waverly to Falkirk Grahamston and Bus 2/2A).
Ticket details
In Person Event Ticket Price
Student and unwaged one day - £35
Members one day - £176
Non Members one day - £220
Student and unwaged two day - £70
Members two day - £195.64
Non Members two day - £268
Student and unwaged three day - £90
Members three day - £215.35
Non Members three day - £295
Optional Dinner (Friday only) - Guru Balti - £30
Online Event Ticket Price (Days 1 & 2 only)
Online Student per day - £10
Online Member per day - £80
Online Non Member per day - £100
Speaker Bios
Day 1 Speakers
Katherine Trebeck
Katherine is writer-at-large and co-director of the Compassion in Financial Services hub at the University of Edinburgh and Economic Change Programme Director at The Next Economy. She is a member of the Club of Rome and co-founded the Wellbeing Economy Alliance and WEAll Scotland. She is Distinguished Visitor at ANU’s Planetary Health Hothouse and was 2024 thinker-in-residence at the Australian Health Promotion Association.
“The dominant economic system relies on people feeling they can never have enough money and material goods; but whenever people are asked what really matters to them, they talk of relationships, health, dignity, and nature. This important gathering is diving into that paradox - the gap between what people identify as important and the logic of today's economy. Hard to think of a more critical conversation"
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ktrebeck123/
https://www.instagram.com/ktrebeck00/
Day 2 Speakers
Nigel Linacre
Nigel Linacre BEM is founder and director of WellBoring, a charity which has got safe water to 500 African schools, via a low energy solution, transforming half a million lives. A singer and poet, he is the author of the Grief Opera. Nigel believes we can all transform our world.
"I'm excited about discovering - and even together generating - more sustainable solutions to human development. This is a great opportunity to work with a range of visionary thinkers." Nigel Linacre BEM.
https://www.instagram.com/well.boring/
More coming soon