The People’s Emergency Briefing doesn’t pull its punches. Here’s why we think every wedding professional should see it and what to do next.
There’s a film doing the rounds right now that we think every person working in the wedding industry should watch.
It’s called the People’s Emergency Briefing. It’s 50 minutes long. It’s been shown to hundreds of thousands of people at screenings across the UK and beyond, and its world première was at Davos earlier this year. It features leading scientists, economists and thinkers, and it does something that very little public communication about climate and nature actually does: it tells the truth, in plain language, without either catastrophising or softening.
It is, at times, difficult to watch. It is also, we think, essential.
Why are we sharing this?
Because we believe the wedding industry, and the people in it, deserve to be part of this conversation.
The wedding industry is one of the most emotionally significant, socially embedded, and creatively rich industries there is. It’s also an industry that touches some of the most resource-intensive moments in people’s lives. The choices made by wedding businesses about sourcing, seasonality, supply chains, food, flowers, transport, waste, add up. The businesses that are part of our community already know this. It’s why they joined us.
But sustainability in business doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The science behind why sustainable weddings matter is the same science in this film. Understanding the bigger picture doesn’t make the day-to-day work harder, it makes it more meaningful, and more urgent.
What is the People’s Emergency Briefing?
The People’s Emergency Briefing (PEB) is an initiative led by the National Emergency Briefing – a coalition of scientists, educators and communicators who believe the public deserves clear, honest information about the ecological and climate crisis, and a national conversation about what to do about it.
At its heart, the NEB is calling for a government-backed televised emergency briefing, so that, as with other national emergencies, the country can hear directly from experts, and begin a proper public conversation about what comes next.
In the meantime, they’re asking citizens to host their own community screenings. Which is exactly what SWA has been doing.
What can you do?
Come to a screening
We’re hosting a screening on 29th September. Open to SWA members and non-members alike. It’s free. It’s online. You don’t need to know the science, and there are no right or wrong reactions. Just come and watch it with a community of people who care about doing things differently.
Register for our September screening →
Sign the petition
A UK Parliament petition calling for a televised national emergency briefing. Simple, quick, and meaningful.
Write to your MP
Ask your MP to back the call for a national televised emergency briefing. The NEB has made this straightforward, there’s guidance on exactly what to say.
Host your own screening
If you have a network, a team, a supplier community, a client base, a local industry group, you could host a screening for them. The NEB provides full support and everything you need. If not you, think about who in your network might.
A note on tone
We’re not sharing this to add to anyone’s anxiety. We know that working in weddings right now, especially in peak season, is full-on, and that most of the people reading this are already doing more than most to make things better.
We’re sharing it because we believe that being well-informed is part of what it means to lead in this space. And because we think the wedding industry, at its best, is made up of people who care deeply about their clients, their craft, their communities, and the world those communities live in.
This film is for all of those people. We hope you’ll watch it.
SWA is hosting a free online screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing in late September. Register your place below.
