Lily Cole is an influential figure in the fashion world; supermodel, actress… and environmental activist? Maybe she’s not as well-known for her humanitarian and environmental work, but it is her involvement raising sustainability awareness that has prompted her impending visit to Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU).
Alongside her work commitments, Lily supports a variety of worthy causes. As patron of the Environmental Justice Foundation, she has worked internationally to protect the environment and defend human rights, making Lily the perfect candidate to speak at MMU’s Big Impact project about how students and the university can improve sustainability. This event is a rare chance for MMU students and staff to hear Lily speak about climate change and to ask questions regarding her environmental work, as well as projects like impossible.com.
MMU’s Ryan Waugh got in touch with Lily through impossible.com, a social networking site where people swap knowledge, skills and services for free. It is a brilliant website which runs on the idea of a gift economy. After seeing a video of Lily Cole and Vivienne Westwood urging people to help climate refugees, Ryan made a ‘wish’ on the website that one of the high-profile celebrities would come to MMU and talk about climate change – and Lily replied. In return, as impossible.com is not just about taking, Ryan will be performing as an extra in the Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre’s production of The Last Days of Troy. By doing this, he is fulfilling one of Lily’s wishes and showing how this inspiring website gives people the opportunity to undertake projects and help others in ways they would never have thought of.
Lily will be talking about her work creating impossible.com, alongside climate change and environmental concerns. She will also be taking questions about her projects from staff and students, who can submit them prior to the event via Twitter using the hashtag #AskLilyMMU or by posting on the Big Impact MMU Facebook page
‘Big Impact in conversation with Lily Cole’ will take place on Thursday 15th May at 3pm. The event is open to all students and staff at MMU. The event is free but you must reserve a place on Eventbrite to guarantee entry.
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