Welcome...
 to our August issue. We hope that the ongoing relaxation of Covid-19 rules continues safely, allowing a few more green events and activities to happen locally, and that you will find something interesting to do below.
If you normally contribute items to this newsletter or would like to, and haven’t heard from us recently, please subscribe to our contributors’ list via this sign-up form to get our requests and reminders - and make sure they are not disappearing into your spam folder! You can update your own contact details in this list or unsubscribe at any time.
Next issue: we look forward to hearing about more environmental activities in the real world of Kingston over the coming months - we try to give local news and campaigns top billing, so do please keep them coming in. In any case, please send us your environmental news and updates in good time to feature in the next newsletter which will go out on or just before the 1st of September
If you have problems viewing this newsletter, please click the link at the very top of this page to see it in your browser.
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Campaigning  together
Covid-19 needn't stop you campaigning - and there are always green issues to campaign on. At the 2019 Great Green New Year Gathering, hosted by TTK and Kingston Environment Centre, campaigning came top of the suggested joint activities, and so, until there is nothing left to campaign about (we wish!) this section will remain at the top of every issue of this newsletter.
Take your pick from the issues highlighted below - and please take action.
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Seething Wells again
Please sign the petition to the Council to Keep Seething Wells Filter Beds a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation.
ReThink HS2
HS2 must be stopped and rethought, say the ReThinkHS2 alliance. Allowing HS2 to continue works that destroy wildlife sites is a major area of concern. "Destroying nature at its most sensitive time is not 'essential work'. HS2 and its contractors remain unregulated and the risks of spreading Covid-19 are increased. This must not be allowed to continue," they say, and ask us to contact our MPs and key government members via this website.
 Cut Carbon Not Forests
Our friends at Biofuelwatch are now part of a new coalition, Cut Carbon Not Forests - a continuation of the campaign to redirect subsidies from dirty biomass energy to cleaner renewables such as wind and solar power. They tell us: “The government has effectively ruled out new subsidies for biomass power stations or coal-to-biomass conversions, but, the UK remains the world's biggest importer of wood pellets in the world, most of them burned by Drax in Yorkshire. We have calculated that stopping existing subsidies for biomass electricity would free up more than £1.2 billion every year. Under the Levy Control Framework - which is the framework for all renewable energy subsidies in the UK - that money should automatically become available to subsidise new wind, solar and tidal power projects. Redirecting biomass subsidies to low-carbon renewables would make a big difference to forests, to the wildlife that depends on them, to communities suffering air pollution because of biomass or wood pellet plants, and to the UK's real carbon emissions."
Please contact your MP (personalising the standard email a bit would be be more effective and/or sending one from your group).
See more news from Biofuelwatch and/or sign up for their updates.
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Contacting politicians when you need to
Find contact details for your councillors, MP, MEPs, and LA members at WriteToThem.com Rather than repeating our advice on writing every month, we have saved it here on the TTK website.
Please tell us about other local green campaigns we should highlight in this section; air pollution; trees and local biodiversity; getting shops to close their doors in winter; supporting active travel, making cycling (and cycles) safer; divesting pensions etc from fossil fuels; recycling bins in public spaces; reducing waste plastic, other...? Please tell us what you’d like us to take up, and help others to join in by providing useful evidence and web-links.
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News
Plant sales: We are no longer delivering plants to people’s homes, but have held one sale outside the Centre and will also have a small selection available on Saturday 1st August from 11.00am onwards. See KEC Facebook page for details.
Sunflower Art Competition
In lieu of an online quiz, KEC launched a competition for children and adults to paint, draw, collage or create a sunflower picture. We have had some amazing contributions (see the KEC Facebook page for some photos) and have now decided to continue receiving entries until Saturday 29th August, with an awards ceremony planned for 3.00pm on Satruday 19th September. If you or your children want to enter take a photo of your creation and send to Pat. We will be holding an awards ceremony when it is safe to do so.
Little Star After School Club have worked incredibly hard to transform KEC into a welcoming and safe place for children to enjoy coming to after school. At least one session a week will be dedicated to environmental activities. They still have some vacancies for parents who are looking for after school care. Find out more about Little Star School Club on their website.
NEW - Gentle Gardening! KEC will be holding 2 all day gentle gardening events for people who have had mental health problems or whose conditions have been made worse by Covid19. We have received funding from Love Kingston for the extra tools needed for the two activities. If you or anyone you know feel you might benefit from participating let Pat or Jean know and also look for further details on our Facebook page.
What's on at KEC this month
Stitch and Chat continue their weekly online sessions at 7.00pm every Wednesday. See KEC Facebook page for details of how to be added to the Google Hangout.
 Covid-19 Community Show with presenter James Giles
Fridays from 4.00pm, on Kingston Green Radio
Previous shows are available on Mixcloud.
Volunteers still wanted
Social Media person - to put newsworthy items on Twitter, Facebook, etc, update content on our website (Wordpress) and contribute items to this newsletter. All can be done from home! About two hours per week.
Administration (Trainee) - to update records of members and volunteers, online calendar, prepare for meetings etc. All can be done online at the moment.
Gardeners - to look after plants, keeping the area around Kingston Environment Centre beautiful. Can be done with distancing. Training given.
Book-keeper - to keep up- to-date entries on our spreadsheet, File paperwork, Initially can be done from home, probably changing as the lockdown eases One or two hours a week, occasionally more.
If you are interested in any of these volunteer roles please let Jean or Pat know..
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Regular events at KEC suspended
See the KEC website calendar › for info and updates on events and activities at Kingston Environment Centre, 1 Kingston Road, New Malden, KT3 3PE.
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TTK news
As TTK starts to move into gear after the easing of lockdown, we had our first in-person management team meeting at the end of July at the Circulatory, followed by Green Drinks at the Berrylands pub.
Mapping project: TTK continues to work on a green community mapping project to connect Kingston people and projects and bring, we hope, greater visibility of what’s happening local to you and how to get involved. A few new groups have appeared in Kingston since the original workshop a year ago and it would be useful to include them, so please keep an eye on the TTK website for more info.
We are also looking at a ‘Transition Streets’ initiative to build skills and awareness at street level as we move into the autumn. As part of this, it is our ambition to run a series of mini virtual events that bring local initiatives to the fore and inspire people to see how they can make a difference right where they live.
Working with Kingston Council: we are looking to be actively in partnership with the Council, in the sure knowledge that working together is going to be more and more important as we lean into the climate and ecological emergencies and the crises that that generates.
TTK's Abundance group is coming on line as harvesting season starts. Toni had her first socially distanced fruit picking on the afternoon of the 31st July. With a new WhatsApp group set up the team of harvesters has grown and the ease of organising pickers is appreciated. if you are interested in being involved please email Abundance.
TTK Energy Group say, “Government Green Deal grants may attract sharks”. Government advice and grants to improve the energy efficiency of your home seem like unreservedly good things, but may also lead to scams, cold callers, untested technical solutions, poor workmanship, and unintended consequences such as increased damp and condensation... TTK Energy Group recommend thinking and seeking impartial advice (from the Energy group if you like – contact Peter) before you buy. You can also check if a trader is Green Deal approved here.
The July Transition Network get-together on Zoom was a positive and supportive gathering, and we were flattered to hear that TTK’s Green Directory had inspired another London group to create their own directory.
For upcoming virtual meet-ups, keep an eye on Transition Hub - London & SE Facebook page.
Coming soon
 TTK management meeting and Green Drinks
Tues 25 August, from 6.00pm
Management team meeting at 6.00pm, with Green Drinks from 7.15 (details will be posted on the TTK Facebook page.
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Regular events - still resting
Stitch in Time is waiting to be certain that indoor sociable sewing sessions and sharing equipment are safe before restarting. If you have ideas about how we  could meet safely and would like to help, or would be happy to run indoor stitching sessions at The Circulatory, please get in touch.
In the meantime, here's Public Health England's Guidance on How to wear and make a cloth face covering - and there are lots of useful “How to...” sewing tips on YouTube..
We hope to see you when things go back to normal at one or other of our meet-ups or events - click an icon below to find updates on events and ongoing TTK projects, as well as new sources of funding, fascinating news snippets, encouraging ideas and discussions of Transition themes such as resilience, energy-efficiency, sustainable living… on our Facebook page. Do have a look and join in.
Find out more about the wider Transition Network.
Find more Transition activities and events in London and the S E on Facebook
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A van to feed vulnerable people - please help
At Save the World Club we collect and deliver food every day, with over £5000 worth of food distributed weekly to people in need throughout the borough. But our van (pictured with Des on the left) is deceased,
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so we have set up a GoFundMe site to raise funds to buy a replacement which will enable us to continue our daily deliveries of food to vulnerable people. Over the past 2 weeks we have raised £4500 towards our target: £2500 in donations via GoFundMe and £2000 paid directly to Save the Worl dClub account.
Thank you to everyone who has already donated, and if you haven't yet, please donate to help reach our target via GoFundMe.
You can watch a short video about the volunteers and their work here, and below is a little poem, in two formats, by founder Des Kay ( pictured left) who started collecting and delivering food on a bicycle 30 years ago! |
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I’ve found that foods off the shelf at the end of the day
Are not bad for your health though they throw it away
Keeps the customers happy which they feel they should do
As they get the idea it’s not good for you
But I’ve been feeding the many with food of this kind
The poor and the needy just don’t seem to mind.
They’re grateful to have such stuff on their plate
Even though it may be just out of date
We always ensure the product is sound
Crazy to end in a hole in the ground
When I started, I’d load it on to my bike
Taking for few - just the things that they like
But now we seem to be feeding the many
We use a large van so we don’t miss out any
Mine has packed in after 13 good years
And the donations are coming of which I give cheers
For reliable replacement to last a long time
I ask you to give a bit more in this rhyme
Maybe time for our charity to have its own truck
After 35 years we may be in luck...
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The Circulatory has had a stream of socially distanced visitors and helpers, and the bike workshop has been very busy.
If you’d like to pop in to use the Circulatory or Stitch in Time sewing resources, please contact Des to make an appointment to ensure that physical spacing is maintained, and bring hand sanitiser to use before and after using any kit.
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Regular events at The Circulator y suspended
The Circulatory, Unit 5, Chiltern Way, (at the bottom of Chiltern Drive), adjacent to Berrylands Railway Station
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KBN exists to highlight and promote local conservation work in Kingston.
News
Catch Peter Cooper’s July talk about the amazing world of glow worms on the KBN Facebook page.
Sign up to our newsletter and click on an icon below for news of more conservation activities around Kingston - get involved or set up a project of your own.
Coming in October
Save the date! Our next Kingston Biodiversity Network meeting will be on Wednesday 14th October, and will have a hedgehog theme.
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Other regular events suspended
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 Berrylands Nature Reserve
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Updates
Read our blog: after every event or when there is some exciting news about our nature reserve or local green space, we try to write a quick blog post to let everyone know. We love feedback and ideas so please do keep in contact by emailing us or via social media.
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News
Thank you to everyone who donated to the Trust's appeal and who bid for the fantastic work of Axel Scheffler in our recent auction. Your donations and contributions enable us to continue to save important historic structures like the Thames Eyot Boathouse and increase biodiversity in South West London. We are delighted to be working with English Heritage and the Marble Hill Revived programme to promote restoration of perennial wildflower meadows which have been in decline for decades. We are gearing up for the 2020 Secret Art Sale and we have many exciting and inspiring contributions. There is still time to submit your artwork and we would love to hear from you.
Green Hubs: thanks to a grant from People's Postcode Lottery, the Trust is able to support local groups in creating Green Hubs. These hubs will act as stepping stones for large green spaces combating the effects of fragmentation due to urban development, and there are already a few in Kingston - find out how to get involved here.
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Click on the website icon below for information about ET's Green Infrastructure Project or contact Stephen James.
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A network of local environmental organisations covering a wide range of green issues in Kingston
Do we need to reconvene KEF?
There are a lot of environment issues around the borough at the moment: new cycle lanes and opposition to them; development; maintenance of green spaces, grass verges, trees; air quality and traffic; action on last years' Climate Emergency Declaration; Seething Wells... and maybe there is a role for an apolitical cross-cutting environmental forum that can support and encourage the Council when it does the right thing and/or urge it to do more... If a KEF member-group would like to revive meetings (maybe via Zoom) and/or KEF group projects and responses, do please get in touch.
In the meantime, KEF’s website provides useful information and resources and its Facebook page is a good place for sharing local environmental information and concerns.
KEF blog
If you’d like to write something on a green theme that is too long for this newsletter or too broad for more specialist green groups, please send it to us for possible publication in KEF’s blog.
Local green organisations, do make sure you are still members and have a look occasionally, and new organisations are welcome to join too – there may be a question or issue for you to take up. Readers, there is almost certain to be an organisation or person in the group who can answer your questions or take up issues or send you in the right direction. If KEF (or one of the organisations that feature in this newsletter, many of which are KEF members) can’t help, we almost certainly know someone who can.
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Hogsmill Community Garden
Hogsmill is planning to open again the beginning of September, and will send out more info nearer the time.
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Canbury Community Garden
Thanks to The Circulatory, we now have a new parasol (pictured left, with Peter who installed it as securely as possible), a replacement for one that was stolen last year. We have continued to work safely in the Garden with just a few volunteers at a time and it is looking much better than it did as a result - we may even have some harvests to share later in the year.
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 Muddy Toddler Club hopes to return to Canbury Community Garden in September.
Why the Canbury Community Chicken Collective chickens love us - there's a clue in the photo.
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More gardening news
Grow food to donate
Join Community Harvest and Capital Growth will equip you with the tools, materials and advice you need to grow much needed, healthy, local food for people in your neighbourhoods. Community gardens, allotments, larger urban farms or home growers can apply - sign in to your Capital Growth dashboard to complete the simple form.
Capital Growth online training sessions
Learn about urban food growing, running community gardens and themes from climate resilience to growing for nature, in some short and some longer workshops. Recordings of some of sessions are also available to members on the Capital Growth member's dashboard. |
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Regular community gardening sessions limited
Contact gardens via their Facebook pages to find out more or to make an appointment.
Useful resources
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XR Kingston 
Coming soon
For XR Kingston meetings, actions, film shows coming up check Events on the Facebook page.
News from global Extinction Rebellion here
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Kingston Council news
Kingston Council has commissioned an independent review of the local Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation. Read more here.
The Council newsletter is suspended for now, but the Council publishes regular updates on Covid-19, what to do and how to help locally. For updates and advice, please visit the Council’s website.
Protected walking and cycling routes have been installed across the borough to make Kingston’s public spaces safer and encourage greener travel - let's hope these outlive the Covid-19 crisis.Let the Council know where you would like to see wider pavements or new cycleways in Kingston by adding to the map here. You can read more about this on the Council website.
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Nature notes
Britain’s Big Butterfly Count
This year may be best for species in two decades after consecutive hot summers, says The Guardian, and there is still time to join in the Big Butterfly Count, which continues till Sunday 9th August .
The wonderful Seek app uses your smart phone to identify the plants and animals all around us, and can make the daily walk much more interesting. Find it here.
Grow Wild stories
Do you have a Grow Wild story to share? Have you done something a bit different this year due to the impact of COVID-19? Have you adapted your project in a creative way? Grow Wild wants to hear about it and showcase some of the amazing things you've been doing and growing, despite the social distancing restrictions meaning that group projects and using seed kits haven't been easy. If you're keen to get involved and share your story, fill in the questionnaire here.
How to create a "Tree Town"
Download Possible's guide here.
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Have your say - 
On a new England Tree Strategy
The Government is consulting on the future creation and management of England's trees, woodlands and forests, and your view are sought. Read about it and respond here.
On public green space and its impact on wellbeing during COVID-19
The University of Westminster is looking at people’s use of public green space, physical activity, and exercise in London during the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim of the research is to understand how public green spaces are used in order to inform policy around physical distancing and the management of green space. Find the survey here.
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Money, money, money...
Sustainable Funding for Community Projects
Sustain's webinar and get some useful tips on applying for funding for community projects during Covid-19 and beyond."Learn your outputs from your outcomes and your crowdfunding from your community shares and much much more!"
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Dress for less
Many of us have wardrobes full of unworn outfits. Here’s how to break the cycle with 20 ways to ditch fast fashion for a slower, fairer style.
How do you use up your whole veg box?
How do you cook an artichoke? Or use up carrot tops? Watch Chef Mark as he gets creative with his veg box, and whips up a meal with whatever he finds inside.
Be water wise, because water’s worth saving.
“Right now, our water supply is under tremendous pressure. It is essential for us all to be using water wisely to ensure there is enough to go around” say Waterwise. Find out why + tips on saving water here.
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Climate crisis updates
Podcasts and webinars
Naomi Klein asks what kind of world the coronavirus crisis will leave us with in a Guardian Live event, and insists that the climate, equality and fairness must be at the heart of the post-pandemic recovery. Read the interview and watch the video here.
Greta Thunberg describes the remarkable and tumultuous past year of her life on BBC Sounds. She has recently criticised the EU recovery plan for failing to tackle the climate crisis and is donating her one-million-euro humanitarian prize to charitable projects combating the climate and ecological crisis.
Community Climate Action in the wake of coronavirus
As part of London Climate Action Week, Semble hosted a webinar on Community Climate Action, with an all-star panel of community action leaders and environmentalists. The panel explored what lessons communities can learn from the coronavirus response to help inspire Climate Action. Catch up here.
Outrage + Optimism
Weekly podcasts from Global Optimism include in-depth interviews with special guests and highlight how we can channel the outrage we see on the streets (and online) towards the stubborn optimism needed to forge ahead. Each week’s discussion aims to inform, inspire and help listeners realise that this is the most challenging, but also the most exciting, time. Guests so far have included David Attenborough, Ellie Goulding, Jane Goodall, Greta Thunberg, Richard Branson, Wanjira Mathai, John Kerry, David Miliband and many more. Catch up here
Build back better...
Humanity Rising towards a new economics?
Humanity Rising at Universe.org have been hosting some amazing webinars and on day 64 (Friday 24th July) they hosted a webinar on Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics and its application to cities they have been working with: Amsterdam, Portland and Philadelphia. All the webinars are free to access and give good insights into the incredible work that is taking place around the globe to enable us to shift. The good news, lots of people are ‘on it’, the bad news. we are absolutely nowhere near where we need to be. The webinar, The Fundamentals of Doughnut Economics provides some practical tools and approaches for looking at communities and cities. (You may have to register to access the weblinks above.) Perhaps there is something here that Kingston could implement?
Change The Rules, says NEF
We need to build back better, but we don’t need to start from scratch. NEF’s Change The Rules website is full of inspiring projects that can help us create a blueprint for a better future. Building a green stimulus for Covid-19 sets out a plan for rapid investment in zero-carbon infrastructure which could create more than 400,000 jobs, and A green stimulus for housing shows how a proper housing retrofit programme could create hundreds of thousands of jobs, save families £400 a year and cut household emissions by 20%.
The RSPB agrees
As the UK starts to recover from the impacts of Covid-19, there is a rare opportunity to put nature right at the heart of our economic recovery. The government has now announced a 'build, build, build' strategy, but environmental regulations have already been dismissed as 'newt-counting delays'. These vital laws are essential, not only for protecting the value of sites and species, but for ensuring everyone has access to nature-rich spaces that support our physical and mental well-being. Read more here.
The 15-minute city 
The 15-minute city, a new vision of urban living. Could Kingston be a 15-minute town?
Fuels of the future? Challenging ideas to think about...
Could hydrogen fuel a green recovery for Britain?
Or how about Stable Salt Reactors which burn nuclear waste to generate electricity? “The science is done - it’s just a matter of nuclear approval processes and construction.” say Moltex Energy.
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More things we like this month 
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- Sustrans tips for active travellers
- Things That Made the Modern Economy: The Bicycle - BBC radio programme about the bicycle as a transformative technology in its time, with many good years still to come
- Independent Retailer Month in July - we’re sorry we missed this, but think we should celebrate the important role smaller, local, independent shops have played in our communities during lockdown, showing a flexibilty and resourcefulness that their bigger brothers just can’t manage.
- The UK’s first Community Municipal Investment which empowers people to loan money to their local council to help fund green developments in their area, while earning themselves a return.
- Semble - join the mailing list, for workshops and news and find workshop resources here, including on managing volunteers, using Zoom, sustainable funding , and advice from community groups on the front line.
- My Green Pod for lots more natural, ethical, sustainable stuff
- Past issues of Kingston Environment News, in case you've missed other good things.
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Schumacher Conversations
Continue in August, live on Thursdays at 2.00pm Eastern
Highlighting the work of past speakers and asking for updates of their earlier remarks in light of recent events. Find out more and/or r egister here
Kingston Libraries’ Eco-Festival
August 3, 9.00am – August 7, 8.00pm
See the full programe of this week of digital events celebrating local wildlife, questioning our consumption habits, and exploring ecology themes. The festival will feature some familiar faces and local groups, including a “Should we all be vegan” panel discussion, live on the evening of Wednesday 5th August. (The panel, consisting of a vegan, a vegetarian and a flexitarian, was first brought together by TTK for Veganuary 2020.) Participate in the Festival via the Kingston Libraries Facebook page.
Earth Overshoot Day 
22 August, Earth
The date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services exceeds what Earth can regenerate – a little later this year because of the pandemic... Read how the date is calculated and about solutions for improving sustainability
 Stir to Action Playground for the New Economy Festival
Find out more
The World's First Net Zero Festival
30 September - 2 October, Virtual Event
For businesses - 3 packed days of expert speakers and content to help drive the next phase of decarbonisation and deliver real climate resilience. Take action and ensure your business isn't left behind. Find out more and secure tickets.
The second 24-hour global coaching conversation
1 October, on-line
For coaches, psychologists, leadership development professionals and facilitators with a passion for bringing their love of nature and the environment into their coaching and leadership work.See Climate Coaching Alliance for more information.
Clean Air Day 2020
Wed 8 October
Find out more and get ready.
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