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Kingston
Environment News

       

August 2022

                        Welcome to this month's joint newsletter of

Kingston Green Diary, AUGUST

A selection of upcoming local green activities - see also group sections for regular meetings and other activities


Tuesday 30 August: Transition Town Kingston meeting followed by Kingston Green Drinks 

Sustainable September, including:
10-11 September, TTK Eco-Open-Homes 
Sunday 25 September: GreenZone 2022

+

Regular gardening opportunities

Regular conservation volunteering

What else is happening soon?

The pandemic is not yet over, and we recommend that you continue to look at websites or social media before setting out to confirm that events are happening and to check requirements intended to keep you and others safe. Check the current Covid news and rules for Kingston here.

Scroll down or use the Contents list below to find something good to do this summer.

As always, local news and activities come first in the newsletter and within sections - and most of the local groups below have their own websites, social media and newsletters, so, if you are particularly interested in any of them, follow their links to find out more and join in their activities. If you'd like more news from elsewhere, try some of the sources listed here.

Notes to contributors

If you normally contribute items to this newsletter, or would like to, and haven’t heard from us recently, please (re-)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!  Make sure you receive the newsletter too by adding yourself to the subscribers list too - sign up here. You can update your own or your organisation's contact details in these lists or unsubscribe at any time.
     We look forward to hearing about more environmental activities, on-line or in the real world of Kingston, as and when possible - we try to give local news and campaigns top billing, so do please keep them coming in. Do use this newsletter to promote new local green groups or enterprises – and also to check what's already happening locally to avoid clashes.
     In any case, please send us your environmental news and updates in good time to feature in the next newsletter which will usually go out just before 1st of next month. According to Mailchimp, 58% of our 800+ readers frequently click the links in this newsletter and 23% do so sometimes, a good number of engaged readers worth reaching.

If you have problems viewing this newsletter, please click the link at the very top of this page to see it in your browser.

Contents

This is our standard list of contents, with links to local green groups and events near the top and more general ones further down - not all are live every month and occasional extras may be added!  Regular items in grey boxes change more slowly than News sections and may be of most interest to new readers. You can fast forward to the sections that interest you, but don't miss out by skipping too selectively! 

This is the monthly newsletter of:
Kingston Environment Centre and
Transition Town Kingston
Other local green groups: 
Save the World Club
The Kingston Hive
Kingston Biodiversity Network
Kingston Cycling Campaign
Full Cycle
Habitats & Heritage
Kingston Friends of the Earth
XR Kingston
The Community Brain
Ham United Group
Kingston Community Gardens
Kingston Environment Forum 
Green themes and campaigns, local, national and global:
Campaigning together
Have your say
Green Volunteering
Climate crisis updates
Kingston Council news
Money, money, money
Nature notes & Events
Waste matters & Green ads
Sustainable energy and transport
Food, glorious food
Reviews & Updates on all things environmental
More things we like this month
What else is happening soon?
 

GREEN ZONE 2022 IS COMING


- on Sunday 25th September, 10.00am to 5.00pm - and this year is likely to be bigger and better than ever in a new central space in Kingston Market Place and Kingston Market House. So please keep it free and come along to meet Kingston's green community, enjoy yourself, and maybe learn something useful.

Local green groups: we hope that you will want to take a stall in  the Market Place -  if so, please contact Terezie Wickenden; if you’d like to run a discussion or workshop in the Market House email Marilyn (but be quick as the programme, regularly updated on the TTK website, is filling up fast and you might have to join a waiting list or speak at a future event); and if you'd like to perform on the stage (also filling up fast!) contact Niamh

Volunteers on the day: could your green group help in other ways - we are open to offers of practical help with organising, equipment, set-up and take-down on the day...? And if you are a member or supporter of a Kingston eco-group, we are sure your help will be very welcome on the day – so do please contact your favourite green group to see what help they need.
 
Facebook Facebook
Twitter Twitter
Instagram Instagram

News 


Recycling Minds
On Thursday the 21st July a meeting of Recycling Minds was held at SunrayRecycle. As part of Janine's work with the Kingston Environment Centre we collected together a few local recycling specialists from across the borough to kick start conversations and aims we would like to focus on. Amongst other suggestions and ideas, these will be our main focus for the next few months:
  • We would like to help make Kingston's website regarding recycling more informative, hopefully with an interactive map.
  • We would like to collect more items that Kingston Council cannot yet recycle.
  • We intend to work out how we can enhance outside events to incorporate better recycling and more sustainable packaging that can be reused or recycled better

    If you know a charity or organisation that could collect items or if you would like to attend our next meetings please email Janine Martin or contact her via Kingston Environment Centre Facebook page or website 

 

Coming up 


Rhubarb and Choysum Farm to table sharing 
Saturday 30 July, 4.00 – 6.00pm

Led by Yu Wing and Perle of Au Law Organic Farm and Pat from KEC (see right).


 
Ellen Wong’s "Tapestry of Home" 
New Malden Library, August

KEC is supporting this project - dates and times:  
01/08/22- 10am-12pm (Weaving)
08/08/22- 10am-12pm (Patchwork)
15/08/22-10am-12pm (Stitching)
 


NEW - KEC foraging group
First meeting, Friday 5th August

To harvest fruit, wild food and other edibles around the borough and cook together at KEC. If interested, message Pat on 07762846906, who will be setting up a Whatsapp group. The blackberries are early this year so we need to seize the day!
 
"Sustainable September"
KEC is looking for ideas from our members, supporters and Facebook supporters on what activities they would like to see at the Centre in Sustainable September.

Regular events at KEC 


Square 1 Café 
Saturdays, 12.00 midday – 4.00pm. KEC  
A free and friendly drop-in café for “social recovery from Covid-19 and life generally” started up at KEC in October - a safe, inclusive space, where everyone is welcome, and everything is free. If you have any questions, please contact Tony Williams

Creating a Climate Emergency Centre in Kingston!
Regular meetings at Kingston Environment Centre and on-line, 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month, 7.00pm. See more here.
 


Stitch & Chat
2nd and 4th Wednesday evenings every month


Volunteer gardening at KEC
Thursdays from 9.30 - 12.00, Saturdays from 10.00am - 2.00pm. 

Any gardening volunteers, experienced or not, are welcome to join us - the Square1 café will supply any volunteers with a free lunch and drinks. For details of plant sales and ‘Pottering with Pots’ events see our Facebook page. If you see our side gate open (mainly on Thursdays and Saturdays) you are welcome to pop in and pick up something we have grown.

Kingston Cycling Campaign meetings
First Tuesday of the month from 7.30pm
Find out more.



Listen or catch up with previous shows on Mixcloud..



See the KEC website calendar for info and updates on events and activities at Kingston Environment Centre, 1 Kingston Road, New Malden, KT3 3PE.


TRANSITION TOWN KINGSTON

Website Website
Facebook Facebook
Twitter Twitter

News 


Our 2022 AGM
Minutes reviewing a busy and productive year, and with some interesting plans for future TTK activities, are now published in the AGM folder on the website. 
     In the Transition spirit of openness and democracy, Notes from our monthly core group meetings are also published in a folder on the website once confirmed as accurate at the following meeting.

TTK on film
Carbon Copy recently got in touch with TTK with a view to filming us in August to add to a collection of short films for their “Running Out of Time” campaign.

TTK's Energy group
Members are participating in and planning an Eco-Home event in September - see the Energy news section below - and also offering a couple of presentations on energy efficient homes, one on retrofitting an older house and one on "Heat pumps and other scary (green) things..." in GreenZone on 25th September.

TTK working with others
We have had productive meetings recently with other green groups and Council officers about the 2022 GreenZone, with TTK taking on hiring the Market House and organising its programme of talks, workshops and discussions, regularly updated on the TTK website as events are confirmed..
     We are also discussing bringing a Library of Things to Kingston, probably in Hook Library; TTK intends to apply for some Transition Together funding towards the cost and to support the Council on other Library of Things funding applications. See Campaigning Together for how you could help.

Meeting and greeting Kingston councillors
TTK was at the KVA -hosted "meet and greet" event in July. See Council News below.

Regular TTK events and ongoing activities

TTK core group meetings, followed by Green Drinks 
Last Tuesday every month
 at 6.30pm,  with Green Drinks at 7.30pm - next one on 30 August, Spring Grove pub, Bloomfield Road, KT1 2SF
All welcome, but check updates on the TTK Facebook page before setting out. We welcome new Transition ideas and projects, so if you have something you'd like to offer under the TTK umbrella please visit our website to see if your idea would fit into TTK's aims and ethos and do let us know. Notes from these meetings are normally published on the website once confirmed as accurate at the following month's meeting.

TTK Energy Group meetings
1st Tuesday morning of every month
The Energy group is now planning a TTK Eco-Homes weekend in September - see Energy news below for more on this. Contact Peter to find out more.

Canbury Community Garden
Open mornings, first Friday of every month from 11.30am + weekend gardening sessions -  all welcome to come along for healthy outdoor exercise, to plant and get their hands dirty... See Community Gardens section below.

Kingston's green history
One project TTK started recently is to try to compile a history of environmental activism in Kingston. Green activities in our borough go back a long way, and we think it would be interesting and worthwhile to create a timeline to capture stories before they are lost, as well as helpful to current green groups as a source of inspiration and experience. Do please get in touch if you can share dates, photos, memories...

Helping the local community to find outdoor volunteering opportunities
TTK has begun to  create a draft web-page of outdoor volunteering opportunities in the borough, so that people can find somewhere near them where they can grow food in a community garden or look after nature in a conservation project, sharing skills while getting healthy exercise and meeting new people. If your project is there, please check that the information and links are accurate and send a logo or picture to include; if your outdoor project is not featured help us to complete the picture by sending the info listed here.  

Kingston Green e-Directory logoLooking for, or wanting to publicise, a local green enterprise? Try TTK's Kingston Green e-Directory. Local businesses and consumers are also invited to help us keep the Directory up-to-date and accurate.


Transition News and Events

 
"Together We Can..."
Catch up with with an impressive range of sessions from May’s Transition Network Summit and more in Transition Network videos - something to inspire us all.

Transition London & SE Hub Online Meet- Ups
Find
more Transition activities, discussions and events in London and the S E on Facebook.


Transition Together web-links
Website Website
Facebook Facebook
Twitter Twitter

Campaigning together 


"If working apart we are a force powerful to destabilise our planet, surely working together we are powerful enough to save it." Sir David Attenborough, COP26.

 

Please tell us about local and national green campaigns we should highlight in this section. See the Have Your Say and Kingston Council sections and look out for Megaphone Man for more opportunities. Please take action - if not us, who? 

Help to bring Library of Things to Kingston
Library of Things is a place where you can borrow useful Things for your home, projects and adventures. Help to bring one here by adding your support - we've passed the first hurdle, getting 50+ supporters, now we need lots more of you to show how many of us would like and use one in Kingston.

See Kingston Friends of the Earth section to join in their current local campaigns.

https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/cleanair

See Nature Notes to join the Pesticide-Free Towns Campaign
 
One Tree Day in October
Do you have children or can you influence a local school? The environmental charity Just One Tree would like as many people as possible to ask their local schools to participate in their One Tree Day in October. 

Campaign for a frequent flyer levy
Despite air travel being one of the highest contributors to the UK’s carbon emissions, our government refuses to ensure that flight emissions start falling. The fairest way to reduce flights would be for the government to bring in a frequent flyer levy. You can find out more here, but in short this would mean that the more someone flies, the more they pay. What to do? Tell your MP that you back the frequent flyer levy via Possible’s web-tool.

Useful resources for campaigners

 

Find contact details for your new councillors, MPs, 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.

TheyWorkForYou shows what MPs have been speaking and voting on recently, with a page on the website devoted to recent votes and parliamentary business on the environment),

Info on Citizens’ Assemblies: Participo offers info on the research on and practice of innovative citizen participation – useful and interesting for anyone interested or involved in planning Citizens’ Assemblies.

Feeding and empowering 
our community


 
           
    

News 

The Big Move – and how you can help!
We need to move out of our warehouse by September 25th, and currently have our eyes set on a 10,000 sq ft warehouse in Southsea Road (more than double the size of our current location). We are looking for other groups, charities and social enterprises or even businesses to join us to share the space and split the cost. If anyone has alternative offers/suggestions or would like to look around the space, please email Tariq Shabbeer or phone him on 07443508514. 
     In the meantime, please keep a close eye on our website home page for our upcoming fundraiser!
 
Surveys: We will have surveys about our performance and the state of food security soon, which will also be on our website home page.
 
Volunteering
We are currently looking for food collection volunteers - see our Facebook page or full details here.
     
Make sure you don’t miss any news from us - follow our Facebook page and see our short video and press release here .

Regular events at The Circulatory

  
Save The World Club Open Day and BBQ
Now on second Sundays - check STWC social media before setting out
Free, family-friendly and a great chance to meet members of the team, network, explore what goods we currently have and jam with us! Food available for a donation with a vegetarian and vegan BBQ (weather permitting).


A little bit extra to STWC -


AmazonSmile customers can support Save The World Club. Simply turn on AmazonSmile whenever you shop with Amazon, select Save The World Club as your chosen charity, and a small percentage of each purchase is then donated automatically to STWC.

The Circulatory, Unit 5, Chiltern Works, Station Way, Surbiton, KT5 8LS. We are at the end of the driveway adjoining Berrylands train station - look for the big blue barn doors..


 
     

News and Events


The search continues!
The Kingston Hive group continues to search for a space (meanwhile and/or permanent) in Kingston town centre - and you can donate to help this project become a reality here. 
   If your group hasn’t yet expressed support for a climate emergency centre in Kingston, something that would be an asset for all of us, please do. And if you are looking for something to do while waiting for Kingston's CEC, please consider participating in one of the many other green projects going on in Kingston and featured in this newsletter.

Regular meetings continue at Kingston Environment Centre and on-line, on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month, 7.00pm, with some planning and working group meetings and discussions in between. 


Our core values are recycling and sustainability - we upcycle and recycle cycles.
 
          

News 


Support for Ukrainian refugees
We are hoping to support some of the recent Ukrainian refugees looking to get access to an environmentally-friendly and cost-efficient form of travel via our bicycle support programme. If you are another organisation that would like to collaborate with us to help connect and refer people to us, please get in touch.

For all opportunities listed, please email Gary or call on 07421 458835. From all the team, have a great day and cycle on!
KBN exists to highlight and promote local conservation work in Kingston. 
Click on an icon below for news of conservation activities around Kingston - get involved or set up a project of your own or see Green Volunteering below.
 
         

Events


Future events 
Please send us your suggestions for the future talks and remember that these events are solely run by volunteers. If anyone would like to give their time to support future events please let us know. Sign up for KBN newsletter for dates of future quarterly talk and networking meetings. Volunteers to help with events always welcome - see our website.
 

News

 
Keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates and new events.
 
    
 
Monthly meetings at
Kingston Environment Centre
Habitats & Heritage acts for the natural and historic environment in south and west London. In a time where the health of our environment and each other has never been more important, and never more interlinked, we invite readers to support our work by signing up to our Supporter Scheme today for just £10 a year. 
 
               

News


Our Green Hubs Project
The Green Hubs project brings together people from across local neighbourhoods to improve their spaces for wildlife and the community. We increase the biodiversity in forgotten or neglected spaces as we seek to create corridors connecting larger fragmented parks and green spaces in south and west London. We’d like to hear from you - do you have a space that you would like to help improve for nature and communities? Get in touch to suggest a Green Hub near you!
 
Sign up for H&H newsletters and keep an eye on H&H events for conservation news and activities in and around Kingston and neighbouring boroughs.

XR Kingston   

 

Join the Rebellion and help to make the politically impossible inevitable. Everyone is invited to rebel for life. Want to get involved? Here’s how!

Read news from Extinction Rebellion here.   

                        
 Ham United Group (HUG) is a Community Interest Company (CIC) aiming to improve the environment and the quality of life for the people in Ham and Petersham, just next to North Kingston. HUG supports projects and groups that help make our community more sustainable. 

      

News and Events

 
For Friends of Ham Lands' monthly volunteering sessions see Green Volunteering or the HUG Events Calendar. You can subscribe to and read previous issues of our newsletter on the Newsletter page.
We believe in giving people ‘permission’ to be brilliant because everyone can be brilliant...

        

Ongoing activities


Tolworth Station Community Garden
All are welcome to join our upcoming volunteering sessions every Tuesday (10.30am – 1.00pm) and every first Sunday of the month (11.00am – 2.00pm). Please wear weather-appropriate clothing and sturdy footwear. If you would like to attend please email Georgia  and check out our Facebook page for updates.

Take a walk - and discover Community Brain’s walking routes highlighting many of our beautiful local nature reserves and parks, including a new South of the Borough walking guide - Chessington South to Malden Rushett.

The local branch of FoE - everyone is welcome to help us work towards positive environmental change.
 

       

 If you’d like to join and campaign with us, please follow our social media or email us.

See FoE’s Climate Action campaign for info about how Kingston is doing on climate issues and for resources to support local action.

A network of local environmental organisations covering a wide range of blue and green issues in Kingston 
 

          



News


Relaunching KEF
KEF will be relaunching during "Sustainable September" in partnership with Kingston Council's Climate Action team, something that could revive and implement one of our original purposes, "to influence Council actions and to advise and assist on local environmental sustainability". Former member-groups and newer local environment groups are invited to a planning meeting on the evening of September 12th - if you have not received an invitation please contact.us.
KEF is currently a website of resources, including a list of local environmental groups + a Facebook page for sharing environmental news, queries, discussions and campaigns.

Kingston Community Gardens

Sowing and growing in Kingston

Hogsmill Community Garden 

With the garden structures now in place we would welcome any parents, workshop leaders, yoga teachers etc to facilitate their sessions at the garden. Pop in for a chat or email Julie, and see Hogsmill Facebook page for more information and the latest news and posters.
On Swan Path, Vineyard Close
  

Canbury Community Garden

Everything was looking very dry in our community garden in July and our water butts were almost empty.  Fortunately the Thames is still flowing nearby, but water-hauling and watering are hard work and we have had to choose our times carefully to to avoid the worst 
of the heat.. Gardening sessions and  open mornings, usually at midday, have sometimes had to change times to avoid the sun. Thanks to Transition Town Kingston we have been able to replace our stolen water-carrier and a wheel-barrrow wheel. Thanks also to Kingston Council for the lovely new shed for our Muddy Toddlers group (pictured above), safe storage for their toys away from our garden tools.
Between Canbury Gardens, Kingston Riverside [tennis] Club and Kings Passage - current access only via our Canbury Gardens gate near the bandstand.
   

Kingston Edible Forest 2100

is planted for the long term with perennial edible flowers, veg and fruit, details on our website. We are there most Sundays and a weekday evening when there's light. Please contact us to check, as the gates to the allotment site are locked. 
Knollmead Allotments, Tolworth
KT5 9QP

  
  

Kingston Environment Centre 

We will be working in the yard and on the community space outside Kingston Environment Centre every Thursday from 9.30 until 12.00 and on Saturdays from 10.00 - 2.00pm. Wear comfortable clothes and stout footwear See Kingston Environment Centre for updates.

See also

The Community Brain's new community garden in Tolworth.
 

News 

 
Help TTK  to build a complete picture of Kingston's outdoor gardening and conservation projects by visiting the page here.  

Good homes for surplus produce
Kingston Crop Drop, the scheme enabling local gardeners, allotments and community gardens, to donate their surplus crops to deserving charities and community groups, is planning to restart soon. The community  groups can collect fruit and vegetables, but would also welcome help with collection and delivery. If you can help now or later please contact Kelvin Foote on 07885736836 or email him. 

Regular gardening sessions


Visit Facebook pages to confirm opening times and health and safety advice before turning up - and check the weather forecast!.
 
 

Useful resources for gardeners

Rather than letting this list become ever longer, we move older items to Growing Tips on Transition Town Kingston's website.
 
Good Gardens
HUG's “Good Gardens” project
encourages residential gardens that are environmentally kind as well as attractive to look at.

What do bees like to eat?
10 common herbs are among some of the best plants in providing bees with valuable nectar and pollen throughout the year. They also happen to be some of the best herbs for cooking with and easy to grow. Let FoE guide you on how to grow these bee-friendly plants that will make your food taste delicious. 

Green volunteering


Help TTK to build a complete picture of Kingston's outdoor volunteering opportunities if your run one by visiting the page here 

Berrylands Nature Reserve Volunteer Sessions
On Wednesday and Saturday mornings, 10.30-12.30(ish), meeting outside Berrylands Scout Hut, Stirling Walk.
Help to improve Berrylands Nature Reserve and our other local green spaces, making them better for the local community and its wildlife!  Find out more and sign up
Tuesday Evening Balsam Bashes
Elmbridge Meadows, 
Great for making the most of summer evenings, and getting some fresh air and a little bit of light exercise after work/school. Find out more and sign up

Nature conservation volunteering with Citizen Zoo
Citizen Zoo - volunteer with us!  See also Tolworth Court Farm Field Recorder Days coming up in the next few months in Nature Notes Events.

Friends of Ham Lands monthly volunteer conservation session
2nd Saturday every month, 10.00am – 12.00pm, meeting at the corner of Croft Way and Riverside Drive
Come along to help improve the habitat for butterflies. Find out more.

See also -
Volunteering opportunities with Habitats and Heritage and in Kingston's community gardens.

Looking for volunteers? 
Volunteering Kingston is here to help! Volunteering Kingston is the volunteer centre for Kingston. If you are looking  for more volunteers to support your activities or advice on any aspect of involving volunteers we can help: we have a website where you can advertise volunteering opportunities and a resource bank with advice on a range of different topics; we can provide one-to-one advice on Zoom to support you on various topics such as recruitment, retention, reward and recognition, managing difficult situations, and how to organise volunteers when you are an informal group. Please get in touch any time via enquiry@volunteeringkingston.org.uk or 0300 365 9980.

Get Connected
Connected Kingston is a site dedicated to helping Kingston residents find local activities and navigate local services [and local groups to find helpers and participants]. It is run by the Royal Borough of Kingston Council and Kingston Voluntary Action in conjunction with local charities and statutory organisations. Special training is available to anyone who regularly comes into contact with people that may be struggling to navigate or find local activities or services. Our goal is to help residents of Kingston stay happy, healthy and connected to each other. Contact us here and/or register an activity or find something to do.

Nature notes   

Urban pesticides
60 years after the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (your editor's first encounter with environmental problems all those years ago!) a wide range of pesticides (including insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and rodenticides) are still used in our towns and cities. Local councils are the main users, spraying  parks, playgrounds and other green spaces, road verges, cemeteries, pavements and around council houses, but there are also many others including university campuses, car parks, hospitals, private gardens and housing developments, shopping centres and schools... In fact, other than residues in food, the most common way for the majority of people in the UK to be exposed to pesticides is through spending time in urban, public areas. Find out more and join the Pesticide-Free Towns Campaign
 
Wild species support half of world’s population, report finds
We’ve overexploited the planet, now we need to change if we’re to survive, writes Patrick Vallance, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, in The Guardian. Addressing the twin challenges of carbon emissions and biodiversity loss requires political will and leadership and ambitious commitments are needed. Read more.

 


Upcoming events and courses 


Tolworth Court Farm Field Recorder Days
Friday 5 Aug - Ants and other survey groups to be confirmed
Friday 23 Sept - Freshwater Invertebrates, Beetles
Friday 7 Oct - Centipedes, Millipedes, Woodlice, Earthworms

Citizen Zoo, along with The Community Brain and Kingston Council, has launched a collaborative project to rewild Tolworth Court Farm. With funding from the Greater London Authority, this year's project will be focusing on a series of baseline surveys of the site, as well as community consultations and engagement activities, to build a clear picture of what state the site is currently in, how people are using it and how best to manage it in the future. As part of this, working with the Field Studies Council, there will be a series of community surveys to assess the site's invertebrate communities on the above dates. Find out more and sign up here
 
Wild Workshops for Adults / CPD Days In Nature Connection
Hosted by Maria Sprostranova (GreenWise People) with special guests; book a place for:
🌿 Medicinal herbal workshop
Sunday 31 July, 9.30am – 4.00pm, Ham Lands Nature Reserve, Ham

Including foraging and cooking on an open fire with Janine Gerhardt (Medicinal Herbalist) and Maria Sprostranova (Forest School Trainer)
🌿 Earth Education
Fri 21 October, 9.30am – 5.00pm, Ham Lands Nature Reserve, Ham

With Jon Cree (in collaboration with the Institute of Earth Education ),
🌿 September/October - Forest School Level 3 and Level 2 Training
Ham Lands Nature Reserve, Ham

Please get in touch for further details.

And for children:
🌿 Forest School for 5-11-year-olds 
1 - 2  August, 10.00 - 4.00pm, Ham Lands Nature Reserve

Led by Maria Sprostranova & our GreenWise People  friends - find out more and book a place.
🌿 Hang Out in the Woods for Teens & Tweens, 10-16-year-olds
4 - 5 August, 10.00am - 4.00pm, Ham Lands Nature Reserve
Led by Maria Sprostranova & our GreenWise People friends  - find out more and book a place

GreenWise People operates as a non-for-profit social enterprise and as such wish for all workshops to be inclusive and open to all. Please do get in touch if payment in full is tricky for you at this particular time - we keep 2 free places for all workshops and  a number of places at a discounted rate for those who really need the support. For further information on any of the above contact Maria by email or phone 07737 644 119 / 020 8541 0415.


Field Studies Council courses
Find out more here.

Interesting websites and apps for nature-lovers


London Wildlife Trust protects wildlife across London. 
Surrey Wildlife Trust is a wildlife charity caring for over 6,500ha of land for wildlife in Surrey. 
 Nature on your doorstep - whatever your outdoor space the RSPB offers expert tips and tricks to make it a happier place for you – and the nature on your doorstep.
Reading Nature - share your nature visits, experiences and photos from the diverse green spaces across Kingston.
Natural History Museum website - discover British birds and wildlife 
Butterfly Conservation can help you identify butterflies and moths
Froglife has useful information about wildlife gardening, building a pond and much more.
The RSPB’s advice on planting for nature
Friends of Ham Lands work with local naturalists to preserve and enhance the natural habitats of Ham Lands, a Local Nature Reserve right next to Kingston. You can read current and previous newsletters on their Newsletter page.
Citizen Zoo - a social enterprise dedicated to rewilding in the UK – sign up for their newsletter highlighting lots of lovely rewilding news and events.
The London Natural History Society Virtual Natural History Talk series brings together naturalists, experts and specialists via Zoom. Talks are recorded and you can catch up with them here
The Seek app uses your smart phone to identify the plants and animals all around us, and can make the daily walk much more interesting.  
BirdNET can identify 984 of the most common bird species of North America and Europe. from song recorded on your phone.
UK Bird Sounds
Backyard Nature.

Have your say - 

See Campaigning Together and Council News, and look out for Megaphone Man in other sections.

Waste matters


News 


SunrayRecycle
SunrayRecycle have been collecting hard to recycle waste via TerraCycle for over 3 and a half years now, and we have diverted over 3 tonnes of waste from landfill and raised over £4,000. Earlier this year we were awarded the Sustainable Business Award at the Kingston Borough Business Awards run by the Kingston Chamber of Commerce.
      Janine our Recycling Queen has been working at Kingston Environment Centre since May as their Recycling Officer and is there most Tuesdays 10am - 2pm. Please check out the Kingston Environment Centre section to follow her work there. 
     We recently received our first chair made from recycled plastic bottle tops. We are aiming to get flower beds made from recycled bottle tops for local schools - so please start collecting all your small plastic bottle tops (drink caps, including plastic milk bottle tops). See our Facebook page and below for regular events at SunrayRecycle.
                                                         
 

South London Partnership Zero Waste Map  
Readers may find the new SLP Zero Waste Map useful. It shows businesses, facilities and workshops within the sub-region that encourage the circular economy by eradicating waste packaging, encouraging reuse, upcycling and repair or offering facilities to recycle goods and materials once they have reached end of life.  

Are we rubbish at recycling?
Despite our commitment to sustainable living, domestic recycling is getting worse. Who – or what – is to blame? In the 2020-2021 official figures from DEFRA (the most recent available) Kingston came 97th out of 341 local authorities with a recycling rate of 48.6%; the top council recycled 64.1% of its waste and the bottom one 18.8%.
     A good read might be James Piper's The Rubbish Book: A Complete Guide to Recycling.

How the plastic industry turned the pandemic to its advantage
“...During the pandemic, plastic was restored to its original paradoxical status as both a miracle and a menace for society... The pandemic has made clear that we need legislation and binding regulations to address the plastics crisis, but we also need another lever of change. We need to keep questioning the dominant assumption that there can be continual plastics growth on a finite planet...” 
Read more in The Guardian and in Plastic Unlimited: How Corporations are Fuelling the Ecological Crisis and What We Can Do About It by Alice Mah.
 
 

Upcoming events

 
Eternally Yours
16 June - 25 September, Somerset House, Strand, London
A free exhibition, with occasional workshops, showcasing diverse examples of creative reuse and exploring ideas around care, repair and healing. Find out more.

Waste tips at GreenZone 
Sunday 25 September, Kingston Market Place

We anticipate that there will be plenty of advice about reducing, reusing and recycling at GreenZone, so come along with your questions. 

Regular events


SunrayRecycle volunteer days
Wednesdays, 10.00am - 2.00pm, KT5 9QP
If you would like to come along and sort some hard to recycle waste please send Janine a message on 07886552574 or find us on Facebook.
 
Plot 55, Sunray community allotment plot volunteer days
Wednesdays or Thursdays depending on lead volunteers' availability, usually 11.00am  - 1.00pm.
Please bring gardening gloves & drinking water. Basic tea making facilities are available. Toilets available on request, but sometimes unavailable. Please email Janine to find out more and follow us on Facebook.

Climate crisis updates  


Though drowned out by news of war abroad and cost of living and political crises at home, the climate crisis has not gone away, and few rational observers can have failed to link July's record-breaking temperatures to the climate emergency.

A sign of things to come?
UK heatwave: Why is it so hot? Most climate scientists say the answer is climate change. The Met Office estimates that the extreme heat we are seeing has been made ten times more likely because of it.
Extreme weather: What is it and how is it connected to climate change? People around the globe, including us in Greater London, are experiencing dramatic heatwaves, deadly floods and wildfires as a result of climate change.

UK government’s climate strategy "unlawful"
As the UK faced its hottest day on record, the UK High Court ruled that the Government’s net zero strategy breaches the Climate Change Act. The three legal challenges, brought by ClientEarth, Friends of the Earth, and Good Law Project, were heard together in June. The judgement published in July found that the government’s net zero strategy failed to produce detailed climate policies to show how the UK’s legally binding carbon budgets will be met. Read more on ClientEarth’s website.

Common Wealth’s "Blueprint for a Green New Deal"
Read the launch essay here; it builds on previous work exploring a transformational response to the climate emergency, and  launches a year-long project that will research and design detailed policies to transform the institutions and systems that continue to fuel the climate crisis and render our response to it inadequate in both pace and scale, and will set out how a Green New Deal can deliver economic and environmental justice together. 

How the climate crisis is forcing us to change our cities for the better
From Sweden to Sierra Leone, cities are turning the climate crisis into an opportunity for happier, healthier living, reports Martin Wright in Positive News

16 years later...
The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change (October 2006) stated that climate change was the greatest and widest-ranging market failure ever seen and provided prescriptions including environmental taxes to minimise the economic and social disruptions. Economist Nicholas Stern’s main conclusion was that the benefits of strong, early action on climate change would far outweigh the costs of not acting. Are we getting the message yet? Read more about the report or read the archived review here
 



Event

 
Conscientious Protectors: A Film about Extinction Rebellion
From Monday 25 July, in Odeon cinemas across the UK

The film delves into the inner workings of XR’s decision-making and the methods, stresses and strains as XR rallied the country to participate in the largest act of civil disobedience of its kind, taking hold of sites in London for up to 11 days in April 2019. See the trailer and find a screening near you. 
 

Useful resources


What to do? Possible suggests five key areas where we can all take action to tackle the climate crisis.

Recommended by The Climate Coalition: The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, “a non-profit organisation that supports informed debate on energy and climate change issues in the UK.” and Carbon Brief “ UK-based website covering the latest developments in climate science, climate policy and energy policy. We specialise in clear, data-driven articles and graphics to help improve the understanding of climate change...”

CarbonCopy's brilliantly designed map showing us the level of climate ambition from councils across the country - from places that have not yet declared a climate emergency to places targeting net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.

Fossil Free News
There’s so much happening in the climate movement — it can be hard to keep up. Get highlights from campaigns everywhere working for a #FossilFree world, delivered twice a month.
 
Off-set your carbon footprint...
It is estimated that an average UK household emits around four tonnes of CO₂ each year. Even if you’ve pared your carbon footprint  down to the minimum, there will still be carbon dioxide emissions associated with your everyday life. The World Land Trust Carbon Balanced calculators enable you to calculate how much – and then offset it with a donation towards tree-planting and conservation projects around the world. If that’s not your thing, there are other ways to offset – tell us your favourites.

What is COP26, How does it work, Why is it important? A short explanatory video on YouTube

Climate Outreach’s How to have a climate change conversation – Talking climate.

Environment Now – the facts
The Earth is changing faster than at any point in human memory as a result of human-caused global heating and The Guardian is tracking the changes via the vital signs, from carbon dioxide levels to Arctic sea ice, taken from data sources including Nasa, the US National Snow and Ice Data Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

Want to take action on climate change, but don’t know where to start? Possible has divided their campaigns across five key areas where we can all take action to tackle the climate crisis. Click the buttons on Possible’s website to find out what you can do right now to help.

See also our Reviews section and Campaigning Together.

Kingston Council news                                                    

Meeting and greeting Kingston’s councillors 
Transition Town Kingston (on the left below), The Kingston Hive (on the right below) and Hogsmill Community Garden were at this KVA-hosted event in July, where we had lots of interesting conversations though councillors attending were heavily outnumbered by the voluntary sector organisations!
                    
 
See the Council's website for the latest news.

 Money, money, money... 


 

Regular funding sources


Don’t miss funding opportunities for your green group
Got a good idea for a new green project or for improvements to an existing one? Keep an eye on Kingston Voluntary Action’s Funding page and regular Funding bulletins and see below.


Veolia's Sustainability Fund 
The Fund will provide cash sponsorship, in-kind resources or staff volunteers to support not-for-profit organisations and community groups to transform their local community or environment. Find out more. 

John Good Group Grants for Good
Every three months, five shortlisted projects that have a positive impact on communities, people or the environment.will be voted for by John Good Group employees, with these five charities receiving a share of £10,000. Find out more.
 
Grants for allotment sites
Grants of between £250 and £2,000 are available to registered Allotment Associations and committees across the UK for the improvement and development of facilities on registered and permitted sites. The funding is being made available by the National Allotment Gardens Trust which aims to advance and improve the Allotments/Gardens movement through education, training, workshops and support. Non-statutory sites may also be granted funding if a long-term lease is in place. Applications are dealt with  quarterly; the next deadlines are 1st July and 1st October. More info here

Grants for Community and School Gardening Projects (London)
Community organisations and schools in London can apply for small gardening grants awarded by the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association (MPGA), a charity that preserves and improves gardens, neglected sites and green public open spaces in all 33 London Boroughs. The grants can be used for a variety of projects, including planting, equipment purchase, benches and churchyard refurbishments; etc. Organisations that have been awarded funding in the past include Charlton Manor School (Greenwich) funding for planting and hand tools; Christ Church Primary School (Wandsworth) plants and mulch for raised beds; and Queen’s Park Gardens (Westminster) grant towards planting. More info here.

Tesco Community Grants
Tesco Community Grants is always open for applications from charities and community organisations to bid for up to £1,500.  Projects are voted on by Tesco customers in stores across the UK, with projects changing every three months – the scheme is currently looking for applications from charities and community groups who deliver projects that help to tackle food insecurity in their communities. This might include, for example, breakfast clubs, holiday clubs and food banks. Visit the Tesco Community Grants website for further details. 

Food, glorious food... 

 

News


Even in France vegan alternatives are catching on!
Croissants are moving on as vegan chefs reinvent French patisserie. In Paris and beyond, plant-based bakeries are trying to win over non-vegans with new takes on classics - read more.
 
Plant-based meat by far the best climate investment, report finds
Non-animal proteins can play critical role tackling climate crisis, says Boston Consulting Group. Read more. 

The rise of the plant-based burger
Giles Yeo looks at the science behind plant-based diets and the increasing number of plant-based products appearing in supermarkets and restaurants. Listen here.
 
Nine foods you've been storing in the wrong place
One of the secrets to keeping food at its best for as long as possible is knowing where to store it. There are lots of common misconceptions about where certain things should be stored, so Love Food Hate waste is busting some myths in the name of saving food! Some of them might surprise you… See these and other useful tips from Love Food Hate Waste
 

Event


Food Forever Evening Talks
Temperate House, Kew Gardens, June to September
Join panels of experts to explore the future of food as part of Kew's brand-new summer programme, Food Forever. Find out more and book.

Sustainable energy and transport


See TTK Energy Group's section of the TTK website for energy-saving tips - we think these will be increasingly useful as energy bills rise.
 
Insulate, insulate, insulate...
The UK government must drive down energy bills and reduce climate-warming emissions by insulating more homes, a report says. Official advisors the Climate Change Committee says the government's current insulation programme is "shocking". Read more at BBC News.

Green upgrades could cut UK energy bills by £1,800 a year, finds study
And homeowners can boost property value by average of £10,000, shows research by WWF and ScottishPower. Read more.
 
Strategy sets out ambitions to step up walking and cycling in UK
The government has laid out plans to improve walking, cycling and wheeling routes in the UK, so active travel could account for half of all journeys into towns and cities by 2030. £2bn worth of funding has been committed to achieving this over five years, with £200m given to active travel schemes across England, including a £35m National Cycle Network. See more in Air Quality News and let’s hope it leads to real action.
 
Chris Boardman shows what we can learn from Europe
Boardman takes a cycling tour of Copenhagen, where fewer than half city journeys are made by car. Watch the short video on YouTube.  And he compares cycling in Holland and Britain
 


Event 


Transition Town Kingston Open Eco-Home weekend  
Saturday 9 - Sunday 10 September

Two Kingston householders who have carried out extensive energy efficiency improvements will be showing visitors around their homes (which lose a lot less heat than the one pictured on the right) and answering your questions. Booking and details on Eventbrite here and here.       
      More participating homes would be welcome. If you've made alterations to your home to make it more energy-efficient, warmer in winter and cooler in summer, and would like to show other local residents what you have done, talk about the pros and cons, and share what you have learned from the process, please contact Peter of TTK's Energy Group. You can open your home for the whole weekend or for just a few hours, and there will be a registration process that restricts numbers at any one time and protects your privacy.

Regular updates on all things environmental 


Most of them will send environmental news direct to your inbox:
EcoWatch - a community of experts publish quality, science-based content on environmental issues, news,  causes, and solutions for a healthier planet; also on Facebook.
The Independent environment news  
The Guardian environment news and The Guardian’s weekly Green Light email.
The BBC environment news
The Ecologist, currently celebrating its 50th year; its impressive archive includes the landmark A Blueprint for Survival (1972) outlining the need for a serious economic and environmental overhaul
Fix the Planet - New Scientist’s monthly dose of climate optimism

 

Reviews 

We read the reviews so you don’t have to... (We haven’t read or listened tp everything in this section, but we think they all sound interesting.) 


Watch


 Kiss the Ground: The Movie
Kiss the Ground is a full-length documentary narrated by Woody Harrelson that sheds light on an “new, old approach” to farming called “regenerative agriculture” that has the potential to balance our climate, replenish our vast water supplies, and feed the world. Watch on Netflix or find a showing near you or host a screening – find out more here. 

 

Read


Volt Rush by Henry Sanderson  
A hopeful study of the winners and losers in the race to go green reviewed by Bill McKibben in The Observer: “The climate crisis leaves us no choice but to build a new world and as Sanderson makes clear, we are capable of making it a better one than the dirty and dangerous planet we’ve come to take for granted.”
 
Climate: A Very Short Introduction by Mark Maslin
Now in its 4th edition ((Very Short Introductions, OUP, 2021)
 


Listen


Cities made for our mental health, Four Thought, BBC R4
Dr Layla McCay asks us to think again about how our buildings and towns can both benefit and harm our mental health. As a trained psychiatrist and head of the Centre for Urban Design she has brought together the research around this topic for the first time, looking at how plants and water can reduce the risk of psychosis, and how walkability and "bumping" places can allow people to form connections and ease isolation. Can we redesign our surroundings to support a happier and healthier life? Listen here.  

More things we like this month   

  • Global Action Plan - an environmental charity working towards a green and thriving planet where everyone can enjoy happy and healthy lives within the Earth’s limits 

Things we always like

What else is happening?  

2022 RA summer exhibition: CLIMATE
Royal Academy, Piccadilly, London, until 21 August
The theme of the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2022 is climate – “whether it presents as crisis or opportunity, nightmare or memories, or simply our everyday experience of weather, CLIMATE is a huge all-embracing and urgent subject.” 

The Great Big Green Week 2022
24 September - 2 October

Organised by The Climate Coalition working with an impressive range of partners to make the greatest, biggest, greenest week the UK has ever seen. Kingston's GreenZone will be part of this but watch this space for events, ideas and resources to help you plan your own green event. Watch the new TCC film about the Great Big Green Week.

Greener living: your guide to climate change and leading a more sustainable life
Online course, as and when suits you

This New Scientist expert-led online course shows you easy changes you can make to your life that will have a big impact on the environment and help tackle climate change. Cost £199, find out more.

Kingston Voluntary Action events and training
Ongoing
For advice or advice or support for your community group, please complete this form, outlining your support needs and we will get back to you as soon as we can to set up a free 45 minute appointment with a relevant member of staff. Keep updated on KVA's training opps by getting onto their mailing list.  KVA also offer free easy to use websites to community groups. Find out more here.
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