 September 2022
Welcome to this month's joint
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Kingston Green Diary, SEPTEMBER
A selection of upcoming local green activities - see also group sections for regular meetings and other activities.
Sustainable September, including:
- 10-11 September, TTK Eco-Open-Homes
- 16 September, Natalie Bennett on How Grassroots Groups Can Lead Us Out Of The Mess We’re In
- Sunday 25 September: GreenZone 2022
- and much more...
Tuesday 27 September, Transition Town Kingston meeting followed by Kingston Green Drinks
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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.
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Scroll down or use the Contents list below to find something good to do.
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.
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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.
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GREEN ZONE 2022
Kingston Market Place, Sunday 25th September, 10.00am to 5.00ish
This year's GreenZone will be bigger and better than ever in a new central space, with stalls and entertainment in Kingston Market Place and talks, discussions and workshops in Kingston Market House. So please keep it free and come along to meet Kingston's green community, enjoy yourself, and maybe learn something interesting and useful. See details of the day's programme - music, talks, workshops... - as they are confirmed. 
Volunteers on the day: if you or your green group can help in other ways we are open to offers of practical help with organising, equipment, set-up and take-down on the day... please volunteer here. 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.
Cutting back on paper waste - if your group can’t be there or you are considering printing fliers, please think instead about litter and waste and print out just one A4 poster for display with a QR code to your website.
Donations - if you think you might want to donate to one of the green groups in GreenZone on the day , or buy something from them, please bring cash. Most of these community groups are small, volunteer-run, and some may not have card readers.
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News
Recycling, recycling, recycling! 
You can now drop off your bread bags, crisp and coffee packets and plastic bottle tops at the entrance to KEC. we are also collecting ink cartridges, BabyBel packaging, Baylis & Harding beauty products, Fererro Rocher packaging, dental care products, cheese packaging, Pringles tubes, spent pens, pencils, Tippex bottles and broken rulers. You can drop these off when the building is open - Tuesday mornings 10.00 - 2.00pm, Thursdays 9.30 - 2.00pm, and Saturdays 10.00 -4.00pm. If we are not there, small amounts can be left by the recycling containers or put through our letter box.
Coming up
Meet us at GreenZone on Sunday 25 September - see the full programme here.
KEC foraging group
Harvesting fruit, wild food and other edibles around the borough and cooking 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!
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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.
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News and Events
TTK at GreenZone, Sunday 25 September
We will be quite busy at this year's GreenZone, having taken on hiring the Market House and managing the the Market House programme (regularly updated on the TTK website as events are confirmed) + a stall, with Abundance apple-juicing, in the Market Place.
Come along to meet us, and if you can help on the TTK stall (setting up before 10am, taking a turn at looking after the stall, taking down after 4pm...) do please get in touch.
TTK on film
Carbon Copy's filming of TTK for their “Running Out of Time” campaign has been postponed, though the Running Out of Time COP27 relay will be coming to Surbiton early in the morning on 8th October.
TTK's Energy group
Two members are participating in an Eco-Homes event on the weekend of 10 - 11 September - see the Energy news section below or find out more and book a visit at to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/transition-town-kingston-open-eco-home-weekend-2-sunday-10-september-tickets-381737415887 and https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/transition-town-kingston-open-eco-home-weekend-10-11-september-1-tickets-375118237747. You can read about one of the households' energy efficiency journey here.
The Energy Groups is 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. And they continue to give advice to individuals and organisations on request.
Recommendations wanted: as energy costs soar and householders' interest in solar panels and air-source heat pumps is rekindled, the Energy Group would like to create an up-to-date list of recommended installers. If you have had good service recently from an installer and can recommend the company please get in touch.
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TTK planning ahead
We continue to discuss bringing a Library of Things to Kingston with other green groups and Council officers - see Campaigning Together for how you could help. We are also beginning to think about how to set up and fund a regular repair workshop in Kingston - if you or someone you know would be interested in running or helping in a Kingston repair workshop, something like the one in Twickenham or the one in Ham, please contact Damon.
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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 on 27 September, 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, currently on-line
Contact Peter to find out more.
Canbury Community Garden
Open mornings on the first Friday of every month from 11.30am, + gardening sessions every weekend - 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 this year, though it is developing rather slowly, 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.
 Looking 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.
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Transition News and Events
Life in a 'degrowth' economy, and why you might actually enjoy it
An 2014 essay by Samuel Alexander of the University of Melbourne, in The Conversation. The ideas are familiar to Transitioners, but this is a good optimistic introduction to degrowth for newbies (and politicians).
"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
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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 and at the time of writing were approaching the next target of 100 supporters, so please help Kingston to reach 100+.
See Kingston Friends of the Earth section to join in their current local campaigns.
The Weald Action Group is "an umbrella for local groups campaigning against all forms of extreme extraction of oil & gas across the Weald and the Isle of Wight in the South East of England. This includes fracking, acidisation, and all methods of advanced well stimulation." Find out more about their campaigns and recent challenges to fossil fuel extraction in Surrey and the SE.
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.
Event
Walk the Shale Trail
Saturday 1 October, meeting at 11.00am at Horse Hill, RH2 8PP (nearest rail stations Redhill, Horley and Gatwick)
Walk between two shale oil extraction plants in Surrey (Horse Hill and Brockham), which the current operators are planning to expand. This walk has been planned to raise awareness of these sites and to connect with the local community. Walkers can be collected from the station on the day.
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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.
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Feeding and empowering
our community
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News
Moving fund - "The Big Move" campaign 
We are moving to 18 Southsea Road (pictured on the right) soon but need your support to help fund our move! This is a crucial time for us and will determine how well we will be able to adapt. To see all the ways you'd be helping the community and those in need by supporting us, please check out our campaign here.
If you are interested in viewing or getting a quote on the new 10,000 sq ft location, please email Tariq Shabbeer or call him on 07443 508514.
Surveys
Do you use our services? Been to an open day? Have feedback? Let us know what our work means for you and how we are doing here.
Are you willing to share your experience of food security? This survey is open to everyone, not just those experiencing food insecurity - can you help us measure the issue so we can tackle it better locally?
Make sure you don’t miss any news from us - follow our Facebook page.
Events
A true Final Open Day
Sunday 11 September, 1.00 - 6.00 pm
At our last board meeting it was determined that we can have one more open day at our current location in Berrylands, two weeks ahead of our official cut-off day. Find out more.
We'll be at the Green Zone!
We'll be at the Green Zone on the 25th September, will we see you there - see the full programme here.
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 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..
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Events
Kingston Hive hosts Baroness Natalie Bennett on How Grassroots Groups Can Lead Us Out Of The Mess We’re In
Friday 16 September, 7.30 – 8.45pm, upstairs in the Market House, Kingston, KT1 1JS
As we face the cost of living crisis and the climate and ecological emergency, do community groups hold the answer? In the first instalment of our speaker series, Natalie Bennett will discuss the vital role grassroots local groups can play. She will argue community groups can bring about a new type of democracy, supporting and strengthening campaigns in parliament that aim to deal with our current crises. Natalie was leader of the Green Party from 2012 – 2016, taking part in the televised debates for the 2015 election – that year, the Green Party won over 1 million votes. In 2019, Natalie was introduced as the second Green peer in the House of Lords, joining Baroness Jenny Jones.
Free but please register here, wheelchair users, please contact Bob on 07926 620 707 to discuss accessibility
Meet us at GreenZone
Sunday 25 September
See the full programme here.
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.
News
Updates: come along to our meetings or keep an eye on our social media for updates on our search for space.
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Our core values are recycling and sustainability - we upcycle and recycle cycles.
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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!
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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.
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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.
News
Keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates and new events.
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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.
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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 volunteering opportunities in and around Kingston and neighbouring boroughs.
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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!
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News
Meet us at GreenZone on Sunday 25 September - and learn more about climate campaigning in talks in the Market House - see the full programme here.
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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.
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We believe in giving people ‘permission’ to be brilliant because everyone can be brilliant...
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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.
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| If you’d like to join and campaign with us, please follow our social media or email us. |
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 See FoE’s Climate Action campaign for info about how Kingston is doing on climate issues and for resources to support local action. |
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Event
Relaunching KEF
12 September, 7.00pm
KEF will be relaunching during "Sustainable September", in partnership with Kingston Council's Climate Action team, something that could help towards implementing one of KEF's 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 sent representatives to this relaunch and planning meeting - if your group has not received an invitation please contact.us.
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| 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. |
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Kingston Community Gardens
Sowing and growing in Kingston
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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. |
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On Swan Path, Vineyard Close
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Canbury Community Garden
Watering continues to be the most time-consuming task for the gardeners, and we are very grateful for much needed help from energetic Good Gym members (pictured on the left) twice in August, and for the proximity of the Thames.
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Some crops are doing quite well, tomatoes especially this year, and home brewers are invited to come along soon to harvest hop flowers.
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While we work in the blazing sun when we have to, the chickens wisely seek out whatever shade they can find when we let them roam. We will shortly have a vacancy in our Chicken Collective of 7 members, for chicken duty and egg collection one day every week - contact us if interested. |
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Between Canbury Gardens, Kingston Riverside [tennis] Club and Kings Passage - current access only via our Canbury Gardens gate near the bandstand.
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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
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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.
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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.
Britain in Bloom 
Find out more and join in Britain's nationwide gardening competition, The RHS describes it as "a powerful tool for building communities and tackling local issues together. It inspires community groups in towns, cities and villages to make positive changes to their local environment through horticultural, environmental and community action..."
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Green volunteering
Help TTK to build a complete picture of Kingston's outdoor volunteering opportunities if you 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.
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Nature notes
News
How far are you from a green space?
See the London Assembly’s 10-Minute Walk Map which shows priority areas where Londoners may live more than an 800 metre walk (i.e. about 10 minutes) from an accessible green space of at least 0.02 hectares (a common size of pocket park). There are quite a few priority areas in leafy Kingston upon Thames!
The crowd goes wild as sports clubs bring nature off the bench
Across the UK, cricket and golf clubs are starting to do their bit for local biodiversity by ditching the pesticides and nurturing wildlife. Read more in The Observer - and show the article to your local sports club.
Upcoming events and courses
Seven ways to rewild your green space
Kingston Market House, 25 September, 10.30am, Kingston Market House
Whether your green space is a back garden, the local park, a balcony or green roof, a community garden, a grass verge... Kingston Council's Biodiversity Officer Elliot Newton will highlight seven great ways to embrace wildlife-friendly gardening and create havens for wildlife. One of many excellent talks during GreenZone 2022.
Tolworth Court Farm Field Recorder Days
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:
🌿 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
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.
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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.
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.
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Have your say -
See Campaigning Together and Council News, and look out for Megaphone Man in other sections.
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Waste matters
News
 Meet SunrayRecycle at GreenZone
South London Partnership Zero Waste Map 
Find your nearest refill businesses, repair services, second-hand shops, recycling centres and drop-off points, and mending workshops. on 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. If you know a business in your neighbourhood that you can’t see in the map, let the SLP know by filling in this form.
Don't throw it, donate it
Villiers Road Household Reuse and Recycling Centre has a reuse container where you can donate pre-loved items rather than throw them away. Book your slot to visit.
Plastic pollution
Birds all over the world are living in our plastic rubbish. See BBC news and Greenpeace.
Events
Eternally Yours
Ending 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. "Imaginative and inspiring - catch it while you can." Find out more.
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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.
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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.
News
They knew back in 1912!
See cutting on the right.
Political leaders and hopeful prime ministers, take note -
"Our economy is at war with many forms of life on earth, including human life. What the climate needs to avoid collapse is a contraction in humanity’s use of resources; what our economic model demands to avoid collapse is unfettered expansion. Only one of these sets of rules can be changed, and it’s not the laws of nature." Naomi Klein in This Changes Everything
‘The new normal’: how Europe is being hit by a climate-driven drought crisis
Water shortages across the continent, from France through Italy, Spain and beyond, are creating a critical situation - read more in The Guardian or look out of your window.
Why I’m Changing My Consumption—Even Though Climate Policy Is More Important Than Personal Choice
The point of biking or going vegan isn’t the impact of a single person’s choice. It’s about throwing everything we’ve got at a problem that feels overwhelming, writes Aaron Regunberg in The New Republic.
Events
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. |
 Relay to COP27 - Running Out Of Time
Saturday 8 October, 3.40am, Surbiton
This epic, non-stop 7,767km relay from Glasgow to Egypt - to deliver a baton containing young people’s messages of climate hopes and ambitions to world leaders at COP27 - will reach Transition Town Kingston, Surbiton (stop # 153) on 8 th October - early birds welcome to cheer on the runners. You can also sign up to run one of the relay’s many 10km stages.
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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.
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Kingston Council news 
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See the Council's website for the latest news.
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 Money, money, money...
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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.
Grow Back Greener Fund 2022
The 2022 Grow Back Greener Fund will support London's communities to plant trees to provide shade, create and enhance green space and increase climate resilience. The fund will prioritise projects in areas of the city with low tree canopy cover, where Londoners live further than a 10-minute walk from green space and at high climate risk.
Applications are now open for this round of the Grow Back Greener Fund. The deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 26 September 2022. More details in the grants guide. Join the Grow Back Greener mailing list to be kept up to date and find out more about previous projects funded through the 2021 Grow Back Greener Fund or on the Greener City Map.
Useful local data that might help funding applications:
- Kingston Data
- London Assembly’s 10-Minute Walk Map, showing priority areas where Londoners may live more than an 800 metre walk (i.e. about 10 minutes) from an accessible green space of at least 0.02 hectares (a common size of pocket park). There are quite a few priority areas in leafy Kingston upon Thames!
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.
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Food, glorious food...
News
England must reduce meat intake to avoid climate breakdown, says food tsar
Henry Dimbleby says the move is politically toxic but the only way to achieve sustainable land use and avoid ecological breakdown. Read more in The Guardian. Revealed: the most damaging farm products and How can the UK reduce meat consumption and cut emissions?
How secure is our food?
UK heatwaves have caused fruit and vegetables to die on the vine as growers fear the drought and further hot temperatures could ruin harvests this year. Farmers fear future threats to food security if more extreme heat caused by climate crisis hits production. Read more in The Guardian.
Supermarket food could soon carry eco-labels, says study
An Oxford research team has estimated the composition of 57,000 foods and drinks in supermarkets in the UK and Ireland, and then assessed the impact of growing methods, processing and transport, against key environmental measures including greenhouse gas emissions and impacts on nature. Read more from BBC News and Oxford University.
Events
Food Forever Evening Talks
Temperate House, Kew Gardens, final talk on 8th 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.
Kew Gardens: Food Forever in the Gardens
Ends 18 September
Step into the future of food at Kew's event of the summer and discover how we can transform our planet for good through four new art installations and a major exhibition across the Gardens + weekend drop-in workshops and activities and a daily free walking tour about edible plants and the future of food in a changing climate.
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Sustainable energy and transport
(and clean air)
See TTK Energy Group's section of the TTK website for energy-saving tips - we think these will be increasingly useful as energy bills soar.
Car-Free Day in Richmond Park?
Richmond Living Streets and other local environmental groups have asked The Royal Parks to support Car-Free Day celebrations for the first time by closing Richmond Park to traffic except for Parks and maintenance vehicles and Blue Badge Holders, on Saturday 24th Sept and/or Sunday 25th.
Clean Cities on Low-emission zones
Low-emission zones (LEZs) that regulate access to urban areas based on the emissions of motorised vehicles are one of the primary clean air measures in European cities. They have proven effective in curbing toxic air pollution and, for the strictest schemes as a secondary effect, can also reduce road traffic overall and boost the local economy. How can cities design these schemes for maximum impact? Read about the growth of LEZs across Europe and Clean Cities’ policy recommendations.
Solar panels: how to fix your energy bills while the sun shines
Worth doing if you can find an installer: “In the current situation, if people don’t get the message about renewables now, they never will,” says one satisfied customer. Read more in The Guardian.
Insulate, insulate, insulate...
The Guardian takes a spin through the average British house to look at how heat leaks and how insulation can save money and slash Britain’s carbon emissions.
Event
Transition Town Kingston Open Eco-Home weekend 
Saturday 10 - Sunday 11 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.
Talks on energy efficient homes in GreenZone 2022
Sunday 25 September, Kingston Market House
And your questions answered - see topics and times here.
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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
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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
Big Oil v the World, BBC i-Player
The most important story of our time. Despite climate chaos raging across the planet and urgent warnings from experts for decades our dependence on fossil fuels persists. How did we get here? Three episodes: Denial, Doubt, Delay. Catch up here.
Read
 Hothouse Earth: An Inhabitant’s Guide by Bill McGuire
“This is a call to arms,” says Bill McGuire. “So if you feel the need to glue yourself to a motorway or blockade an oil refinery, do it. Drive an electric car or, even better, use public transport, walk or cycle. Switch to a green energy tariff; eat less meat. Stop flying; lobby your elected representatives at both local and national level; and use your vote wisely to put in power a government that walks the talk on the climate emergency.” Read a full review in The Observer
“This accessible and authoritative book is a must-read for anyone who still thinks it could be OK to carry on as we are for a little bit longer, or that climate chaos might not affect them or their kids too badly.” (Mike Berners-Lee, professor at Lancaster University, founder of Small World Consultancy and author of There is No Planet B: A Handbook for the Make or Break Years)
Nomad Century: How to Survive the Climate Upheaval by Gaia Vince 
An optimistic new work argues that planned mass migration is essential for humanity to inhabit a world 4 degrees C warmer. “Gaia Vince’s new book should be read not just by every politician, but by every person on the planet, because it lays out, much more clearly than any existing scientific assessment, the world we are creating through global heating.” Read a review in The Guardian.
The Children of the Anthropocene by Bella Lack
Youn g conservationist and activist Bella Lack chronicles the lives of the diverse young people on the frontlines of the environmental crisis around the world, amplifying the voices of those living at the heart of the crisis. She talks about optimism, collective responsibility and finishing her A-levels in an interview in The Guardian.
What We Owe the Future: A Million-Year View by William MacAskill
“There are 80 trillion people yet to come. They need us to start protecting them” says the philosopher-author William MacAskill in an interview in The Observer.
Listen
The Compass, BBC World Service series on i-Player
Mini-series about society, politics and the environment, including oceans, green energy, trees . There’s a Compass podcast too.
Circular with Katie Treggiden
A podcast exploring the intersection of craft, design and sustainability with the thinkers, doers, and makers of the circular economy, people who are challenging the linear take-make-waste model of production and consumption – and working towards something better. Dip into it here.
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More things we like this month 
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International Car-Free Day
22 September
One day in the year when no car is driven in some cities. Find out more.
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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