 March 2022
Welcome to this month's joint newsletter of
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Now that spring is on the horizon and Covid regulations are relaxing (though we'd advise continued caution and consideration for others, especially the more vulnerable), we look forward to more local green activities and get-togethers to enjoy, particularly outdoors.
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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News and Events
Pottering and Potting
We held two Pottering with Pots workshops at half-term and hope to have some similar events in early April. We are looking into setting up a Propagation Club where we will be sowing and potting on seeds and seedlings - please get in touch with Pat on 0776 2846 906 if interested so that we can sort out suitable times.
Annual Seed Swap
Sunday 27 March
Look out for more details on our Facebook page. Please drop off any seeds you want to swap to Kingston Environment Centre on any Thursday or Saturday. We will shortly have a container outside where seeds can be left at other times.
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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.
Contact Pat on 0776 2846 906.
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
Looking before we leap...
Since the loss of our chair Alison for health reasons and the reduction of our management team to an inviably tiny number, we have brought TTK stakeholders together twice to think about where we are and how to secure a more visible and active future for TTK and its projects – in the language of the Transition movement, how to “bounce forward”. We have probably been too reticent about the TTK activities that have continued despite Covid over the past two years: participating in the Council’s Covid Recovery Task Force; advising Council officers on energy efficiency issues and the circular economy; maintaining projects such as Canbury Community Garden and Abundance; leading on creating October’s GreenZone; getting funding for a Big Seed Giveaway (from Kingston Council), the 2021 Green Zone (from The Climate Coalition) and for a visioning exercise (from the Transition Network); supporting a Climate Emergency Centre in Kingston, holding two AGMs, one virtual, one IRL... We have much to thank Alison, the TTK management team and project leaders for, but we need you too – anyone who can help to secure and grow our future before the end of the year is welcome to come along to our team meetings on the last Tuesday of every month, followed by Green Drinks. Our monthly team meeting notes are now saved on the website once they have been approved.
TTK Energy Group
The RYA is encouraging sailing clubs to be more environmentally sustainable, and TTK’s Energy Group is advising Tamesis Club, Teddington, of which Peter of the EG is a member, on how to implement a system which could replace something like 70% of its energy use with renewable energy. The first phase will be to install solar PV, say 4.5kWp capacity, and use this to: run the freezer and two fridges which tend to consume a lot of electricity, particularly on sunny days when the solar gain in the buildings is high; heat hot water for use in the changing room showers; provide electricity to run the club’s three motor boats and gardening equipment (all currently running on fuels). They have also been advising Park Brewery on installing solar panels.
If you are a member of a community group or business with premises that could benefit from similar advice, do contact them to find out more. But bear in mind that the necessary work can be costly, and that sometimes the simplest and most cost-effective way to green your energy use is to switch to a supplier providing electricity generated from renewable energy sources (see electricity info for more on this). The Energy Group has put together a collection of useful advice on designing buildings for energy efficiciency and environmental sustainability, including on the ever-controversial heat pumps.
A reminder of Transition ethos and aims.
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Regular TTK events
TTK's Stitch in Time
Taking a break till further notice
Waiting for a suitable venue and more help.
 TTK management team meetings, followed by Green Drinks
Last Tuesday every month, next on 29 March, meeting at 6.30pm, Green Drinks at 7.30pm, Spring Grove pub, Bloomfield Road, KT1 2SF
All welcome, though meetings could go on-line again, depending on the Covid situation - updates will be posted on the TTK Facebook page.
TTK Energy Group meetings
1st Tuesday morning of every month
Contact Peter to find out more.
Canbury Community Garden
All welcome to come along for healthy outdoor exercise, to plant and get their hands dirty... See Community Gardens section below.
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Transition News and Events
 Transition London & SE Hub Online Meet- Ups
Find more Transition activities, discussions and events in London and the S E on Facebook
Catch up with Transition Network videos
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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?
A Library of Things in Kingston?
Find out more about how a Library of Things works and where nearby ones to visit are, and express your interest and support for one in Kingston here. Though the installation cost has increased from £30k to £40k since we first started lobbying for a Library of Things in our borough, it still seems well worth doing.
Government consultation on Biodiversity Net Gain regulations
“Your responses will shape developing legislation, processes and guidance. This will help ensure the requirement for mandatory biodiversity net gain delivers positive outcomes for nature, improves the process for developers, and creates better places for local communities...,” says DEFRA. Consultation closes 5 April. 2022, respond here,
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Useful resources for campaigners
Find contact details for your councillors, MP, MEPs, and LA members at WriteToThem.com Rather than repeating our advice on writing every month, we have saved it here on the TTK website.
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 and Events
Furnishing homes for those in need
Save the World Club recently applied for and won a contract with the Council to furnish homes for refugees, which prevented us from needing to close our doors for lack of space, and enabled us to save more of your amazing furniture donations from landfill and help more people in need! So far we have furnished three homes (have a guided tour of one here) and are planning to furnish at least another four this year. And we still have plenty more furniture should any of you be looking for some.
STWC needs new premises
We are urgently looking for new premises as our lease at the Circulatory ends in September, if anyone has any ideas, please could they contact us via our form on the webpage.
Make sure you don’t miss any news from us - follow our Facebook page.
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 Regular events at The Circulatory
Vegan and Veggie BBQs 
Last Sunday of each month
We encourage musicians to come and jam, food is free, with a donation box for those who'd like to give something for what they have. This is a great opportunity to meet people, network, find out more about us and have a look around the warehouse to see if there are any goods you'd like.
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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News and Events
Regular meetings at Kingston Environment Centre and on-line, 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month, 7.00pm.
Fundraiser gig coming up in mid-March - keep an eye on The Hive website and social media for details.
Wondering what a Climate Emergency Centre is like?
Why not visit one of our neighbouring ones: Zero Carbon Guildford (or on Facebook) or Elmbridge Community Eco Hub in Walton-On-Thames (or on Facebook), or watch a recent discussion at Zero Carbon Guildford on collaborative climate action, how climate hubs were created in Surrey, and what councils can do to support community-led climate action.
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Our core values are recycling and sustainability - we upcycle and recycle cycles.
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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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News and Events
The February talks, on the Rewilding Arcadia Project and on the important role of social sciences in tree pest and disease research, were recorded and will be available soon. Sign up for KBN newsletter for dates of future quarterly talk and networking meetings. Volunteers to help with events always welcome - see our website.
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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 and Events
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.
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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!
Read news from Extinction Rebellion 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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Kingston Community Gardens
Sowing and growing in Kingston
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Hogsmill Community Garden
Join us in preparing for Spring, planning sowing, constructing, repairing and getting excited about a building project in March. All welcome. Bring wellies! Find out more about volunteer days and monthly work parties on our Facebook page.
On Swan Path, Vineyard Close
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Canbury Community Garden
Thank you to GoodGym (on the left) for coming along one dark February evening to do some of the heavy work of shifting and turning compost that we rarely get down to. It will soon be planting time when all this compost will prove very useful. And thank you to Kingston Council for funding a nice new shed to accommodate safely all the Muddy Toddlers' outdoor toys.
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"Flockdown" continues to protect our hens from bird flu, though we and the hens are hoping that it will end soon.
Open mornings every first Friday of the month, from spring to autumn, between 11.30am and 1.00pm. Come along, pick up something good to drink or eat from the Canbury Secret cafe, see what's growing, and chat to whoever else is there and/or the hens...No need to book or to work in the Garden, though you might like to return for one of our weekend gardening sessions.
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
A food forest 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 and on Saturdays from 10-2pm. Wear comfortable clothes and stout footwear See Kingston Environment Centre for updates.
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News and Events
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.
Adapting gardens to climate change - a tour of Ham House formal gardens
Friday, March 4, 11.00am – 12.00, Ham House
Free - find out more and register.
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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.
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Green volunteering
 Berrylands Nature Reserve Volunteer Sessions
On Wednesday and Saturday mornings, coming up on Wednesday 2 March, Saturday 12 March, Wednesday 16 March, Wednesday 30 March
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 about upcoming volunteering sessions, and drop in on the day.
Nature conservation volunteering with Citizen Zoo
Citizen Zoo - volunteer with us!
 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.
Volunteering Kingston seeks stories of people who volunteer to tackle the clima te crisis
Volunteering Kingston, the volunteer centre for the borough of Kingston, supports people who want to volunteer and organisations which involve volunteers. We want to tell stories of people who are volunteering to help tackle the climate crisis and help the environment to inspire others from all backgrounds to get involved. If you have a good story to tell and encourage others to volunteer, please email Molly.
Looking to recruit 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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Have your say -
See Campaigning Together and Council News, and look out for Megaphone Man in other sections.
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Climate crisis updates
News
We only have one home...
Angela Terry, Environmental Scientist and Founder of One Home says: “Climate Change is here now. Choices we make every day affect our planet. One Home is full of ideas to help you make informed decisions that will benefit you and also have a positive impact on the world around us. We want to empower you to cut your carbon pollution, prepare for extreme weather events and save money...”
Climate crisis apathy
Here’s how to demolish the most common excuses for climate crisis apathy - we bet you’ve heard all of them! Read Elizabeth Cripps in The Guardian.
 Countdown
Inspired by Johan Rockström and Sir David Attenborough's documentary, Breaking Boundaries and Count Us In have launched a new platform to help you take meaningful steps on climate change. You can watch the latest climate talks from the 2021 Countdown Summit, where hundreds of leaders came together to share a blueprint for a beautiful net-zero future, and find out more and accept the invitation to collaborate with Countdown and take action on climate.
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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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Local elections coming soon
Local Council Elections take place on Thursday 5th May, your chance raise the environmental issues you care about with prospective councillors. (See London CPRE’s useful green space asks here.) If you are not already registered to vote, you can do so here, closing date Thursday 14 April.
Community groups invited to Kingston Strategic Partnership discussion on the vision for Kingston
Tuesday 1st March, 5.00 -7.00pm, on-line
Representatives from community groups are invited to join a discussion about the vision for Kingston, currently being developed following extensive engagement with over 900 people in Kingston over the past 6 months and a first conversation with community groups in January. This upcoming session will include a briefing for those who did not attend the initial session in January, then discuss the emerging vision and consider the role community groups could play in realising it - and would love to hear from you! If you have any questions an/or would like to participate, please email Ann-Sophie, letting her know which group you’ll be representing. and she will send the calendar invitation with joining details.
One in five UK councils have no climate action plan, campaigners say
Climate Emergency UK’s analysis finds regional variations, with a Somerset council scoring best. Read more here and see how Kingston scores here.
The Council’s Draft Climate Action Plan
To read more about how the council proposes to tackle climate change through its Climate Emergency Draft Action Plan and share your thoughts and ideas on it in a short survey, please go to Kingston Climate Conversation | Kingston: Let's Talk (kingstonletstalk.co.uk) There is still time to comment.
Event
 Kingston Council’s annual State of the Borough Debate: "Covid impact and recovery"
Tuesday 22 March, 7.00pm, on-line
A panel introduced by Cllr Andreas Kirsch. will be discussing how the borough came together in response to the pandemic and how the community and the economy are recovering. Find out more, register and ask a question.
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See the Council's website for the latest news.
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 Money, money, money...
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.
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. 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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Nature notes
News
Traffic noise stresses plants as well as humans
See a Guardian item about noise impacts on wildlife and a scientific paper linking noise directly to plant health.
Events and courses
Kingston Beekeepers' introductions to Beekeeping
Find out more here.
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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Food, glorious food...
We depend on the soil and "Growing Communities"
BBC R4’s On Your Farm visited Hampshire farmer Tim May, who has been on a ten year journey to regenerate the land and the finances of Kingsclere Estates. Sarah Swadling finds out why he believes farming needs to be about creating communities, from the tiniest soil organisms all the way to bringing new start-ups into the business.
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Waste matters
Recycle the plastics the Council doesn’t collect
SunrayRecycle aims to reduce landfill and earn pennies for Sunray Community by recycling plastics via TerraCycle and also encourages repurposing and reusing!
Thrift+ at Bentalls
Rethink, recycle & relove with Thrift+, a resale service for your best second-hand clothes. Add a ThriftBag to your order or pick up in-store to receive 10% off your next Fenwick purchase online when you return it. Greenwash and an encouragement to consume yet more - or a useful incentive to reduce waste and recycle - your call?
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Green small ads 
Do you have something green to sell or give away, or something you want to sell in aid of a local green cause? Are you looking for something that someone else might want to give away or sell? Tried local Freegle and Freecycle but with no success? Try here.
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Loo king for, or wanting to publicise, something bigger or more commercial? Try TTK's Kingston Green e-Directory Listed businesses and local consumers are also invited to help us keep the Directory up-to-date and accurate.
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Sustainable energy and transport
New heat pump and hydrogen research from Imperial College
Research commissioned by MCS recommends heat pumps ahead of reliance on hydrogen. Read more.
Are you worried about the energy you use emailing, Googling and watching Netflix?
Are they really as energy intensive as we are sometime warned? Find some reassurance from Carbon Brief here.
Thinking about reducing your energy use?
As the cost of energy rises, there is growing interest in sustainable energy and home insulation. If you or your friends or neighbours need it, there is some good impartial information from Transition Town Kingston Energy Group + how to contact them for individual advice on the TTK website. And if you are thinking of switching to a greener energy supplier, see electricity info for environmental news and information about the UK electricity supply industry, including energy generation comparisons.
Suburban housing could help meet the UK’s climate targets
Architects are calling for mass insulation of England’s interwar suburbs and say that targeting the efficiency and heating of older 20th-century housing (like most of ours?) could cut carbon emissions by 4%. Read more in The Guardian.
Solar Together
Councils across London, including Kingston, are working with the Mayor of London to make the transition to clean energy as cost-effective and hassle-free as possible, through the Solar Together initiative. Solar Together is a group-buying scheme which makes it easier for homeowners and small businesses to install solar panels and battery storage at a competitive price with a trustworthy, pre-vetted installer. To find out more go to: Climate – www.kingston.gov.uk or visit the Solar Together website. You can register your interest for free and without obligation online until 15 March.
Meanwhile, down on the farm...
BBC TV’s Countryfile visits a farm in Wiltshire where cow dung is being used to generate electricity
Cycling is ten times more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities
Air Quality News “...found that emissions from cycling can be more than 30 times lower for each trip than driving a fossil fuel car, and about ten times lower than driving an electric one. We also estimate that urban residents who switched from driving to cycling for just one trip per day reduced their carbon footprint by about half a tonne of CO2 over the course of a year, and save the equivalent emissions of a one-way flight from London to New York. If just one in five urban residents permanently changed their travel behaviour in this way over the next few years, we estimate it would cut emissions from all car travel in Europe by about 8%...” Read more.
Try Before You Bike
 This scheme lets you try out a new or nearly new bike for a small monthly fee. There are a range of bikes available for all ages and abilities, including adapted cycles, cargo bikes and e-cargo bikes. You'll also be covered for repairs and servicing for the first three months and be given an overview of the bike and equipment by a cycling expert when it is delivered to you. Find out more at Cycling during the Covid crisis or Peddle My Wheels.
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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.)
Read
How can we adapt to life with rising seas?
The Big Idea essay in The Guardian by Kristina Hill, associate professor of environmental planning at the University of California, Berkeley. “Traditional defences may fail, and migration won’t be possible for everyone. But we may yet find more creative ways to live...”
Further reading: The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities and the Remaking of the Civilized World by Jeff Goodell; All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis, edited by Ayana Johnson and Katharine Wilkinson; New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson.
Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid by Thor Hanson
How nature is adapting to climate change. Read a review here and preview the book here.
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Regular updates on all things environmental
Most of them will send environmental news direct to your inbox:
EcoWatch - online environmental news, 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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More things we like this month 
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Reshaping Finance: a Road Map for Net Zero and Levelling Up
Thursday 3 March, 2.30 – 4.30pm, via Zoom
A NEF panel, including Joseph Stiglitz and others, discuss how we can reshape finance and harness its benefits to catalyse a net zero transition for families and communities across the UK.
Find out more and register.
A Conversation with Franny Armstrong 
Friday 4 March, 11.00am, on-line
HEART Community Group hosts a conversation with Franny Armstrong, founder and director of Spanner Films, and creator of many award-winning films including: COP26, The Age of Stupid; Rivercide; McLibel... Find out more and register.
Kingston Museum
Until Saturday 26 March
Members of KAOS, Kingston Artists Open Studios, draw attention to and reflect on the Climate Emergency through their artworks, considering the impact of people on the planet, both locally and globally. Find out more.
Earth Hour
Saturday 26 March, 8.30pm, wherever you are
Join millions across the world and switch off your lights for an hour. Take it one step further and sign up to an Earth Hour challenge and discover how you can make a difference.
Find out more.
Thinkers Makers Dreamers
Upstairs at The Rose Theatre
Kingston University School of Art Sustainable Design exhibition. Find out more here.
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.
Living Streets’ National Walking Summit 2022: Walking for everyone
Tuesday 22 March, in person in London or online
This year's theme focuses on how we can create truly inclusive streets, ways we can break down barriers and make sure underrepresented voices are brought into transport planning and design Find out more and secure your place today at National Walking Summit 2022 | Living Streets
2022 RA summer exhibition theme: CLIMATE
“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows” (Bob Dylan)
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.” You must pay your fee and submit your digital entry, including images of your artworks, by 23.59 on Wednesday 2 March.
Kingston Voluntary Action events and training
Ongoing
If your group would like advice or support, 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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