Sustainability for a Thriving Future
The year 2022 begins. Netflix showcases their new movie, Don’t Look Up, the unfortunate story of desperate scientists trying to alert a distracted and oblivious audience to the plight of planet earth, which is due to be hit by a comet. The film attempts to show how our current climate emergency, like the comet, is pushed below celebrity news and the like, consigning it…
Truly honoured last night to spend an hour, as part of the Association of Sustainability Practitioners Earth Conversations series, with Satish Kumar. A true gentleman and hero, Satish inspired us with his stories and words, so here are some of the takeaways from my notes during the evening: We are one humanity, one life and one Earth – all coming from the same origin…
It’s been a reflective month. I’ve been busy with the volunteering (parks are the place to be in summer), family and friends visiting, plus lots of activity in the build up to COP26. The IPCC has just released it’s Climate Change 2021 report, stark reading indeed. We fought (and lost) for a Community Wildflower Verge, mowed six weeks before the ideal time. Tears are…
For the last few months, I’ve been in the privileged position of having a long-term volunteer position become funded. As Networks Coordinator for the National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces, I’ve been helping to organise a series of community empowerment conferences across the regions of England. At the mid-way point, the conferences have proved to be popular and successful, showcasing the work of…
My beloved Mum died in March, with my equally adored Dad preceding her by 14 months. Back in a world of grief, our family has celebrated their lives together, married for 57 years. The joy and sadness continue as we work through this time. So much to tell them since they’ve gone – new contracts, new energy and new ideas. Themes of life and…
Campaigning for change needs stamina and perseverance. For a long time, it can feel like being an annoying mosquito, whining away in the dark, keeping the target troubled enough to not ignore you. Decades ago, environmental scientists began to describe the waste, destruction, loss and damage we are inflicting on our home. The latest IPPC report describes clearly the dangers, economically, socially and environmentally,…
After lots of hard work and some minor technical hitches – my laptop decided to quietly die the day before – we launched Refill Worthing. By working in collaboration with Adur and Worthing Councils and City to Sea CIC, supported by West Sussex County Council and Southern Water, Worthing Climate Action Network created a buzzy and lively event, with excellent post-event promotion. Our fantastic…
I first read about the Refill scheme in June 2017 and thought it was an elegantly simple idea that was replicable across the whole country. As part of Worthing Climate Action Network, we started getting our favourite cafes to sign up, on the app. Our volunteer efforts progressed reasonably steadily, without any significant funding or support. This spring, I was approached by West Sussex…