A Small Island. I’m currently reading one of Bill Bryson’s funny books and he beautifully describes a little-known area near Heathrow airport which has somehow escaped development. The Staines Moor pocket of land has been untouched for over a thousand years and is the only green space for miles that Staines residents can enjoy. Heathrow […]
Horsham Cloth Nappy Library: Changing Nappies Changing Lives We’re Lucy and Sarah, local mums who loved cloth nappies for our babies so much that we’re now running the Horsham Cloth Nappy Library to support other families! As one of our favourite nappy retailers says, “You can change the world, – one nappy change at a […]
Sussex Green Living’s new Pollination Education Station initiative! We are proud to announce the launch of our latest initiative, the Pollination Education Station and we are now calling on businesses, pubs, councils, schools, groups, and individuals across West Sussex to get involved. The Pollination Education Station initiative is a response to the urgent need to […]
Community Composting Revolution Nicky Scott, otherwise known as Mr Compost, is based in Devon and for many years has been the driving force in Community Composting across the county. This is his story. When I started a very small community composting project on our allotments in Chagford, on Dartmoor, I had no idea how it […]
Transition Horsham’s Annual Seed Swap It’s spring! Well, nearly …we have some snowdrops out and it’s just glorious to see them. It is at least the promise that spring is on the way, and it’s not just us humans who appreciate the flowers-the insects also appreciate the life-giving nectar in these early blossoms. If you’re […]
Keep Lancing Lovely – Ten Years Cleaning Sussex Beaches. Down here on the coast, we’re lucky to have organisations like Keep Lancing Lovely: a tireless network of volunteers who clear the beaches of all sorts of mess and rubbish, enjoying themselves and keeping fit while they do it, as we found on the sunny Tuesday morning we spent with Wendy Peters, Graham, Rosina and Angela, the KLL team who were combing the shingles of Lancing beach for wood, glass, cigarette butts, vapes and plastic litter of all sizes.
Give Dry a Try in 2024 We started our ‘Give Dry a Try’ campaign in January – but not for the reason you might be thinking – though that’s an excellent idea as well! From January 27th, the Sussex Green Hub our once a month event is encouraging all to ‘Give Dry a Try ‘ […]
Solutions for Sustainable Heating: Navigating Heat Pumps -With too much heat in the summer and not enough in the winter, Sussex Green Living is delighted to showcase Option Energy Solutions who we met at the Amberley Eco-Day last Summer. They won a Highly Commended National award in June 2023 for their Domestic Air Source Heat […]
Sunday Musings – It’s Time to Fix the Bugs. Last Summer, I went to Pulborough to join ‘Our Amazing Planet’, a service for children at St. Mary’s Parish Church, which I found very moving, when three small children in a beautiful calm space shyly declared their gratitude for nature.
Shipley Community Hub: At the Heart of a Village. A group that started off due to a request for a local Bridge Club has grown into a real community centre! Thanks to a single person,making one small suggestion, the wonderful Shipley Community Hub now sits at the heart of the village. It offers not only somewhere for […]
Recently, as a milestone birthday treat, I took a boat trip out to the Rampion Wind Farm which lies 13 kilometres from the shoreline on the South Coast and covers a total area of 72sq. kilometres. This impressive feat of engineering has been providing green energy since 2018 to around 350,000 homes – around half […]
From the Path to the Shop: Natural community food production. With all the worry about climate change and food production, it feels important to get to know one another to develop good practices for improving soil fertility and the production of local organic food.
Embracing the Green Circular Economy: A Step Towards Sustainable Prosperity. As we begin to understand the challenges of the future, it becomes increasingly evident that the old story of using consumers (us!) to fuel economic growth by buying stuff they don’t need is of course incompatible with the limitations of living on a small island with finite resources.
Amidst multiple challenges, inspiring local projects are emerging that offer sustainable paths forward. One such project is Community Energy Horsham, which embodies the principles of the green circular economy and paves the way for a more prosperous and resilient future.
Community Energy Horsham is a community-funded renewable energy project which aims to harness the power of solar energy, reducing the community’s carbon footprint and promoting clean, sustainable energy generation. By encouraging local investment and involvement, Community Energy Horsham empowers residents, strengthens community ties and provides opportunities for individuals to participate actively in the transition to a greener economy.
This initiative aligns perfectly with the principles of Kate Raworth’s ‘Doughnut Economy which emphasizes the importance of renewable energy, and using only what we need. By generating clean energy locally, Community Energy Horsham reduces reliance on fossil fuels and contributes to a healthier environment for all.
Our pets bring immense joy and companionship into our lives, but have you ever wondered about their impact on the natural world? As it turns out, our furry friends can have unexpected consequences on the delicate balance of nature. From ground-nesting birds to fledglings in trees, our pets play a significant role in shaping the […]
It has been a great joy being part of the Sussex Green Living community over the years and it has led me into many unusual situations! For example, last week I found myself decorating a cardboard coffin with butterflies and meadows, to be used as a funeral director’s window display in Horsham during Great Big […]
The UK’s flying insects have declined by 60% in 20 years. The decline in insects affects all the major groups, not just flying and in the next few decades, as many as 40% of the world’s species could become extinct, including bees, ants and butterflies. Clive Cobie asks the question, ‘”is change in the air?”
In 1992 the world’s governments signed both climate and biodiversity conventions. That was the time in history when the world, already after significant delay and procrastination, understood our predicament and agreed to do something about it. Since then, no number of conventions, plans, targets, ambitions, or “COPs” (Conference of Parties signing the convention) has made […]
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions, and 20% of global waste water. In the UK we buy more clothes per person than any other country in Europe and an estimated £140 million worth goes to landfill every year. Simple changes to how we buy and dispose of our clothing […]
It’s not just Spring in the air! I can feel a new wave of environmental awareness amongst the communities around us, uniting and supporting each other to reduce our impact on the planet.
This month’s Sussex Green Ideas webinar focused on the OnePlanet technology platform which is designed to enable users to understand how health, environment, community development and economy are interconnected, and support pathways to action.
The North Horsham Community Land Trust (CLT) was very pleased to attend the Sussex Green Hub at the end of January to explain to residents who we are and what we are aiming to achieve. NHCLT was formed following an initiative by North Horsham Parish Council in January 2020. We are a community led, not-for-profit […]
We are all aware of the urgent need to protect our nature which has been depleting at a rapid rate. If you want to make some changes at home to protect nature, boosting the biodiversity in your garden or outdoor space is a great place to start. Biodiversity and climate are inextricably linked, you can’t […]
We all want a world where our climate is stable, nature thrives, and where all people have health, happiness, and prosperity – it’s our human right, right? Unless we change things, we are on track to breach the 1.5°C temperature increase limit set by the Paris Agreement by 2030. The breach risks irreversible environmental degradation […]
These Earth’s natural resources are key to our Western lives: water, air, oil, gas, coal and minerals. Perhaps we could be thinking about recycling as another resource that is about reusing these over and over again? Here are some tips as to how and where we can recycle.
