The latest news, stats and facts on key environmental issues. The latest news from Sussex Green Living.

Batting for Change: Repair and Reuse Take Root in Local Cricket

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In a small workshop in Haywards Heath, cricket bats are being restored to life. Barney Morris,
better known as Barney Bats, repairs around 50 damaged bats each week. After a busy
weekend of matches, his workbench can resemble a triage unit as bats arrive in need of care
and attention.

Morris, who runs the cricket department at Wisdom Sports in town, is on a mission to prove
that a cracked bat need not be discarded. His passion began when he started fixing senior bats
for junior players, driven by the high cost of new kit. “The price of cricket bat willow means
getting a good bat is really expensive,” he explained. “Now I get donated adult bats which I can
repair and resize for children and I can sell them at a fraction of the cost of a new bat.”

This local reuse initiative reflects a growing shift towards circularity in sport. The
Farnham-based Centre for Sustainable Design (CfSD) recently coordinated Cricket Gear Reuse
(CGR) pilot schemes in the Farnham area of Surrey and in Wandsworth, South London. In
summer 2024, clubs collected and redistributed over 500 items including bats, pads, gloves
and shirts that might otherwise have ended up unused or in landfill. These schemes saved
approximately 1.5 tonnes of CO₂ emissions and diverted over 100 kilograms of gear from the
waste stream. The items of kit were collected, checked and sorted through drop-off points at
local cricket clubs and at a convenience store and then redistributed to state schools, young
players and an Afghan refugee.

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A Simpler Way: Life With Refills

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Once I figured out how to make refill work in my life, it’s become something beautifully simple. I’m lucky to have an organic shop nearby that stocks seasonal fruit and veg, refill options for pantry staples, toiletries and household cleaning, as well as kombucha on tap and fresh herbs. It’s a place I actually enjoy going to. It’s small, it smells good and everything feels like it’s been chosen with care.

I don’t manage to go every week so I plan ahead. I buy things like rice, oats, lentils, dried fruit, chickpeas, nuts, pasta, shampoo, washing-up liquid and deodorant. I check the jars before I head out and work out where I’ll go depending on what else is happening that week. If I’m not going to the organic shop, I’ll usually go to the market instead. It’s a different rhythm, but still part of the system.

And this is the bit I’ve come to value most. I’ve been able to shape a system that works. One that I can keep up with, that supports my wellbeing, makes sense for the planet and fits into the flow of my daily life. As I’ve mentioned in other blogs, I’m into permaculture and so is my partner. A lot of what I do now started from his system and over time I’ve adapted it to fit how I live. That’s what I love about permaculture. It’s practical and personal, rooted in earth care, people care and fair share. Refill fits into that naturally. It’s about using what you need, making thoughtful swaps and finding ways to tread more lightly.

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From Repair to Refill: Local Projects Rethink Waste and Rebuild Community

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By Keir Hartley 

Across West Sussex, more and more communities are finding simple ways to cut waste and make the most of what they already have. Whether it’s fixing broken items, passing on unwanted goods or switching to refillable options, people are discovering that small changes can make a big difference.

At Sussex Green Living, we’re working to promote practical solutions like these through our support for repair cafés, new refill initiatives and by sharing inspiring stories from across the county. One group that really caught our attention is based just outside Worthing, where bicycles are getting a new lease of life, along with the people who ride them.

New life for recycled bikes

What do you do with an unwanted bicycle? Down here on the coast, we contacted Durrington Community Cycle Project (DCCP), who are tired of seeing bikes end up in landfill. Instead, they show customers how to repair their bikes and keep them cycling safely. What’s more, they’ve integrated the whole repair and reuse ethos into the heart of their local community.

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Six people standing in front of a large “Refill” banner at Chanctonbury Leisure Centre, smiling beside a display of refillable household product dispensers. Three people wear navy uniforms, and two wear Sussex Green Living T-shirts. The backdrop features a sea turtle and the words “Re-use, Refill, Reduce.”

New refill service coming to Storrington this July

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Sussex Green Living is excited to announce that a new dry-food refill service will be coming to Storrington this summer. The service will launch on Wednesday 23 July at Chanctonbury Leisure Centre and will run every fourth Wednesday from 9am to midday alongside the UK Harvest food hub. Local residents can bring their own containers to stock up on household staples such as oats, pasta, rice and nuts. The aim is simple: buy only what you need, cut down on plastic packaging and reduce food waste at home. 

Two weeks ago Sussex Green Living joined other successful community projects at a launch event hosted by West Sussex County Council, highlighting the creative ways groups across the county are helping people rethink what they throw away. This new refill project in Storrington is one of the initiatives made possible by the Waste Prevention Community Grant Fund, delivered by West Sussex County Council in partnership with Biffa. Read more

Socks displayed on pebblesBrighton Socks

The Trouble With Sustainability

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Socks displayed on pebblesby Amanda Law, the Brighton Socks Company

 Having coffee with an old friend in Brighton’s North Laine recently, the conversation quickly, and inevitably, turned to the climate crisis. Many of my conversations do these days, especially when discussing my small business, the Brighton Socks Company. My friend and I agreed, without question, on the need for sustainability across the business. But what happened next took me by surprise.

“What do you actually mean by sustainability?” my friend asked, with genuine curiosity and a hint of devil’s advocacy. The question, loaded with trepidation and intrigue, sat silently in the otherwise bustling café for just a little longer than I would have liked. Here I was, running a “sustainable” business, yet struggling to articulate a suitable response. So I did what I normally do when faced with a conundrum and reached for my phone – before nose diving down an internet rabbit hole.

The dictionary defines sustainability as “the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level” or “the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.” Simple enough, yet when applied to the messy realities of running a business, I had a sense that these rather basic definitions may quickly reveal their limitations. My search continued.

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Butterfly in Childs hands

Children’s Gardening Week, butterflies and beautiful salads

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Butterfly in Childs hands24 May – 1 June 2025
 www.childrensgardeningweek.co.uk
 www.plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/nomowmay

by Marianne Lindfield – Climate Action Engagement Officer, SGL

Children’s Gardening Week arrives as May gives way to June, when the garden has found its stride and everything is stretching into summer. It often falls during half term, which makes it the perfect time to step outside and share the garden with the children in our lives. For those taking part in No Mow May, this is when the garden starts to look wilder, the grasses taller, and flowers that were once called weeds begin to feel like gifts. Buttercups, oxeye daisies and self-heal creep through the lawn, and the air starts to hum with insect life again.

It is a moment for noticing. Children are naturally tuned into the small things we often overlook. A curled leaf can hold a hidden insect, and a dandelion seedhead might spark a whole conversation. Being in the garden together does not need to be structured. A slow walk, time spent watching one flower, or simply lying on the grass and listening can lead to all sorts of shared discoveries.

One year, I raised caterpillars with my children. We watched them feed and grow in a netted enclosure, and we made sure the right plants were growing in the garden before we let them go. That small project opened up much more than I expected. The children began asking questions not just about butterflies, but about the plants they needed and how they linked with the others in the garden. It helped them understand that everything is connected, that what we grow, what we leave, and what we choose to remove all have consequences. Read more

Cover of Start with soil book by Juliet Sargeant

Let it grow: the case for messy gardens and living soil

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by Elle Runton. Deputy Trustee Sussex Green Living.

Cover of Start with soil book by Juliet Sargeant

Learn more about soil health and thriving gardens https://www.instagram.com/julietsargeant/

It would be fair to say I’m not yet a gardener. My grandfather had a smallholding, and my uncle just lays his thumb on a plant leaf and it blossoms at his touch, but I’m embarking on a learning journey—with some success. My local Sussex nursery-bought raspberry bush yields fruit for months every year without fail (possibly thanks to its daily cup of used coffee grounds), and my blackberries are sweet and plump under the Sussex sun. I haven’t needed to buy any of those so-called superfoods—just pop along to the fruit bed and help myself free of charge!

When exploring how to get more from your veg patch, I discovered the importance of soil health. Most of us probably wish for a garden that’s easy to care for, beautiful and beneficial to the environment. According to Juliet Sargeant, presenter of BBC Gardeners’ Question Time, it all starts with the earth. Speaking at the recent Sussex Green Living “Plant to Plate” Festival in Horsham, Juliet explained that soil is not just dirt: it’s a living, breathing ecosystem filled with microbes and earthworms that break down organic material and release nutrients. When we use synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, we harm the delicate balance of nature that supports healthy plant growth.

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LUnmown garden with long grass, shrubs and wild garlic in bloom under a clear blue sky in Sussex during No Mow May

Let Nature Lead: A No Mow May Journey in Sussex

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Wild patch of garden beneath blossoming apple tree with flowering dandelions and meadow cress, taken on 30 April during No Mow May Sussex

Wild garden edge photographed on 30 April in Sussex. Early flowering plants like dandelions and meadow cress are already supporting pollinators.

Written by Marianne Lindfield

Living with the land and recognising that even our gardens are part of it has been part of my thinking for a long time. As a permaculturalist observing patterns, valuing edges and letting nature lead is not new but each year the practice becomes more visible.

This spring has brought a series of small yet significant encounters. I saw my first slowworm weaving through the warm grass at the back of the garden. Newts drift like tiny dragons through the pond and most evenings I find myself drawn outside just to watch them. One night when I could not sleep I went out to look at the stars and found a hedgehog ambling past. These are the moments that stay with me and remind me that the garden is not just mine.

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Festive Fun that doesn’t cost the Earth

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Festive Fun that doesn’t cost the Earth. Christmas doesn’t have to be a costly burden, with a little effort and imagination we can have a waste free festive season, save money and protect the planet for future generations. Read more

Celebrating Local Apples: Sweet Success at Transition’s First Apple Day

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Celebrating Local Apples: Sweet Success at Transition’s First Apple Day.  On Saturday, 19th October, Transition Horsham held its first Apple Day at the Unitarian church hall and garden. It was a great success with over 150 people coming through the door. Visitors were treated to an amazing selection of apple varieties to admire and taste, […]

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Dogs and Wolves

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Dogs and Wolves: Saving nature in Lewes where dogs are behaving like wolves!  In Lewes, dogs are on a mission to help the environment, and they’re doing it by acting like wolves! A long time ago, before wolves disappeared from the UK in the 1760s, they travelled across large areas every night, sometimes covering over 20 km. While they roamed, their fur collected seeds from wildflowers and grasses, which would later fall off and grow into new plants, spreading nature far and wide. Read more

Residents call on MPs to vote for landmark Climate and Nature Bill

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Residents in Arundel and South Downs are calling on local MP Andrew Griffith to vote for a landmark piece of environmental legislation at its second reading on 24 January 2025. Members of Greening Steyning, Sussex Green Living, and South East Climate Alliance gathered this weekend for a photo opp to raise awareness about the Climate and Nature Bill (or “CAN” Bill).

If made law the CAN Bill would ensure that the UK has a joined up, science-led and people-powered plan to tackle climate change and nature loss, together. It is currently supported by 187 MPs, 372 local councils, 1,000 organisations, and over 1,200 leading UK climate and nature scientists.

The CAN Bill is being championed by Dr Roz Savage MP (Lib Dems), a longtime environmental campaigner and world record breaking solo ocean rower. She is supported by 11 co-sponsors from Labour, Conservatives, Lib Dems, Greens, Plaid Cymru, and SNP. Read more

Recycling competition – plastic food storage containers and lids

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WILLIAM PENN PRIMARY SCHOOL ASKS THE HORSHAM COMMUNITY TO HELP THEM IN THEIR EFFORTS IN A NATIONWIDE CONTEST TO WIN A PLAYGROUND WITH A FRAME MADE OF 100% RECYCLED MATERIALS 

Residents of Horsham and surrounding areas can help William Penn Primary School to win a playground with a frame made of 100% recycled materials – including recycled plastic food storage containers and lids, as well as reusable plastic water bottles and caps by bringing this used waste to the school’s public collection point 

The Sistema® Recycled Playground Contest is running from 12th September until 18th December 2024 and the school that collects the most amount of plastic food storage containers and lids, as well as reusable plastic water bottles and caps, in that time will be crowned the winner . Read more

How Affordable are Affordable Homes?

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How Affordable are Affordable Homes? We’ve heard a lot recently about housebuilding. Horsham District Council’s new Local Plan is now with the Government appointed inspector. Meanwhile, central government is promising to double the number of new homes built each year, which could potentially mean a lot more building in our District Read more

A group of people displaying a pollination education station otherwise known as a luxury bug hotel

Preparing for Spring: Flowering Food for our Hungry Pollinators!

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A group of people displaying a pollination education station otherwise known as a luxury bug hotelPreparing for Spring: Flowering Food for our Hungry Pollinators!  As we head towards autumn, it’s time to think about spring planting and preparing our outside spaces and Pollination Education Stations (PES) for the coming year to give our pollinators the best chance of survival during the winter and provide them with rich, nutritious food sources when they emerge next year.

First, we must ensure these vital creatures have safe places to overwinter. These pollinators are essential for our survival, helping to pollinate one-third of the food we eat. That’s where our PES trail comes in, providing crucial havens across Sussex. This year, we’ve been busy installing these stations with the help of local businesses, parish councils, schools, and housebuilders. Read more

Ducks on a sunny day enjoying the grass aroun a pond

Enjoying Ducks and Protecting Ponds

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Enjoying ducks and protecting ponds: Horsham Town has two new family-friendly Wildways Trails thanks to Horsham Green Spaces, and these are a wonderful way to explore nature, with both routes beginning and ending at picturesque ponds. Ponds are often home to ducks, and we are fortunate to have a newly restored, wildlife-friendly pond in Horsham […]

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Worthing’s New Heat Network brings in the Community

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Worthing’s new heat network brings in the community.  Can we really find ways to ensure that everyone gets a benefit from Net Zero? Not just by doing the right thing, or far in the future, but here, now, in terms of tangible things like jobs and lower costs? According to Charlotte Owen, yes, we can. […]

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Partnering for a Greener Future

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Partnering for a Greener Future: At SGL we’re thrilled to be partnering with Greenwood, which is a great example of how a company can become ‘greener’.

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Country Ways

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Country Ways: Val volunteers with Transition Horsham which runs the community allotment. She has decades of experience, as since childhood, she worked alongside her father on his allotment.
When she married, she and her husband grew everything: cabbages, turnips,
swedes, cauliflower, runner beans, potatoes, radishes, gherkins, onions…and nothing was wasted. Even the swede and turnip leaf greens were a healthy part of their meals.
Their early home had been derelict, condemned and unmortgageable and it took them many years to demolish and rebuild; everything was a hard slog. At one point a whole bay window fell out, and when it rained the water came up through the floor, so sometimes they ate dinner with friends in the upstairs bedroom! It was definitely a time of ‘Make do and mend’. Read more

Children in brightly coloured cothes and hand-made animal costumes, reciting a play in the forest with their teacher, looked on by their parents

Animal Friends

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Animal Friends: On Monday this week, I attended a wonderful open-air theatre performance in a hornbeam circle in a private woodland.
  The tree circle to create the ‘stage’ had been planted many years previously and the play wasn’t unique only in its setting- it had been crafted by the young children who performed it. They designed and produced the whole play, including recording the soundtrack. Read more

A group of volunteers on a sunny day installing a bug hotel made from pre-loved pallets in a new housing development

Horsham’s Future: Sustainable Developments

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Horsham’s Future: Sustainable Developments.  Although we have had a change of government and Horsham has a Liberal-Democrat MP instead of a Conservative representative, the pressure to build new houses in our local area is not going to change.

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a rainbow arcing across the sky at dusk over lush treesMorag Warrack

Rainbows and Hope

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Rainbows and Hope.  Rainbows have always been a symbol of hope, and I took this photograph at the weekend, just after my friend had said, “It’s impossible to take a good photograph of a rainbow.”

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Without Nature We Are Nothing

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Without nature we are nothing. With that in mind, Sussex Green Living, Horsham Eco Churches and their supporters joined more than 60,000 people, representing 350 environmental groups on the Restore Nature Now march (led by Chris Packham) from Park Lane to Parliament Square in London on June 22.  It was a well organised family event, with amazing costumes, music, banners and speeches, chants led by children and echoed by adults.  Carrie Cort, CEO Sussex Green Living, said it was her first attendance at an event like that in London, she found it inspiring, empowering and motivating. She felt very honoured to walk with so many others and met people who had travelled from as far afield as Aberdeen, Abergavenny and the Lake District to join the march. Read more

Vote Wisely for the Planet

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Vote Wisely for the Planet.  Sussex Green Living recently hosted the launch of Horsham MP Watch at the Sussex Green Hub. Pat Smith from Dorking introduced MP Watch to explain the nationwide service it provides for all residents.

The idea is that amongst all the spin, information, misinformation, and media stories, the conflicting reports can to some extent be unravelled and facts presented more clearly to inform people about what government advisors are saying, what candidates are saying, what they are doing, and what the MPs are actually voting for (or against).

MP Watch aims to provide unbiased information about MPs across all parties, so voters can be better informed.

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Confessions of a Reformed Lawn Addict

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Confessions of a reformed Lawn Addict.  Oh, the swelling ambition with which I greeted my first lawn! (it was tiny). How I would nurture it!  Feed it. Weed it, ruthlessly. Mow it close, until its stripes looked like the No 1 Court at Wimbledon.

Reality was very different. Inconvenient patches of muddy brown forever reappeared, worsening as my mower’s wheels tore into the damp sward. Which remained stubbornly uneven and tufty. Meanwhile, pesky “weeds” as I called them, just kept coming back. Not only had I committed myself to a futile task, I was looking in the wrong direction altogether. Was it all worth it? Read more