Help campaign for more cycling lanes

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Old Shoreham Road in Hove installed in May

On Tuesday 9th June the Sussex Green Living hosted weekly Horsham Future Forum and Youth Eco Forum listened to an excellent talk by Francis Vernon the chair of Horsham District Cycling forum. They are working hard to encourage Horsham District Council to install pop-up cycling lanes in Horsham town.

Message from Horsham District Cycling Forum

We’ve seen them going in across the country and now Horsham is finally getting its own pop-up cycle lanes along a section of Albion Way.

With the ongoing need to maintain social distancing as we ease out of lockdown, taking measures to enable active travel will be crucial in allowing people to get around safely. Read more

Holidays 2020 and beyond

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With our current situation leaving us all wondering how our traditional holidays and escaping abroad will be affected, and increasing environmental awareness leading a drive for more sustainable holiday and travel habits, our June Horsham Climate Cafe focused in on what alternatives are out there for us all. We discussed Staycations, SlowCations and Ethical Travel, and came away inspired with the abundance of brilliant ideas learnt and shared. What was clear at the end of the session – there are so many brilliant alternatives out there to the traditional ‘jet-setting’ holiday, so our precious relaxation time is still there ripe for the taking!

For this Climate Café, we were lucky enough to be joined by 4 speakers; Sarah Bamsey (Staycations), Karrie Mellor (opportunities on the Isle of White), Jill Shuker (Slowcations using trains across Europe) and Beth Richardson (Ethical travel). You can watch a video of the talks at the bottom of this page and we have summarised for you below the brilliant take-away points from everyone, so please do dip in and out of what interests you and have an explore of all the shared ideas! Read more

Horsham to get ‘pop-up’ cycle lanes along Albion Way

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Message from Horsham District Cycling Forum

Last month the Government called on councils to make swift and significant changes to their road layouts to give more space to cyclists and pedestrians so as to enable socially distanced active travel.

West Sussex County Council has responded with seven schemes across the county, including the plan to cone off one lane of Horsham’s Albion Way in each direction from Sainsbury’s and Waitrose to the Bishopric to make it safer for people to cycle and walk to the supermarkets and the town.

For an example of what this could look like I attach a picture of a ‘pop-up’ cycle lane on Kingston Bridge over the Thames.

Although initially only along a short length of road, the Cycling Forum supports this plan since it will help local people walk and cycle more safely whilst maintaining social distancing – particularly along the busy stretch of road between the Bishopric and Waitrose where many people walk. This will be good for key workers getting to work, for children on their way to school (once they’re back!), and for people going to the shops. Read more

Green Home

Green homes – save money, energy & the planet

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Green HomeHeated households: New report reveals the energy usage and cost of household appliance

86% of the UK are consciously trying to be sustainable

A new report by Wren Kitchens has revealed the amount of energy used by kitchen appliances based on the average usage time and how much power they consume.

86% of the UK are now are consciously trying to be sustainable according to a new report by Wren Kitchens1.

Recycling, reusing, and repurposing have now become an everyday occurrence in the UK as households try and do ‘their bit’ for climate change and reduce their carbon footprint.

However, with energy use for household appliances tripling within the past 40 years2  just how much money and energy could we save by changing to a greener solution?

The new report has revealed that the kitchen is the most likely culprit for carbon and energy usage, due to the amount of appliances the room hosts whilst detailing tips on how to save energy and money. Read more

To Travel or Not to Travel? That Is The Question

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Press release

Holidays on hold? Or help at hand

On Saturday 6 June, Sussex Green Living’s virtual Horsham Climate Café meeting will be focusing on what post-pandemic travel might look like once the world opens up again.

Many questions about the future of travel and holidays remain to be answered. With movement restrictions still in place and many holidaymakers still not knowing if, how or when they can expect to get away, the biggest question may be:

How will people feel about holidays after the pandemic and have travellers’ priorities changed?

Some may be desperate to get away after the lockdown and others may be feel it is too risky for health reasons. The nature recovery may have inspired people to stay at home whilst others may be motivated by sustainable holidays or wanting to make a difference overseas.

This week’s Climate Café event will discuss Ethical Travel, StayCations and SlowCation (travel by bike and train) and suggest possible alternatives to our traditional get-aways. Read more

Wool & environmentally friendly gardening

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Wool and gardening….. Really? Yup Really!
Fact, wool producers in the UK get paid very little money for wool produced every year. Getting wool from the field to the wool depots is not cost effective. Sheep owners give away the fleeces to shearers, burn them or just allow them to fester in a dark corner which is not environmentally friendly.
Garry (my husband) and I started with 6 Southdown ewe lambs 6 years ago. We now have a flock of 32 sheep. We graze on land in North Horsham. A hobby which has become a passion. Determined not to waste the gorgeous wool that our small flock of sheep produce every year, I researched online and found companies, crafters, art and design colleges to recycle the wool too. I did think about processing our wool for yarn and weaving. It would have cost me thousands of pounds so I went back to the drawing board.
What was simple, environmentally friendly, required little processing, cost effective and made good use of the natural qualities of wool. Wool and gardening!  And so evolved WOOL SHrED.

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Help us in global recycling contest

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Press release – Help Sussex Green Living win prize through ‘liking’ recycling video

Sussex Green Living (SGL) volunteer Joy Carter has won Terracycle’s global #keepOnRecycling contest for her “how-to” film that inspires householders to recycle specific single-use plastics during the lockdown.

The film promotes the free recycling schemes run by SGL and Terracycle to avoid items ending up in landfill or being sent overseas by the Council to be incinerated.

Joy said: “Now that most of us are staying home we are generating a lot more waste than normal and it is an ideal time to learn what to do with items that can’t be put in our recycle bins”.

Help Sussex Green Living Go Global! 

Joy is donating the £80 prize money to the Horsham Community Fridge but has set her sights on the global prize and needs your support. The funds would enable SGL to set up a storage facility for all the recycling they sort through ordinarily on a weekly basis at the Quaker Meeting House.  To help SGL win, please watch, like and share Joy’s film on social media. https://www.facebook.com/SussexGreenLiving/

Carrie Cort, SGL founder, said: “We are delighted that the volume of recycling from the local community has increased so significantly – it shows how many people care about being zero-waste. However, we now need to expand our operation to avoid volunteers taking a bag loads of recycling home to sort through. Please support our film and help us win the Terracycle award”. Read more

Launch of two Horsham community forums

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Press release – Horsham Future Forum and Youth Eco Forum launching 2nd June 2020

Sussex Green Living launches Horsham Youth Eco Forum Zoom virtual weekly meetings

Sussex Green Living (SGL) are excited to launch the Horsham Youth Eco Forum as part of the development of Horsham Climate Cafe.

Since its opening in December 2019, Horsham Climate Cafe – a collaborative project established by SGL, Horsham Quakers and many volunteers – has wanted to offer a space for local young environmentalists to meet and share ideas. As we adapt to socially-distant lives, the community formed by HCC feels more important than ever, and the Eco Youth Forum will offer an opportunity for young people aged 11+ to connect on a weekly basis.

Both the climate crisis and the current pandemic raise big questions for the future of younger generations and it is important to be able to discuss concerns and to problem-solve in a creative and collaborative way. Sussex Green Living hopes that the creation of this forum will enable young people to tackle eco-anxiety with eco-action and being an essential part of the local green community. Read more

Get Creative for Nature Over Half Term

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Inspiring environmental art competition appeals for children and young people to get involved over holidays and the summer term. Thanks to a grant from The Boltini Trust, Sussex Green Living and the South Downs National Park Trust, which is the official charity of South Downs National Park, have developed this “Clean Up & Create” a Bright New Future competition for 5-16 year olds in Sussex and Hampshire.

Julie Fawcett, Chair of the South Downs National Park Trust, said “A key focus for the South Downs National Park Trust is to engage young people with this amazing natural asset on their doorstep with all its beautiful landscapes and wildlife.

“This competition offers a great way for children to get creative and think about ways we can conserve and enhance our environment in the years ahead. Young people are the future custodians of national gems such as the South Downs and this is a fantastic way to inspire them”

The aim is to encourage young people to design some artwork with a powerful message to raise awareness of the environment and represent the theme of a bright new future they want for the world.

There are two categories to choose from in each age group: Read more

Horsham Climate Cafe – the value of nature

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Horsham Climate Cafe – the value of nature All of us are experiencing the uncertainty the current pandemic has brought with it, alongside the forced physical disconnect from one another and our usual routines. However, while this situation has restricted us in many ways, it has also freed us in others. An overwhelming number of […]

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