London community climate and environment action

This article is the beginnings of a page for London community action in response to Climate emergency and Ecological emergency. The first part focuses on climate action and other sustainability topics with high relevance to carbon reduction for communities. The second part covers environment and ecological restoration topics. The majority of our information about this is collated via our place pages...Near you.

Climate action

London is a member of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group

• London Climate Change Partnership

Ethical consumerism

Fairtrade London

Sustainable transport activism

Walking

From Wikipedia:Walking in London

Walking is a popular recreational activity in London, despite traffic congestion. There are many streets that provide interesting walks, especially within historic central London. In addition there are attractive commons, parks, canals, and disused railway tracks that provide space for walks. This includes Wimbledon Common, Epping Forest, Hampstead Heath, and the eight Royal Parks: Hyde Park, Regent's Park, Richmond Park, etc. In recent years access to canals and rivers, including the Regent's Canal, and the River Thames has been greatly improved, and as well a number of long-distance walking routes have been created that link green spaces.

• Footways, network of quiet and enjoyable routes for walking in London. Free printed maps or follow routes on your phone. Maps include Central London Footways, Camden Green Loop, Hackney Central Footways, and London Nature Trails. added 08:33, 16 July 2023 (UTC)
• Metropolitan Walkers
• Walk London
• Inner London Area of the Ramblers' Association
• Transport for London walking

Public transport

• public transport directions for London within Google Maps
• Transport for London, city transport authority

Waterways

• Thames21
• Friends of Regent's Canal
• London Rivers Action Plan, the River Restoration Centre

Electric vehicles:

• Source London information about London's electric vehicle charging network

Cycling activism London

The Greenway at Stratford Marsh. Attribution: Stephen Craven

• The Bike Project, getting refugees cycling
• The London Bike Kitchen, a DIY workshop where you can take care of your own bike
• Barclays Cycle Hire, Barclays Cycle Hire
• London Cycling Campaign

Blogs

London Cyclist Blog

• Wikipedia:Cycling in London, Barclays Cycle Hire, List of cycle routes in London, London Cycling Campaign, Prudential RideLondon

Urban sustainability

Networks

• Leti, London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI), network of over 1000 built environment professionals that are working together to put the UK on the path to a zero carbon future. Wide range of publications including, Climate Emergency Design Guide, and Embodied Carbon One Pager. added 10:52, 7 October 2021 (UTC)

Resources

So you want to set up a low-traffic neighbourhood? Here's where to start. Nov 29, 2020^[1]

• Mayor of London's Civic Innovation Challenge

Community safety

• Know Where To Go, online directory of support services for women dealing with domestic violence, rape, forced marriage, trafficking and prostitution
• CommunitySafe.gov.uk, real-time advice and information

Road safety

Campaigns

Stop Killing Cyclists, Facebook Discussion Group, is the direct action protest group set up after last November's terrible spate of cyclist killings in London. They arranged the mass Die-In at TfL HQ where 1,500 cyclists laid down in the road in protest at lack of safety investment in London.

Stop The Killing is the associated group of pedestrian, cycling and environmental grass-root activists who want to eliminate Traffic Violence which includes Westminster Living Streets, Stop Killing Cyclists and the Campaign Against Climate Change.^[2]

Education for sustainability

London Sustainable Schools Forum

Events

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• June 22 - 30, Sat - Sun — London Rivers Week 2024, This year’s theme is ‘London is a river city’, with a focus on health and well-being and cultural activities, thames21.org.uk
• Jul 07, 2024 (Sun) — London Permaculture Festival, Camden, londonpermaculturefestival.com
• Jul 21, 2024 (Sun) — London Land Justice Fair, Myatt's Fields Park. Let's make #London a #commons! For food growing, housing, environment, green spaces, recreation, community, heritage, for US!, x.com

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Biodiversity

• London Wildlife Trust
• West London Organic and Wildlife Gardening Association (WOWga)
• Wikipedia:category:Nature reserves in London, Sites of Special Scientific Interest in London

Rewilding

• Citizen Zoo, Rewilding our future, added 14:44, 2 July 2021 (UTC)

Environment quality

• Mums for Lungs, "group of London parents, established in Brixton in 2017, when a number of us were on maternity leave together. Walking around South London with small babies we became aware of the toxic levels of air pollution on London's streets. Our movement has grown rapidly in the last three years. We've been joined by many more mums — and dads — with children of different ages, and we've established two branches in East Sheen and Walthamstow (E17). We are united in our commitment to deliver clean air for everyone — for our children and future generations. We are a grassroots organisation with no formal structure. Most of our members are ordinary people with no specialist background in air pollution, who volunteer their time to campaign." added 14:46, 5 March 2021 (UTC)

Resources

• School Streets: Reducing children's exposure to toxic air pollution and road danger, mumsforlungs.org, Research concerning 4 cities: London, Birmingham, Bristol and Leeds, Jan 2021

• Breath London, South East London
• Clean Air in London
• Love Clean Air, South London air quality
• #londonschoking

Open spaces

Explore South East London's Green Chain

Lea River Park

From Wikipedia:Parks and open spaces in London

Green space in central London consists of five of the capital's eight Royal Parks, supplemented by a number of small garden squares scattered throughout the city centre. Open space in the rest of the region is dominated by the remaining three Royal Parks and many other parks and open spaces of a range of sizes, run mainly by the local London boroughs, although other owners include the National Trust and the City of London Corporation.

London is made of 40% public green space, including 3,000 parks and totaling 35,000 acres.

• Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC (GiGL), "the capital’s environmental records centre", gigl.org.uk, added 12:31, 15 July 2023 (UTC)

Community river action

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• As effluent from sewage works and agricultural pollution flow freely into rivers, researchers and local citizens are urgently seeking to clean up the UK's waterways. New wildlife-rich wetlands could be an answer, bbc.co.uk (Jul 05, 2024)
• Thames21 welcomes Government’s plan to ban plastic in wet wipes, thames21.org.uk (Apr 22, 2024)

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• Thames21, putting healthy rivers at the heart of the community. "The voice for London’s waterways, working with communities to improve rivers and canals for people and wildlife." Thames21 on youtube.com

Trees, woodland and forest

Thames Chase community forest, 9842 hectares (24,320 acres/38 square miles) located in 47 sites in London and Essex, England. Its stated aim is

...to renew and regenerate the landscape at the edge of East London and South Essex by creating Thames Chase, the Community Forest: a varied wooded landscape for local people to influence, create, use, enjoy and cherish.

It has been managed as a community forest since 1990. The forest centre is located near Upminster and is surrounded by 56 hectares (140 acres) of new woodlands, meadows and ponds.