Plymouth community action
The aim of this page is to recognise, celebrate and encourage the self-empowerment of community agency networks (CANs) and community groups' activism for climate, environment and many other sustainability topics across Plymouth.
News
Digitally mapping fertile spaces, teaching deep permaculture, all becoming co-stewards: Plymouth’s special social power at work, Daily Alternative (Mar 13, 2024) - “I am a window of opportunity”: Plymouth’s innovative social enterprise sector comes up with Vacancy Atlas, redefining the high street, Daily Alternative (Feb 08, 2024)
- The climate crisis leaves students feeling helpless – what universities can do to empower them, theconversation.com (Jul 24, 2023)
- The Guardian view on the planning bill: new towns must be for people who need them, Editorial, theguardian.com (Mar 11, 2025)
- Dramatic fall in London’s levels of deadly pollutants after Ulez expansion, theguardian.com (Mar 07, 2025) — People in capital breathing much cleaner air, with significant improvements in capital’s most deprived areas
- Six climate change activists sentences reduced by appeal court, BBC News (Mar 07, 2025)
- ‘Global weirding’: climate whiplash hitting world’s biggest cities, study reveals, theguardian.com (Mar 12, 2025)
- Only seven countries worldwide meet WHO dirty air guidelines, study shows, theguardian.com (Mar 11, 2025) — Governments could clean their air with policies such as funding renewable energy projects and public transport; building infrastructure to encourage walking and cycling; and banning people from burning farm waste.
- Many cities are banning ads for airlines, SUVs and fossil fuels – and yours could be next, theconversation.com (Mar 10, 2025)
Video
Networks and sustainability initiatives
- The Village Hub, "providing opportunities that enable anyone in our community (the Electoral Wards of Stoke and Devonport) to connect through learning, signposting, cultural activities and having fun in a safe and caring environment." added 10:25, 15 November 2022 (UTC)
- Plymouth Octopus Project, cosmolocal CAN in action, combining local practicality and global perspective
- Hoe Neighbourhood Forum, added 15:17, 19 December 2020 (UTC)
- Environment Plymouth
- Sustainability with Plymouth University
- Transition Plymouth
Each week 3 different short videos from across the UK or world.
Wales community resources, Climate action Scotland, London community resources / ...This week's Global videos
Community and voluntary action
- Whitleigh Big Local, added 15:12, 19 December 2020 (UTC)
Food activism
- All Ways Apples, community apple festival held in Devonport, Plymouth, in the Autumn of each year
- Diggin it! organic gardening project in Plymouth
- Food Plymouth, city-wide food partnership which works to support the aims of the Plymouth Food Charter and Sustainable Food City Plymouth Action Plan, promoting a vibrant and resilient local food economy for a more healthy and sustainable city...foodplymouth.org
Maps: Plymouth Good Food Map, foodplymouth.org, link not found
Past event
- June 10 -14, 2014, Plymouth Big Food Event, foodplymouth.org, link not found
Community energy
Plymouth Energy Community, charity and a social enterprise, with a cooperative ethos. "We empower our community to create a fair, affordable, zero carbon energy system with local people at its heart." added 10:49, 12 November 2021 (UTC)
Towards sustainable economies
- Plymouth Social Enterprise Network, added 19:20, 19 December 2020 (UTC)
Community resources
Arts, sport and culture
- Fotonow CIC, Visual culture for social change
- Take a Part, arts project for Plymouth communities
Sharing
Borrow Don't Buy, 'library of things' in Plymouth
Climate action
- The Climate Hub, "flagship Climate Hub in the old Waterstones building (New George St) will be one of the first city centre Climate Hubs in the world." added 16:30, 4 August 2022 (UTC)
Cycling activism
Plymouth is at the southern end of the 99-mile (159 km) long Devon Coast to Coast Cycle Route (National Cycle Route 27). The route runs mostly traffic free on off-road sections between Ilfracombe and Plymouth. The route uses former railway lines, though there are some stretches on public roads.
Urban sustainability
- Nudge Community Builders, set up in 2017 by local people living in Stonehouse, Plymouth.
Open spaces
Parks, nature and green spaces, information from Plymouth City Council
Plymouth is home to 28 parks with an average size of 45,638 square metres (491,240 sq ft).[66] Its largest park is Central Park, with other sizeable green spaces including Victoria Park, Freedom Fields Park, Alexandra Park, Devonport Park and the Hoe.
Community river action
- River Keepers, information from bioregion.org.uk (South Devon / Plymouth)
Citizens data initiative
About Plymouth
Plymouth is a city situated on the south coast of Devon, England, approximately 37 miles (60 km) south-west of Exeter and 190 miles (310 km) west-south-west of London. Enclosing the city are the mouths of the river Plym and river Tamar, which are naturally incorporated into Plymouth Sound to form a boundary with Cornwall.
The city is home to 262,100 (mid-2019 est.) people, making it the 30th-most populous built-up area in the United Kingdom and the second-largest city in the South West, after Bristol. It is governed locally by Plymouth City Council and home to the University of Plymouth. It has ferry links to Brittany (Roscoff and St Malo) and to Spain (Santander).