Green Matters September 2009
Mulch better
Council’s Parks Service and Hackney Marshes User Group have joined forces to put a load of rubbish to good use.
For the past month, parks staff have arranged for unwanted cardboard to be delivered to the Marshes by the Council’s recycling team.
Volunteers from the user group then use the cardboard for mulch, which makes an excellent bedding material to grow trees from seeds and cuttings at their Tree Nursery and Forest Garden off Homerton Road. Once they are large enough, the trees are then planted across Hackneys parks and open spaces.
Cllr Nargis Khan, Cabinet Member for Community Services, said:
“I am pleased that the Council can support Hackney Marsh User Group in its endeavours to protect and sustain the natural environment.”
More information
HMUG are on the look-out for volunteers. Call: 07950 539 254; or email: hmug@ km551818.demon.co.uk
21 September 2009
Waste-saving breakfast tips
Residents are being urged to cut down on waste and enjoy a healthy breakfast, as part of the national Love Food Hate Waste campaign.
A recent survey suggests one-in-eight people don’t eat breakfast, and say lack of time is the main reason. But including breakfast on a school day needn’t be stressful.
Every day in the UK people end up throwing out nutritious food, including 1.6 million bananas; 1.3 million unopened yoghurts; 600,000 uncooked eggs; 1.2 million sausages and 20 million slices of bread.
Top tips include freezing sliced bread and bagels ready for toasting; using up leftover cheese and ham in an omelette; and making sure milk doesn’t get left out overnight.
Cllr Alan Laing, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said:
“The new school term can be a costly and busy time of year for many families.
“But following a few quick and easy breakfast tips from Hackney’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign can help save time and money while supporting our efforts to reduce waste in the borough. A good breakfast is the ideal way to kick-start the day for children and grown-ups.”
More information
For more details on the nationwide campaign, visit: www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
21 September 2009
Taking a walk on the wild side
A wildlife initiative at East Reservoir aims to divert young people at risk of falling into crime by teaching them outdoor survival skills.
London Wildlife Trust, which manages the N4 reservoir, has won £28,000 in funding to set up a project to teach 11 to 18-year-olds bushcraft skills, as well as tips on how to reconnect with nature and green spaces in order to help counteract gang culture.
The scheme, Wild about Bushcraft, was created as a response to fears about gun and knife crime and aims to positively engage young people, said Leah McNally, from London Wildlife Trust. “Using our unique bushcraft activities in the inner city, we are well placed to reduce crime and fear of crime in London,” she added.
Activities on the agenda include shelter building, traditional fire lighting methods, foraging for wild food, water purification, cooking on camp fires, positive knife use for wood carving, tree planting, coppicing, reed pulling and wetland management. The project will provide 556 local young people with hands-on environmental experiences in an urban wilderness.
Through co-ordinated sessions, the Trust also hopes they will gain the confidence and knowledge to help improve East Reservoir Community Garden.
The scheme, which won funding from the Community Fund and the Youth Sector Development Fund, is due to be up and running later this autumn.
More information
For details call: 020 7261 0447; email: enquiries@wildlondon.org.uk; or visit: www.wildlondon.org.uk
21 September 2009
Cutting emission for 2010
Hackney has become one of the first local authorities to unite behind a national campaign to achieve a 10 per cent cut in carbon emissions during 2010.
On 1 September, 10 local authorities from across the country became part of 10:10, a project that was set up by the team behind climate film The Age of Stupid.
They now run the campaign with support from organisations including Action Aid, the Energy Saving Trust, the Carbon Trust, the Public Interest Research Centre and The Guardian newspaper.
Anyone can sign up from residents, schools and hospitals to Councils and Government departments; from corner shops to high street banks; and from scout troops to Premier League football clubs.
Cllr Sophie Linden, Cabinet Member for Sustainability, said:
“Cutting 10 per cent in one year is a bold target, but for most of us in Hackney it’s an achievable one. By signing up to 10:10 we’re not just promising to reduce our own emissions – we’re becoming part of a national drive to hit this goal in every sector of society.
“It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of a huge problem like climate change, but by bringing everyone together to take action collectively, 10:10 enables all of us to make a meaningful difference.
It’s the perfect opportunity to find out what’s possible when we work together.”
The campaign urges small changes such as using low-energy lightbulbs, turning down heating, making fewer car journeys; or insulating homes. Four major energy companies have signed up to help their customers cut energy usage.
The first 3,000 people to sign up get a free 10:10 tag – the organisation bought an old 747 plane and recycled it to make thousands of these badges.
More information
To sign up and learn more about the project visit: www.1010uk.org
07 September 2009
Sprouting from an old estate
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A new project on Woodberry Down estate aims to grow vegetables, fruit and herbs in one of the borough’s most unlikely environments. By using large builders’ bags filled with compost, residents hope to harvest healthy produce at the currently unused Pewsham House site, and transform their surroundings at the same time. The Healthy Spaces scheme was unveiled on 2 September, when estate residents – many of whom do not have a balcony or garden – could register for their own grow-bag. Sam Alexander, of Groundwork London, said: |
“The initiative was partly started in response to the Woodberry Down regeneration programmes, where old flats were being demolished and new building work was waiting to start.”
The scheme was set up by developers Berkeley Homes and Hackney Homes, which manages the borough’s Council housing, in response to residents’ wishes to do something with the vacant space.
Groundwork London is running the Healthy Spaces programme across London as part of the London Health Commission’s Big Lottery-funded Well London project.
More information
To get involved call Sam on: 020 8985 1755; or email: sam.alexander@groundwork.org.uk
07 September 2009
Making recycling more efficient
With recycling rates improving across the borough, the Council is asking residents to help out by cleaning and separating the contents of their green boxes.
Collection crews sort recycling into various compartments on their trucks. By sorting the contents of their green box, residents can make life easier for crews, which also means teams spend less time on the streets, impacting less on other road users.
Materials can be placed in multiple green boxes where space allows; grouped together in a single box; or separated using plastic bags. Any bags used are also collected and recycled.
Cllr Alan Laing, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “It is important that the Council, the crews who carry out the collections, and residents work together to make the service operate smoothly and get everyone recycling as much of their household waste as possible.”
To order an additional green box call: 020 8356 6688 or email: recycling@hackney.gov.uk
07 September 2009
Page updated: 15 Jun 2010
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