Sustainability is important to this parish and will only continue to grow in importance.  In 2020, driven by the growing awareness of the impacts of climate change, the need to better care for our community and the natural world, we formed a Sustainability Group and have run Supper Talks, formed a sustainability book club, and hosted a Sustainability Festival and a Recycle, Reuse, Regift Festival in our Parish Hall.

If you’d like to volunteer to support the group, have questions, or ideas for events please contact us at sustainability@teddingtonparish.org

Follow us on Instagram:  sustainability_teddington and Twitter: @SustainableTedd, or click on the links below:

2024

JOIN THE CAMPAIGN FOR CLEANER RIVERS. Earthwatch, an environmental charity, report that the state of the UK's waterways is at crisis point. Only 14% of rivers meet the criteria for good ecological health. 0% meet the required chemical standards. Register your interest now to join their largest citizen science freshwater testing campaign this September.  Last month, people across the UK went out and measured the water quality of their local rivers - read the report here.

HELP NATURE THIS SUMMER. The WWF-UK is inviting all children to get busy helping nature over summer, by learning more about UK nature and how to help animals thrive.  There is plenty to be done, so go to WWF.org.uk to order your free Nature Friendly Planner, with printed and downloadable options, and get started.

SUSTAINABLE CLOTHING: Extending the life of your clothes is another way to positively impact the environment. Whether its washing items inside out, reducing the water temperature/detergent, or skipping fabric softeners, it all helps. Or give faded items a new lease of life with a quick in-wash re-dye. Mending too keeps those much loved items going longer.

2nd HAND CLOTHES: 10% of global fashion sales is made up from the second-hand clothes market. An upward trend being driven by people's interest in sustainability, along with rising living costs, and it's a growing habit spanning all ages. Choosing pre-loved items supports a circular economy that values sustainability, ethical production, and reducing waste, which all positively impact the environment and society.

Come along with a packed lunch to next month's First Wednesday Discussion, to talk about the ethical decisions around clothes shopping: Wednesday 5 June, Mina Hogan Rm. 12.45pm.  Or book your place to learn to darn that fraying sleeve of your favourite jumper at Plain & Pearl's: Visible Mending Workshop.

POLLINATORS: There are over 250 bee species in the UK, all relying on flowering plants for nectar and pollen.  Wildflowers provide vital food for all pollinators, including butterflies and beetles, but since the 1930s, 97% of wildflower meadows have gone.  By supporting Plantlife's No Mow May you can help increase the food available for all insects. Find out more and sign-up at: https://www.plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/nomowmay/.

FREE SKIP:  Get rid of your unwanted items for FREE at Richmond Council's Mega Skip Day: Prince's Road junction with Stanley Road, Teddington, Saturday 11 May, 9am to 12noon. Usually there is a charge for bulky waste collections but on 11 May you can put your unwanted items in our mega skip for free.
How it works:
▪️ Max 6 items per household
▪️ First come, first served
▪️ We accept furniture, smaller electrical appliances, black bags etc.
▪️ We won’t accept building rubble, paint or dangerous chemicals
▪️ We recycle the items we collect
▪️ Please bring ID to show you are a local resident e.g. driving licence, passport or bill
We’ll have people on hand to talk about:
▪️ Tips on recycling
▪️ The Richmond Furniture Scheme

NO MOW MAY: Simply mowing less and forgoing the tidying up a bit, encourages the nectar rich wildflowers and leaf piles for hedgehogs, birds and insects alike.  And a messy pile of dead wood left in a corner is a boon for the insects. Great habits can easily be created for wildlife in our gardens. Why not sign-up to Plantlife's annual No Mow May: https://www.plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/nomowmay/.

 

2023

The third annual Carbon Literacy Action Day (CLAD) will take place on Monday 4 December, 2023 – coinciding with COP28 – and you’re invited to join one of our introductory sessions. Carbon Literacy is a term used to describe an awareness of climate change, and the climate impacts of humankind’s everyday actions. Carbon Literacy courses discuss and share the knowledge and capacity required to create a positive shift in our lives, works and behaviours in response to climate change. Join one of our three, 90-minute introductory courses on the 3 & 4 December. Two sessions will be in person at the Parish Hall, and one will be online. Contact James for details and to book.

Come along on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm, for our Sustainability Group's Eco-concern club. The group is free and open to all and meets in the Mina Hogan Room, St Mary's Parish Hall, Langham Rd, for ninety minutes of discussion, support, and action.  The club is an opportunity to share concerns about the climate crisis and discuss ideas.

  • A sharing circle: an opportunity for attendees to talk about how they feel. Every attendee gets the chance to talk if they want, and others listen without commenting.
  • Meditation: guided meditation.
  • Moment of gratitude: share a moment of gratitude or joy.
  • Book, documentary or podcast recommendations: sharing ideas of interesting materials to watch, read or listen to.
  • Coaching/thinking exercise: a talk with some positive action or exercise that everyone can follow. This could be a video, a presentation, or just a lesson to share.
  • Physical movement/exercise: Some light physical movement, for example light yoga stretches, a walk, or spending time in nature.

OCTOBER's ECO-CONCERNS ACTION GROUP: yesterday, UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, rolled back a number of key climate and environmental commitments made by the government as part of their plans to reach net zero by 2050. The moves are another sign of the UK’s diminishing role in global leadership around climate action. The UK Climate Change Committee, the Government’s independent oversight body, described the announcement as “taking the UK further away from meeting its legal commitments (to meet Net Zero 2050)". 
 
Like us, you may have read this news with despair and frustration, or maybe you struggle to understand the ramifications of the moves, and if so, we’d like to invite you to join our Eco-Concern meeting on the 3rd of October. The meeting is free and open to all and will meet at 7:30pm in the Mina Hogan Room for 60-mins of discussion, support, and action in a positive environment.

 

LAUNCH OF ECO-CONCERNS ACTION GROUP

On Tuesday 6 June, we will launch our Eco-concerns Club at 7.30pm in the Mina Hogan Room, St Mary's Parish Hall. The club, which will meet each month and is free and open to all, is for people to come together to talk, share their concerns and also to take action. It will be a positive evening focused around action of the local environment.

The club will be an opportunity to share concerns about the climate crisis and discuss ideas. Evenings could  include several elements including, but not limited to:
-  A sharing circle: an opportunity for attendees to talk about how they feel. Every attendee gets the chance to talk if they want, and others listen without commenting.
-  Meditation: guided meditation.
-  Moment of gratitude: share a moment of gratitude or joy.
- Book, documentary or podcast recommendations: sharing ideas of interesting materials to watch, read or listen to.
-  Coaching/thinking exercise: a talk with some positive action or exercise that everyone can follow. This  could be a video, a presentation, or just a lesson to share.
-  Physical movement/exercise: Some light physical movement, for example light yoga stretches, a walk, or spending time in nature.

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER LENT CHALLENGE continues with A Rocha UK.  Over Holy Week and Easter take time to be still in nature, to find a quiet spot outdoors to reflect on what Holy Week and Easter mean to you, and with Easter feel the hope of renewed commitment to creation. Find out more here.

LENT CHALLENGE: Lent Challenge with A Rocha UK: connect more with nature. Challenging us to be more aware of and take more care of nature. Last week we were invited to grow a new plant, either indoors or out, this week it’s to spend more time outside to take the time to enjoy what you see and hear. Click here for more ideas.

On Sunday the 23rd of January, we hosted our Recycle, Reuse and Regift Festival at the Parish Hall. The festival was a huge success with a large number of attendees swapping pre-loved items for new treasures, a large amount of items donated to needy local charities and much fun had by all. With the session being such a success we’ll be running the event again each quarter, so look out for the next date and come along.

THIS SUNDAY, 22 JANUARY: REUSE, RECYCLE, REGIFT FESTIVAL. Come along!  We will have several stalls set up for you to swap your pre-loved books, clothes and accessories, and toys. If you have items that you would like to exchange then bring them with you and see what you can find, or if you would prefer to simply donate any pre-loved items that are gathering dust, bring them along too. All remaining items will be donated to local charities.
The festival runs from 10:30am until 3.00pm, is free and open to all, with a selection of snacks and drinks available to buy.

REUSE, RECYCLE, REGIFT FESTIVAL

Has Christmas left you needing a spring clean and a clear-out? Then join us in the parish hall for this Festival. Come along and exchange the books, toys, clothes that are gathering dust at home for newer items. There will be a number of tables set up, where you’ll be sure to find pre-owned treasure and get rid of items you no longer use.The festival is free to enter and open to all, and we will have a range of drinks and snacks to buy too. Any remaining items will be donated to charity.

Sunday 22 January at 10.30am-3pm, St Mary's Parish Hall - come along and recycle, re-use and re-gift any unwanted presents:

  • SWAP: clothes, accessories, books and toys
  • RE-GIFT: bring an unwanted gift to swap for something you need
  • UPCYCLE: learn how to turn unwanted items into new things

NEW EVENT for January 2023: Skip Black Friday and join our next year in January for a Recycle and Regift Festival on Sunday 22 .

This year’s Black Friday is expected to produce 429,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from product deliveries alone – that’s the same as 435 return flights from London to New York! A report produced by charity and independent think tank Green Alliance found that of the items bought on Black Friday, up to 80 percent of these —and any plastic packaging they are wrapped in—will end up either in landfill, incineration or—at best—low quality recycling, often after a very short life.

Rather than spend on buying more items during this time, we’d encourage you to come and join our “Recycle, Regift and Reuse” Festival on Sunday, the 22nd of January from 10:30am to 3pm at the Parish Hall on Langham Road. At the festival we will have the opportunity to swap clothes, books, toys and accessories, and a regifting station to swap unwanted gifts for something new.

 

Below you can find previous Green Feeds and other useful resources.

Read previous Green Feeds here.

Resources