As part of this work we have asked young people in Havering to take over this Living in Havering e-newsletter.

That's because today, Tuesday 28 September, marks the start of the United Nations' Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition Youth Climate Change Summit in Milan. 

Almost 400 young people aged between 15 and 29 from 186 countries will meet to address the main urgencies and priorities of climate action.

This event, organised by the Government of Italy, in partnership with the UK, is part of the preparation for the COP26 Climate Change summit that will be held in Glasgow starting on 31 October.

You can follow events in Milan on social media.

My name is Aliyyah Gbadamosi, I am one of the Members of Youth Parliament for Havering.

Despite being predominantly online in my role so far, I have had the privilege to be involved in many projects including Don't Zip the Zap, free school meals, the stop plastic pollution campaign and the Fund the Hubs campaign. These campaigns give young people a voice that they deserve.

The campaigns aligned with the topics voted for in the UK Youth Parliament's Make Your Mark ballot and fulfil my role as a youth representative. I wrote to local MPs Andrew Rosindell and Julia Lopez imploring them to back the United Kingdom Youth Parliament campaigns and received supporting responses from both.

I look forward to the future campaigns to come and expressing myself on issues I am passionate about.

Did you know?

• Last year 47 of Havering's 88 schools were accredited with STARS (sustainable travel, active responsible and safe) status. In other words, they were recognised for reducing the use of car travel on the school run.
• Hornchurch and Elm Park Library both have solar panels on their roof to generate electricity, and Elm Park library even has a green living roof.
• Havering Council is planting a thousand trees in the borough to commemorate victims of COVID-19 and help the environment.
• The Bikeability scheme offers free cycle training to Havering residents. Bicycles can be hired at the Thames Chase Centre to use around the grounds, including accessible bicycles.
• 16 of Havering's parks have been awarded Green Flag Status in recognition of their excellence and the involvement of the community with the Friends of Parks groups
• Havering was the first London borough to use Gas-to-Liquid fuel to power its bus fleet
• Residents can get free training to help them reduce food waste through the Love Food Hate Waste campaign
• Litter picks have been held in various locations including Rainham and Harrow Lodge Park
• The Mayor’s car has been replaced with a battery electric vehicle.

But is this enough?

If you’re a young person, or know a young person who’s passionate about climate change, register to join the online Let's Talk event tomorrow (Wednesday 29 September) from 6 to 7pm to tell us what should be done about climate change and why.

Register

Alice Mary Jones from Elm Park, a 14 year-old pupil at Emerson Park
Academy, Hornchurch, writes...

Climate change is now top of the agenda for all countries, closely followed by plastic waste.

It is generally agreed that CO2 emissions are the major factor affecting the climate.

In the UK 40 per cent of CO2 emissions come from individuals, energy used in homes, cars and air travel. Human and natural activity produces harmful air pollution which is bad for health. Under current plans, the sale of new petrol or diesel only cars will be banned from 2030.

Deforestation also affects climate change, with an area the size of Wales being cut
down each day. This leads to soil erosion, flooding and increases greenhouse gases.

Plastic waste is another major factor in polluting our planet. As it is cheap to produce, its use is widespread from packaging to straws and bags. Until businesses start to use more environmentally-friendly alternative materials (such as paper), the cycle of producing and disposing of plastic will continue. Some plastics can take 400 years to decompose.

We have seen that world leaders are beginning to take action but we can help
as individuals. At Emerson Park Academy our tutor, Mr Dennis, has formed a club for recycling.

Each student member collects plastic waste and brings it to school. It is then shredded and the waste is packed into plastic bottles which become very heavy and are known as “ecobricks”.

An Ecobrick is a reusable building block created by packing clean and dry used plastic into a plastic bottle to a set density. They can be made into tables, chairs, pallets, or even planters (pictured above). The company promoting the scheme is GEA (global eco-brick alliance), a non-profit organisation.

No-one can predict the consequences of climate change with complete certainty. The conclusion is simple: we need strong action now!

As part of Havering Council's commitment to climate change, we’ve asked young people to tell us what they think and how they can play a part in shaping our future.

Our quick survey is just one way of hearing their thoughts.

If you’re a young person, or you know someone who is, please complete our survey. The deadline is noon this Thursday, 30 September.

Take the survey

Rosie Meadway (age 14) sent us her ten suggestions of actions she would like Havering Council to take to help combat climate change.

1. Recycling bins outside train stations and bus stops
2. Regular community litter picking events
3. A Havering cycle scheme (Like TfL's Santander cycles scheme in central London) plus more bike lanes
4. Create a Havering nature reserve (possibly in Hornchurch Country Park)
5. Ensure that excess food from local schools and colleges goes to food banks, compost, or the local community
6. During the last year of junior school, each year group plants a tree
7. Reduce water waste by encouraging fewer baths
8. Implement more electric car points
9. Mandate that all buses running through Havering are electric
10. Families should be given free or reduced-price compost bins (pictured), water butts or vegetable seeds.

Rosie also had a suggestion for any parents or carers who use a car as part of the school run:

"Every parent or carer should commit to dropping their child at school by car for one day less.

"Not only will this help minimise traffic in the local area (much needed in Upminster and Hornchurch during the school run), it also reduces car emissions which cause pollution. Instead, families could take public transport, cycle or walk.

"Being outside has been proven to improve mental health and children will be better prepared for their lessons at school."

Student Loren Rennie writes...

Trees are an important part of our world: they can take in small amounts of pollution, they look beautiful and most importantly, they take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen.

Wood is an excellent material, it can last for a long period of time, and it can be flexible or tight. But we cut down trees at about 2.74 million per day. That’s okay, but we need to plant the same amount of trees as we cut down. It’s easy to plant an acorn (oak seed) every time we cut down an oak tree.

So why not plant a tree now? All you have to do is find an old pot, fill it with some compost and pop in the seed.

Humans, animals, birds and invertebrates live in a symbiotic relationship with trees, plants and flowers. If one of the aforesaid groups were to be wiped out, the other would soon die too. Trees, plants and flowers breathe in carbon dioxide, and breathe out oxygen, we are the other way round. So we need to make sure we live in harmony. Not cutting down thousands of trees and planting back hundreds, but a 1-1 ratio.

At the moment, there is more pollution in the world than we’d all like, and deforestation is not helping.

As we build, we need more and more space, forests become towns, and towns become cities, cities produce lots of pollution, and there aren’t enough trees to reduce it. So then we get contribution to climate change. But if everything stays the same as it is now, then the temperature could keep rising, then ice melts creating more water, and then coastal cities could be in danger of serious flooding.

So, like lots of people are doing, we need to care for our world, not destroy it. Perhaps we could start with planting a tree?

Chris Petrou, a teenager from Harold Wood writes...

“The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say - we will never forgive you.” - Greta Thunberg.

Greta Thunberg, the Swedish environmental activist focuses her speeches on the risks posed by global warming. One way that she believes how we can try to improve climate change and global warming is by recycling more.

But what does it mean for us living in Havering?

The best way to tell if an item can be recycled or not, would be to look on that product and see if it has a recycling label. If it says the item can be recycled then put the bottle in the orange bag.

These are some of the things that orange bags can be filled with: white paper, envelopes, junk mail, thick card and plastic bottles.

What about bigger household items?

These can be disposed of by getting a member from the Council to pick them up for a fee or by taking them to a local recycling centre. Our local centres can be found in Gerpins Lane, Upminster, and Frizlands Lane in Dagenham.

How will this help to combat global warming?

If we recycle more then fewer bottles will go to landfill. The reason that plastic causes global warming is that sunlight causes plastic to release gases. The plastic breaks down into more methane and ethylene, increasing the rate of climate change. So if we recycle plastic then less methane and ethylene will be in the atmosphere.

Lexie Banyard, a former Head Girl at
Redden Court School in Harold Wood writes...

Just think about it. How far would you be willing to go to meet your idol? To win tickets to see your favourite artists or to win the lottery?

Yet what if I asked how much you were willing to sacrifice in order to save the planet? Your planet.

Imagine this: waking up to a crimson sky, smoke seeping into your lungs and you - alongside your entire family - have been forced to evacuate your home.

Or picture swimming at the tropical beach during your well-deserved holiday, where you seem to get caught in what you think is seaweed but in reality is a plastic fishing net. Alarmingly, this is a troubling reality for many. Though it doesn’t have to be.

It is easy to be comfortable in your daily routine. However, in today’s modern society surely we must do our best to do what is right for the future of our planet. Many believe that we must drastically change our lifestyles in order to make a difference, whereas the reality is that small changes have a significant impact.

Research analysis by an Oxford University scientist shows that if every family in the UK swapped a red meat to a plant-based meal just once a week it would have the same environmental benefits of taking 16 million cars off the road. So although it is not essential to follow a vegan or vegetarian diet all of the time, is it really that difficult to make one or two changes per week to your meal plan?

Additionally, the long-term investment of purchasing a reusable bottle has a plethora of benefits; overall you will be spending less money on single-use plastics whilst reducing the 150 bottles per mile on UK beaches alone.

Do you not agree that our desire for convenience is catastrophic for our future? Just think about it.

Members of Havering's Youth Council met last week.

These were some of the comments from the 15 - 18 year old members when asked how they were doing their bit to help the environment and combat climate change:

"When walking home if I see litter I pick it up and put in the nearest bin."

"I am taking digital notes and making less paper notes at school."

"I am walking more or taking the bus, less car usage."

"Recycling more."

"Took part in a liitter pick and staying away from fast fashion for the rest of the year."

The COVID-19 vaccination programme for 12 to 15-year-olds will start in Havering schools from Monday 4 October in a small number of schools, with the fuller roll-out planned from 11 October. 

Schools will advise children and parents when vaccinations will be available.

Children aged 12 to 15 in Havering will be offered one dose of the Pfizer jab. Parental consent will be sought before any vaccinations are given at schools.

If they wish, eligible children and their parents will be able to visit one of our local vaccination sites at Raphael’s House at the Victoria Centre in Petits Lane, Romford, or Hornchurch Library. There they will be able to discuss taking the vaccine with a GP or clinician. More details on how those appointments can be booked will be provided shortly.

• The COVID-19 vaccine booster programme is also ramping up this week starting with care homes and older residents first, alongside health and social care workers. Only people whose second dose of a COVID-19 vaccination was more than six months ago will be eligible. You cannot get a booster jab at a walk-in vaccination centre.