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Welcome to the May edition of the CN28 newsletter! Read on for the the latest updates, highlights and opportunities for to get involved in climate action in Nottingham City 💚
In this edition:
- Get ready for Green Hustle Festival
- Nottingham organisations meet for Nottingham Green Partnership
- Get involved in June
- What we've been thinking about this month: Climate and Mental Health
- In case you missed it
If there's anything you would like to hear about in future newsletters, get in touch.
We're so excited for Green Hustle Festival on Saturday 31st May! Green Hustle is a free, family friendly festival held on Nottingham's Old Market Square - expect music, creativity, inspiration and lots of opportunity to get stuck in to climate action. This will be CN28's third year at the festival and we always have a great time speaking to the public about how we can work together to tackle climate change in Nottingham.
Come and meet us:
🎪 Visit the CN28 stand to test your climate knowledge in our activities, find out how Nottingham is tackling climate change and discover opportunities to get involved.
🎤 Councillor Sam Lux will be speaking about CN28 on the main stage at 1:50pm.
🏡 Speak to an experienced energy advisor and get up close to heat pump and solar panels at the Fantastic Homes EV exhibition van.
You can find the full festival lineup here 👉 Festival Lineup – Green Hustle
Nottingham Green Partnership 🤝
This month we joined representatives from Nottingham businesses and organisations at the latest Nottingham Green Partnership (NGP) meeting. First formed in 1992, the NGP consists of over 40 organisations and businesses working across Nottingham to share, collaborate, develop and deliver carbon reduction strategies. Some of the topics discussed by the group this time were:
☔ Flood risk management
Callum Smith from the Flood Risk Management Team at Nottingham City Council highlighted Nottingham's recent sustainable drainage works, and how these were also opportunities to enhance nature in the city's waterways and green spaces as well as managing flood risk - which tied in nicely with Emily O'Donnell from University of Nottingham outlining the relaunch of the Blue-Green Nottingham group.
💡 Energy
Miranda Cumberbatch from Nottingham Energy Partnership shared the impact of the recent HEAT Hub project on supporting people to make their homes more energy efficient. Eniola Olaniran and Catherine Judge from Carbon Reduction Projects and Policy at Nottingham City Council walked us through the most recent phase of the Harvey Hadden Solar energy generation project and invited local organisations to get involved in developing the Local Area Energy Plan.
But most of all it was great for the group to catch up, share their progress and find even more opportunities to work together to achieve our sustainability goals. Local businesses and organisations have a key role to play in achieving CN28, and progress made by NGP partners is included in the CN28 annual report.
Find out more about the NGP and how to join on the CN28 website
👉 CN28 - Nottingham Green Partnership
Get involved 🙋♀️
Opportunities for sustainability action big and small in the month ahead!
Notts Wildlife Trust's 30 Days Wild challenge 🦡
📅 Throughout June
👉 Details here
Kidical Mass Nottingham family cycle ride 🚲
📅Sunday 1st June 11:00-12:30
📌 Ride starts at Victoria Embankment
👉 Details here
Free Dr Bike and Bike Register event 🔒
📅 3 June 11:00 - 2:00
📌 Outside Broad Marsh Cycle Park, Collin Street
Sherwood Repair Café 🔨
📅 14 June 2:00 - 5:00
📌Sherwood Methodist Church, Mansfield Road, NG5 2EN
👉 Details here
Public consultation on the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy 🌳
📅 Until 16 June
💻 Online
Public consultation on the draft Local Nature Recovery Strategy is open until Monday 16th June and takes about 10 minutes to complete
👉 Details here
Sustainable Meadows Home tour 🏠
📅 21 June, 11:00 -12:30
📌 Meet at Meadows Library - booking essential!
Green Meadows are back to show you more examples of environmentally friendly home improvements and innovative retrofit approaches across Nottingham.
👉 Details here
What we've been thinking about this month: Climate and Mental Health 🌍
 Photo by Andras Kovacs on Unsplash
May marked Mental Health Awareness Week and gave us cause to reflect on how climate change can affect our mental health, on a societal and personal level.
🌍 People are concerned about the impact of climate change
If you're worried about climate change you're not alone. According to the Department for Net Zero and Energy Security's Public Attitude Tracker, 80% of people in the UK are fairly or very concerned about climate change. For some people, that concern can feel overwhelming and unmanageable, affecting their general mental health and wellbeing.
With the frequency of extreme weather increasing at home and abroad, the impact of these events can also add to our mental load. Flooding and it's aftermath can have a devastating impact on people affected, and extreme heat can create additional mental and physical stresses. A University of Nottingham study on the impact of the July 2022 heat wave on residents in Nottingham found that 55% of people reported experiencing mental health impacts.
⛅ Balancing our positive and negative feelings
In recent years, warnings from scientists have grown stronger and even the language around climate has changed. The use of ‘crisis’ and ‘catastrophe’ are now ubiquitous with climate - words which can evoke feelings of hopelessness and disorganisation that can fuel feelings of anxiety. But the truth is that tackling climate change is neither hopeless nor disorganised. It’s important to remember that we know the solution to the problem already - to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions as fast as we can.
The technology and means to do this already exist, from the big things like decarbonising the electricity grid and insulating homes, to the things we can do as individuals like using public transport or eating less meat. Action is happening, and society is shifting faster than you might at first think. A recent article from The Guardian highlighted that many people underestimate how supportive others are of action on climate change. People across the world, and here in Nottingham, are committed to being part of the solution. Whilst this doesn't mean we shouldn't be concerned about climate change, it's cause to allow ourselves to follow negative feelings we might have with some of optimism too.
Some ideas to help manage feelings of worry about climate change:
🛑 Notice what triggers strong negative emotions around climate change, such as the news or social media, and limit how much time you spend with these.
🧘♂️ Give yourself time to recognise your feelings about climate change and make space to tend to those regularly, such as by talking to someone or doing a reflective exercise.
💚 Remind yourself that there are positive steps being made to tackle climate change. Find good things at sites like Reasons to be Cheerful and Positive News.
💪 Find ways to take action that also brings you joy and satisfaction. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson's TED Talk will leave you both inspired and with a plan.
Feelings like fear, anger, or sadness are completely normal and valid responses to climate change, but it’s important to seek support if these feelings are badly affecting your life. You can find support for mental health issues on Ask Lion.
In case you missed it 👀
Did you see these stories shared on our socials? You can follow CN28 on Facebook: Carbon Neutral Nottingham, and X: @CN2028 to stay up to date
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Sustainable Futures Award
Carbon Neutral Policy Manager, Clare Foster, joined Nottingham College to help judge their Sustainable Future Awards.
👉 Find out who won
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Harvey Hadden Solar project complete
Solar power will meet 46% of the centre’s electricity needs, saving more than 105 tonnes of CO2e annually in a positive step towards CN28.
👉 Find out more
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New Slow the Flow planters at Sneinton Market Avenues
Six sustainable drainage planters have been installed adding biodiversity and beauty whilst improving the area’s resilience to climate change.
👉 Find out more
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Green Rewards community prize up for grabs this June
Up to 60 users from the community logging most points per person on Green Rewards in June will win a pack of mixed edible or pollinator friendly plants.
👉 Find out more
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Got a local climate action story or opportunity you'd like to share? Get in touch with us at climatechange@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
See you next month!
The Carbon Neutral Policy Team
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