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Community action/Birmingham

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The Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line Canal between the International Convention Centre (left), Brindleyplace (right), and Broad Street Tunnel (ahead) in central Birmingham, England. A part of the canal originally called Deep Cutting. Photo by G-Man Nov 2004
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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 Birmingham.

Birmingham
West Midlands
UK
Europe
Cosmolocal
  • News A joyful harvest: the young Welsh farmers growing food for Birmingham, theguardian.com (Sep 13, 2026) — A charity in Powys provides the land while growers do the hard work, producing bumper crops for city children
  • News Climate storytelling often ignores young people – arts-based research can change that, theconversation.com (Feb 06, 2026)
  • News ‘Brummies united against racism’: poster campaign takes on the far right, theguardian.com (Oct 12, 2025)
Read more
  • News Rights of Nature movement grows, with the Wye and Ouse subject to new protection charters, wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk (Jun 18, 2026) — Nature sits at the heart of several new sets of rights and charters; it’s even headlining a festival this summer. Is the way that we view and value Nature within our political and cultural frameworks at a turning point? asks Hannah Marsh
  • News The English community that brought its river back from the brink: ‘If we can get it right here, we can do it everywhere’, theguardian.com (May 20, 2026)
  • News How volunteers are saving the River Wye with citizen science, cpre.org.uk (Mar 30, 2026)
  • News Half a million trees to be planted in England in three years, says government, theguardian.com (Sep 30, 2026)
  • News The Space Time Continuum, Alternative Editorial (Sep 27, 2026) — Empty spaces will be put back into use, Andy Burnham said, turning them into "community hubs, health centres, shared workspaces, cafés and the local services that people actually want to see.”
  • News UK shares findings of damning climate crisis national security report suppressed under Starmer, theguardian.com (Sep 23, 2026) — El Niño poses critical threat to nations’ defences, says Ed Miliband in presentation to global foreign ministers
  • News Citizens need to power Europe's future, demnext.substack.com (Oct 02, 2026) — The EU can enable new democratic institutions: in European countries; with a European Citizens’ Assembly as a 4th branch of government, and by legally enforcing the Global Citizens’ Assembly on AI, Claudia Chwalisz and Another Democratic Future
  • News Reclaiming the streets: the architects clawing back Europe’s car-centric spaces, theguardian.com (Sep 09, 2026) — The European Prize for Urban Public Space’s shortlist highlights projects helping people cope with climate crisis
  • News We’re the mayors of Paris, Milan and Phoenix. The heat crisis has us all facing the same question, Emmanuel Grégoire, Giuseppe Sala and Kate Gallego, theguardian.com (Sep 07, 2026) — Our three cities are learning from each other about how to protect residents. These climate policies are also public health measures
  • News Citizens need to power Europe's future, demnext.substack.com (Oct 02, 2026) — The EU can enable new democratic institutions: in European countries; with a European Citizens’ Assembly as a 4th branch of government, and by legally enforcing the Global Citizens’ Assembly on AI, Claudia Chwalisz and Another Democratic Future
  • News Fifty Billion Seedlings: Can Ethiopia Replant Its Ravaged Forests?, e360.yale.edu (Oct 01, 2026)
  • News Want solar but don’t own a roof? California just legalized plug-in panels, no permission required, latimes.com (Sep 30, 2026)

Networks and sustainability initiatives

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CDC videos

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Cosmolocal discovery club

Each week 3 different short videos from across the UK or world.

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The Route Forward
Authors: Cycling UK, 6.13 mins.
Date: 2026-09-22
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We are Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
Authors: Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, 3.06 mins.
Date: 2022-01-04
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The Dorset Peat Partnership
Authors: Forestry England - South District, 6.27 mins.
Date: 2024-03-21

Community action/Dorset, Community action/Gloucestershire, Community action/United Kingdom/Cycling activism / ...This week's featured Global videos / ... read more about Cosmolocalism

UK and international events

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UK events

  • Event Sep 7 - 11, 2026 (Mon-Fri) — Zero Waste Week, zerowasteweek.co.uk
  • Event Sep 11 - 20, 2026 (Fri-Sun) — Heritage Open Days, celebrating our fantastic history and culture. Your chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – all of which are FREE to explore, heritageopendays.org.uk
  • Event Sep 18 - 27, 2026 (Fri-Sun) — Great British Beach Clean, mcsuk.org

UK community action events

Global or international events

  • Event Sep 15, 2026 (Tue) — Free Money Day, Global invitation for people to explore, in a liberating and fun way, what it might be like if our relationship to money was a little different. Sep 15, annually, freemoneyday.org
  • Event Sep 18, 2026 (Fri) — Park(ing) day, global, public, participatory project where people across the world temporarily repurpose curbside parking spaces and convert them into public parks and social spaces to advocate for safer, greener, and more equitable streets for people, myparkingday.org
  • Event Sep 21-27, 2026 (Mon-Sun) — Global Week Of Action For Peace And Climate Justice, climatemilitarism.org
  • Event Sep 21, 2026 (Mon) — International Day of Peace, Globally shared date, Sep 21 each year for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace, internationaldayofpeace.org

2021-2030, UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, International community action events

Birmingham video

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The Green Heart of Birmingham: Celebrating Our Parks and Open Spaces Volunteers
Authors: Birmingham Open Spaces Forum, 7.15 mins.
Date: 2025-12-05
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2025 Birmingham Museums Citizens' Jury
Authors: DemocracyNext, 1.55 mins.
Date: 2025-04-18
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CIVIC SQUARE 2022
Authors: CIVIC SQUARE, Dec 21, 2022
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Gardens Where People Grow
Authors: Martineau Gardens, May 11, 2022
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Brum Breathes: A Better Birmingham
Authors: Birmingham City Council, May 13, 2021
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Car Free Birmingham: An Introduction
Authors: Possible, Mar 15, 2021

Bioregionalism

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  • Bioregion Birmingham, "A resilient, sustainable city embracing a bioregional approach to economics, governance and culture." (historical initiative, link no longer available)

Community involvement

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  • The Front Room, "the beginnings of an ambitious, long-term neighbourhood platform in Birmingham to be designed, grown and co-owned by local communities."

Communities online

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Hyperlocal sites in Birmingham, June 2014

Food activism

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Martineau Gardens is a community garden on Priory Road in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England. It adjoins the Priory Hospital on Bristol Road. It features over two acres of woodland and formal gardens.The Gardens are administered by a registered charity and are a member of the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens.

Community energy

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BirminghamEnergy Savers, Birmingham City Council originated scheme

Towards sustainable economies

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FutureShift, programme to encourage civic innovation in Birmingham and the Black Country...podnosh.com

Community resources

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Citizens data initiative

  • Data to decarbonise in a decade, makes available a range of data sets including open data on housing, travel, waste, energy, and emissions. Easy to use, with some features to help with visualisation. added 15:43, 18 November 2021 (UTC)

Funding sources

  • Birmingham SOUP
  • LoveBrum, charity supporting 'hard-to-reach' projects across Birmingham that are often volunteer led and that deliver real change, with outcomes that can be seen, measured, enjoyed, and loved.

Other resources

Arts, sport and culture

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Health and wellbeing

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  • The Active Wellbeing Society, community benefit society and cooperative working to develop healthy, happy communities living active and connected lives, added 17:16, 30 April 2020 (UTC)

Climate action

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  • Retrofit Balsall Heath on facebook.com, added 12:19, 7 November 2023 (UTC)
  • Zero carbon house, "…has been designed so there’s no need to use fossil fuels. No carbon is released into the atmosphere from this unique family home and there are no fuel bills either. zero carbon house is the UK’s first zero carbon retrofit – the only existing house to have been upgraded to one of the most exacting standards in green design, Level 6 of the original UK Code for Sustainable Homes."...thealternative.org.uk/dailyalternative, 29 July 2023, added 10:45, 2 August 2023 (UTC)

Sustainable transport activism

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Birmingham Transport Plan
Authors: Birmingham City Council, 1.55 mins.
Date: 2020-02-05

Birmingham is at the hub of England's canal network. There are 35 miles (56 km) of canals within the city, of which most are navigable. W

Cycling activism

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Big Birmingham Bikes, information from Birmingham City Council - Bike North Birmingham, Birmingham City Council project delivered in partnership with Sustrans and Be Active, working to transform the profile of cycling in Erdington and Sutton Coldfield - Birmingham Cycle Revolution,part of the Birmingham Connected vision to reinvent the way people and goods move across the city - Critical Mass bicycle rides in Birmingham - Green Bike Project, community-led bicycle workshop and co-operative based at the University of Birmingham

Environment quality

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Resources

Open spaces

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  • Birmingham Open Spaces Forum, volunteer-led network connecting and supporting the people who care for the city’s open spaces. added 17:42, 12 January 2026 (UTC)

Birmingham has 571 parks totalling over 3,500 hectares (14 sq mi) of public open space, more than any other European city. The city also has five Local Nature Reserves, one National Nature Reserve and a number of Wildlife Trust nature reserves. W

Trees, woodland and forest

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Birmingham Trees for Life

News archive

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  • News "Laying the foundations for the hopeful, creative, just transition that we know is in our hearts". Civic Square mapping eco-possibilities for the West Midlands, Daily Alternative (Dec 03, 2024)
  • News ‘Building something better’: the UK residents retrofitting their homes amid the climate crisis, theguardian.com (Aug 03, 2024) — From weekly skills-sharing to rewilding streets, communities are working to improve the planet while bolstering the health of people
  • News Neighbours band together to tackle energy bills and show how climate action starts at home, bigissue.com (Nov 06, 2023)
  • News Birmingham's Zero Carbon House is doable, scalable and beautiful - and expresses what the "climate majority" want, says Rupert Read, The Daily Alternative (Jul 29, 2023)
  • News Birmingham’s Civic Square, so inspirational to many seeking to strengthen community power, is “refounding” itself, The Daily Alternative (Mar 30, 2023)

2013-2021

  • 'Cities have been invaded by cars. Now they are being liberated' - Positive News, Apr 7, 2020...positive.news
  • How a Belgian port city (Ghent) inspired Birmingham's car-free ambitions, Jan 20, 2020...theguardian.com
  • "Play Out Til Tea" is a great Birmingham Impact Hub idea - but their "neighbourhood of the future" is even better, Jul 21, 2019...The Alternative UK
  • From Impact Hub Birmingham to Civic Square, Jun 16, 2019...birmingham.impacthub.net
  • Pedal power to the people: Brum's £24m cycling boost, August 12, 2013...Birmingham Mail

About Birmingham

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Past events

Birmingham (BUR-ming-əm) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. It is the second-largest city, urban area and metropolitan area in England and the United Kingdom, with roughly 1.1 million inhabitants within the city area, 2.9 million inhabitants within the urban area and 4.3 million inhabitants within the metropolitan area and lies within the most populated English district.Birmingham is commonly referred to as the second city of the United Kingdom.

Located in the West Midlands county and region in England, approximately 100 miles (160 km) from Central London, Birmingham, as one of the United Kingdom's major cities, is considered to be the social, cultural, financial, and commercial centre of both the East and West Midlands. Distinctively, Birmingham only has small rivers flowing through it, mainly the River Tame and its tributaries River Rea and River Cole – one of the closest main rivers is the Severn, approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of the city centre. W

External links

Page data
Keywords Cities, UK cities
SDG SDG11 Sustainable cities and communities
Authors Phil Green
License CC-BY-SA-3.0
Language English (en)
Related 0 subpages, 2 pages link here
Redirects Birmingham, Birmingham community action
Views 95 page views (analytics)
Created June 26, 2014 by Phil Green
Last edit September 16, 2026 by Felipe Schenone
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