Community action/Greenwich
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 Greenwich.
News
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How a London energy co-op is trying to bring power to the people, thenews.coop (Feb 06, 2026) — We speak to Giovanna Speciale, CEO of South East London Community Energy, about its work towards an inclusive transition- All hands to the pumps: the colourful rise of community-owned pubs, positive.news (Mar 05, 2024)
- Greenwich: Closed pub reopens as community hub, BBC News (Dec 15, 2023)
- London, San Francisco and Beijing achieve ‘remarkable reductions’ in air pollution, theguardian.com (Mar 12, 2026) — Cycle lanes, electric cars and other interventions have helped 19 global cities slash levels of pollutants by more than 20%
- East London is at high risk of extreme flooding – here’s how to limit the damage, theconversation.com (Feb 11, 2026)
- How a London energy co-op is trying to bring power to the people, thenews.coop (Feb 06, 2026) — We speak to Giovanna Speciale, CEO of South East London Community Energy, about its work towards an inclusive transition
- Record-breaking heat and dry spring leave parts of England without water, reuters.com (May 29, 2026)
- The English restaurant turning hospitality on its head, positive.news (May 27, 2026) — At a pay-as-you-can restaurant in Stroud, radical hospitality and good food are bringing strangers together
- Britain’s green transition should belong to everyone. Why is Labour so intent on stopping us having our say? George Monbiot, theguardian.com (May 27, 2026)
- Amsterdam, along with other major European cities, bans public adverts for meat and fossil fuels [BBC], Daily Alternative (May 22, 2026)
- Solidarity fields in Syria: Reviving local seed production, globalvoices.org (May 21, 2026) — A community garden on Damascus's edge is quietly rebuilding Syria's agricultural memory
- How reindeer herds, nature and Sámi culture can thrive when forests are restored across northern Europe, theconversation.com (May 15, 2026)
Networks and sustainability initiatives
[edit | edit source]- Care & Climate, a new cultural space - "a transitions space for holding communities in the now to the next, space for staying with the trouble (a phrase borrowed from Donna J. Haraway) and to be in solidarity with one another." added 10:31, 7 December 2022 (UTC)
CDC video
[edit | edit source]Each week 3 different short videos from across the UK or world.
Rural sustainability UK, Community energy UK, Community action/Argyll and Bute / ...This week's featured Global videos / ... read more about Cosmolocalism
UK and international events
[edit | edit source]UK events
Jun 1 - 7, 2026 (Mon - Sun) — Neighbourhood Watch Week, ourwatch.org.uk- Jun 1 - 7, 2026 (Mon - Sun) — Volunteers Week, celebrating and saying thank you to the millions of volunteers across the UK, volunteersweek.org
- Jun 5 - 8, 2026 (Fri - Mon) — The Big Lunch, the first weekend in June every year, everyone is invited, anyone can join in and whatever food people bring to the table is there to be shared, edenprojectcommunities.com
- Jun 6 - 14, 2026 (Sat-Sun) — Great Big Green Week, celebrating communities taking action to tackle climate change and protect green spaces, greatbiggreenweek.com
- Jun 07, 2026 (Sun) — Open Farm Sunday, farmsunday.org
- Jun 8 - 14, 2026 (Mon - Sun) — Bike Week, annual celebration showcasing cycling and how brilliant it is!, cyclinguk.org
- Jun 8 - 14, 2026 (Mon - Sun) — Carers Week, carersweek.org
- Jun 15 - 21, 2026 (Mon - Sun) — Loneliness Awareness Week, lonelinessawarenessweek.org
- Jun 15 - 21, 2026 (Mon - Sun) — Better Transport Week, annual, week-long celebration of sustainable transport, bettertransport.org.uk
- Jun 15 - 21, 2026 (Mon - Sun) — Refugee Week, refugeeweek.org.uk
- Jun 18, 2026 (Thu) — Clean Air Day, actionforcleanair.org.uk
- Jun 19 - 21, 2026 (Fri - Sun) — The Great Get Together, annual celebration organised by The Jo Cox Foundation, helping unite people, bridge divides, and tackle loneliness, while showing the collective power we have as a community, jocoxfoundation.org
- Jun 29 - Jul 3, 2026 (Mon - Fri) — National Co-production Week, scie.org.uk
Global or international events
- Jun 03, 2026 (Wed) — World Bicycle Day, The bicycle is a "symbol of sustainable transport and conveys a positive message to foster sustainable consumption and production, and has a positive impact on climate." (United Nations), June 3 each year, un.org
- Jun 05, 2026 (Fri) — World Environment Day, June 5, annually, worldenvironmentday.global
- Jun 08, 2026 (Mon) — World Oceans Day, June 8 each year, worldoceanday.org
- Jun 12, 2026 (Fri) — World Day Against Child Labour, every year on June 12, ilo.org
- Jun 17, 2026 (Wed) — World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, each June 17, un.org
- Jun 21 and all of June — World Localization Day, worldlocalizationday.org
- Jun 22, 2026 (Mon) — World Rainforest Day, June 22 is World Rainforest Day, worldrainforestday.org
2021-2030, UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, International community action events
Community resources
[edit | edit source]- The Star of Greenwich, community owned pub in the heart of East Greenwich, added 18:48, 10 March 2024 (UTC)
Climate action
[edit | edit source]- Carbon Neutral Greenwich, "sets out what we need to do to reach carbon neutral by 2030 under seven key themes", consultation process ends March 7, added 18:02, 22 January 2021 (UTC)
- Declaration in response to the climate emergency, royalgreenwich.gov.uk, June 2019
Greenwich Students' Union is the university's students' union. In October 2019, the GSU Student Assembly voted to ask the university to declare a climate emergency and for the university and union sustainability strategies to consult with students in creating them. This call to action aimed to speed up the university's efforts at becoming carbon neutral. W
Cycling activism
[edit | edit source]- E-Z Cycle electric bike loan scheme Royal Borough of Greenwich
The Thames Path Cycle Route is a black-signposted route that follows the river between Putney Bridge in the west and Greenwich in the east. It mostly follows the Thames Path, but diverges in various sections, especially where the path follows a footpath-only route. It also links National Cycle Route 1 (east of London) with National Cycle Route 4 (west of London). W
Education for sustainability
[edit | edit source]- Sustainability: University of Greenwich, @Sust_Greenwich
Open spaces
[edit | edit source]- Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park TCV
The Royal Borough of Greenwich has over fifty parks and open spaces within its boundaries. The Green Chain W, a linked series of linear and circular walks, include some of those open spaces within Greenwich. The Chain originates at three points along the River Thames and stretches to Crystal Palace Park. Greenwich is a riverside borough, and one of the largest open spaces is the Thames itself, forming the northern boundary of the borough. A sign posted riverside trail W forms a walkway for both pedestrians and cyclists. W
News archive
[edit | edit source]- Greenwich: Closed pub reopens as community hub, BBC News (Dec 15, 2023)
- Revealed: the UK’s ‘best’ new buildings, positive.news (Oct 23, 2023)
- "What if the only important work left is to care for each other and care for the planet?" asks Greenwich's Care + Planet, The Daily Alternative (Dec 01, 2022)
2016-2021
- The activist entrepreneurs running zero-waste shops, Aug 6, 2021...bbc.co.uk/news
- London's first cycling Quietway officially opens from Greenwich to Waterloo, Jun 14, 2016...road.cc
About Greenwich
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The Royal Borough of Greenwich ( , , or ) is a London borough in southeast Greater London, England. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich and most of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich to the east. The local council is Greenwich London Borough Council which meets in Woolwich Town Hall.
The Royal Borough of Greenwich is a large borough covering almost 50 km², approximately 19.3 miles, and containing a broad mix of historic, suburban, and rapidly redeveloping districts. It includes the Greenwich Town and Park, the site of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Maritime Greenwich which encompasses the Prime Meridian, the Royal Observatory, Cutty Sark, and the former Royal Naval College. Also in the borough, Greenwich Peninsula is known for The O2 Arena and river transport links; while Eltham is home to Eltham Palace. Other major neighbourhoods within the borough are Woolwich, a historic military and industrial centre now undergoing major regeneration; Shooter's Hill, noted for Severndroog Castle; and parts of Abbey Wood and Thamesmead in the east. The borough is also home to parts of Blackheath, Lee, Kidbrooke, Charlton, Plumstead, and Avery Hill, together forming a diverse urban area ranging from significant heritage districts and established residential suburbs to large waterfront redevelopment zones along the River Thames.
To mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II, the borough became a Royal Borough on 3 February 2012, due to its historic links with the Houses of Tudor and Stuart of the royal family. Greenwich was the seat of the Palace of Placentia which was built in the 15th century under the orders of Henry VI and Henry VII. It was the birthplace of Henry VIII, Mary I, and Elizabeth I, all of whom lived at the palace. The Queen's House was gifted to the queen consort Henrietta Maria in 1629 by Charles I. The Royal Observatory was commissioned in 1675 by Charles II.
External links
- Greenwich Council (local government)
| Authors | Phil Green |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-3.0 |
| Cite as | Philralph (2019–2026). "Community action/Greenwich". Appropedia. Retrieved June 4, 2026. |