Community action/Lambeth
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 Lambeth.
News
[edit | edit source]
Energy clubs offer chance to reduce electricity bills by up to 30%, theguardian.com (Oct 18, 2025) - Social supermarket is 'a hand up, not a handout', BBC News (Mar 21, 2025)
- 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)
- How reindeer herds, nature and Sámi culture can thrive when forests are restored across northern Europe, theconversation.com (May 15, 2026)
- Rewilding giants: captive elephants rehomed in Europe’s first sanctuary, theguardian.com (May 07, 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
- The household battery revolution that could change energy bills … and the world, Adam Morton and Petra Stock, theguardian.com (May 15, 2026)
Networks and sustainability initiatives
[edit | edit source]- Norwood Forum, volunteer-led organisation covering the south-east area of the London Borough of Lambeth, and aiming to celebrate "our wonderful neighbourhood and its vibrant, diverse, but cohesive community whilst making a positive difference to the quality of life for people who live and work here." added 15:30, 26 March 2025 (UTC)
- Transition Town Brixton
CDC videos
[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
Lambeth video
[edit | edit source]
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 involvement
[edit | edit source]- Lambeth Mutual Aid, added 15:44, 3 July 2020 (UTC)
- Brixton Green, non-profit, registered mutual society, set up by Brixton people. Owned and run by locals
- Open Works, a Lambeth Council project
- Lambeth Co-operative Council wiki
Food activism
[edit | edit source]- Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses
- Crystal Palace Food Market
- Incredible Edible Lambeth
- Pop Farm, Brixton
Community energy
[edit | edit source]
Brixton Energy, not-for-profit co-operative who create cooperatively owned renewable energy projects
Community resources
[edit | edit source]- West Norwood Community Shop, "an amazing resource for people in Norwood who are in receipt of any state benefit" added 15:34, 26 March 2025 (UTC)
Library of things
Crystal Palace Library of Things, link checked 17:24, 30 December 2021 (UTC)
Upper Norwood Library
Upper Norwood Library is a community managed library in Upper Norwood, South London. It stands on Westow Hill, in Crystal Palace town centre, within the London Borough of Lambeth, but on the edge of the boundary with the London Borough of Croydon. It is funded largely by Lambeth Council, and in part by Croydon Council, with the building itself managed by a community-run independent charity, the Upper Norwood Library Trust. It is part of the Lambeth network of libraries, and thus accepts Lambeth library membership cards.
Onsite is one of the first Library of Things, a self-service borrowing initiative active across local communities which lends objects instead of books from a conventional library. These objects include anything from garden tools to sports gear, toys to electro-domestic equipment. The Upper Norwood Library Hub, the operations arm of the Upper Norwood Library Trust, manages the building itself, and runs various classes, workshops and initiatives within the space. The library also has space available for private hire through the Hub.
Coin Street Community Builders
Coin Street Community Builders (CSCB) is a development trust and social enterprise which seeks to make London's South Bank a better place in which to live, to work, to visit and to study. Since 1984 CSCB has transformed a largely derelict 13-acre site into a thriving mixed-use neighbourhood.
Since its creation in 1984, CSCB redeveloped the Oxo Tower Wharf, Gabriel's Wharf, Bernie Spain Gardens and set up four housing co-operatives (Mulberry, Palm, Redwood and Iroko). The housing co-operatives are housed in new buildings commissioned by CSCB. Palm (also known as Broadwall) was designed by Lifschutz Davidson (now Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands) completed in 1994. Iroko was designed by architects Haworth Tompkins and was completed in 2001.
In 2007, CSCB occupied new offices at the Coin Street neighbourhood centre, also designed by Haworth Tompkins. As well as offices the building includes a day nursery and crèche, conference and meeting facilities.
CSCB also offers a variety of community programmes for people of all ages including youth clubs, sports and dance sessions and family and children's activities.
CSCB opposed the Garden Bridge project which would have been partially built on their land.
Citizens data initiative
Visions
[edit | edit source]
- What if Lambeth, community project organised by Transition Town Brixton and part of the Bounce Forward 2030 project.
Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle
[edit | edit source]
- Lambeth Freecycle(TM)
- Remakery (formerly Brixton Reuse Centre) a springboard for local reuse enterprise
Community currencies activism
[edit | edit source]Brixton Pound
more video: Brixton Pound / Debate Your Plate.com
Summary: Brixton Pound, stimulates the local economy by supporting smaller shops and traders which operate in a challenging economic climate and in competition with larger chains. The currency stays in Brixton and circulates, increasing local trade and community connections...brixtonpound.org
The Brixton district in South London's Lambeth borough has been a bastion of progressive thought and culture for decades. After the financial crisis of 2008, local businesses were struggling and had trouble securing loans from banks. An area that had once thrived began to stumble.
The Brixton Pound (B£) was launched in 2009 by Transition Town Brixton to support local businesses with a local currency that would "stick to Brixton." The founders of the B£ wanted to create a mutual support system tying residents to local businesses and encouraging business to source locally.
The local borough government, Lambeth Council, was supportive of the B£ from the beginning. It recognized the local currency as a way to develop the community, build local economic resilience, and draw positive attention to the area. According to B£ Communications Manager, Marta Owczarek, "The council's support has greatly helped the B£ start and develop — it would have been very difficult to do what we did without that support. In particular, it acted as a guarantee that the scheme was trustworthy, so local business owners and residents alike felt secure in exchanging their money into and accepting the brand-new local currency."
Within the first six months of the launch of the B£, Lambeth conducted research that estimated the media coverage of the currency generated by the B£ volunteers was worth half a million pounds to the area.
Since 2012, the B£ has "been a live part of the Co-operative Council, working alongside the policy team," according to Owczarek. As a result, the B£ has been able to play an active role in supporting the community while receiving council support. The B£ helped set up community spaces like the Impact Hub in the Town Hall. Lambeth helped the B£ create a mobile electronic payments system, and was also the first council to pay wages in local currency and accept a local currency for taxes. In 2014, the Lambeth Co-Operative Investment Fund gave the B£ funding to start a community lottery program, which was launched in 2015. The lottery increased the circulation of the B£, became an additional revenue source for the B£, and enabled the B£ to fund community projects.
The B£ has also helped Lambeth gain prominence globally and locally. In 2012, thanks to encouragement from the B£, the Council secured funding to join an international project to expand community currencies. On a local level, Lambeth won the Mayor's High Street Fund to install a local currency cash machine, possibly the first in the world.
Free stuff
[edit | edit source]
Climate action
[edit | edit source]- Lambeth Citizens' Assembly, lambeth.gov.uk. Assembly to be launched in Spring/Summer 2021...beta.lambeth.gov.uk
- Lambeth for a Cool Planet on facebook
Cycling activism
[edit | edit source]Cycling in Lambeth, news from Lambeth Council
Urban sustainability
[edit | edit source]West Norwood Feast brings a volunteer powered street market to Norwood Road on the first Sunday of every month
Community safety
[edit | edit source]Community Police Consultative Group for Lambeth, Independent forum for community and statutory agencies to address community safety and policing issues.
Education for sustainability
[edit | edit source]Open spaces
[edit | edit source]The London Borough of Lambeth, in spite of being close to the centre of London has over 78 parks and open spaces, 27 of which include children's play areas and five paddling pools, within its boundaries.
Lambeth 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 forms a walkway for both pedestrians and cyclists. W
News archive
[edit | edit source]2017
- 10 lessons from London's first community fridge, Mar 14, 2017...@positivenewsuk
- London's first community fridge launches in Brixton, Feb 9, 2017...@BrixtonBlog
2016
A stunning project in the heart of London is taking on the might of globalisation, Dec 13, 2016...@thecanarysays
- Brixton Pound: How fintech boosts the local currency agenda, Dec 8, 2016...fusionwire.net
- Foodbank network calls for hot line to job centres, Nov 18, 2016...brixtonblog.com
- Lambeth ranked number one in London for tackling food poverty, Nov 16, 2016...jennybrathwaite.wordpress.com
- Bank of Lambeth project, Aug 5, 2016...transitiontownbrixton.org
- The first pay-what-you-feel cafe in Brixton! Jul 30, 2016...brixtonpound.org
- "Local Food is Growing" REconomy event, Jul 21, 2016...transitiontownbrixton.org
- World's first local currency cash machine opens in Brixton, Apr 11, 2016...@BrixtonBlog
- Community orchard planted in 'secret garden' in Lambeth, Mar 4, 2016...Brixton Blog
- Co-operatives in Lambeth, January 22, 2016...brixton.impacthub.net
2011-2015
How do you create a city for all? The answer lies in West Norwood, Dec 2, 2015...The Guardian
- Brixton Pound app to be available at the App Store for free later in July, with an Android version expected to follow later this summer, June 18, 2014...The Brixton Pound
- Lambeth Energy Partnership Aims, Opportunities and Stakeholders, February 5, 2014...transitiontownbrixton.org
- What is the Brixton Bonus? 2014...The Brixton Pound (undated)
- UK's first electronic local currency now live!..brixtonpound.org, September 30, 2011
About Lambeth
[edit | edit source]Past Events
- Mar 20, 2016 - PopFarm Community Launch eventbrite
Lambeth ( ) is a London borough in South London, England, which forms part of Inner London. Its name was recorded in 1062 as Lambehitha ("landing place for lambs") and in 1255 as Lambeth. The geographical centre of London is at Frazier Street near Lambeth North tube station, though nearby Charing Cross on the other side of the Thames in the City of Westminster is traditionally considered the centre of London.
| Authors | Phil Green |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-3.0 |
| Cite as | Philralph (2014–2026). "Community action/Lambeth". Appropedia. Retrieved June 4, 2026. |