Sustainable September returned to Wandsworth for a month-long extravaganza of local sustainability initiatives.
A packed programme of 100 events and activities took place across the borough to celebrate Wandsworth’s second Sustainable September.
Thousands of residents got involved throughout the month, with highlights ranging from a joyful harvest festival at the Paradise Cooperative in Wandsworth and an upcycled fashion show hosted by Transition Town Tooting, to a community gardening event and tabletop sale at the Boyd Court clubroom on the Ashburton Estate.
Making its debut at this year’s Sustainable September, the Southfields Yard Sale Trail attracted almost 150 stallholders to be part of London’s largest yard sale trail of second-hand treasures, original art works and handmade treats.
Supported by the council with a climate action microgrant, the trail snaked around the streets of Southfields and into the garden at St Barnabas church.
Watch Southfields Yard Sale Trail in action
Organiser Gwen Aker said she was delighted so many people had got involved with the Sustainable September event: “The yard sale trail is all about reducing waste, helping our neighbours and connecting with the local community. It’s helping people shift to reusing items, and not wasting the materials and the energy it took to make them.”
The Balham Big Green Fair welcomed around 200 people to St Mary and St John the Divine Church, where community groups including Beautify Balham shared tips as volunteers from Restart helped fix broken household items during a repair cafe session, also supported by a council microgrant.
To celebrate Car Free Day on 22 September, Wandsworth hosted 17 car free street parties across the borough, with the council waiving fees for residents planning the community events that promoted cleaner air and safer places to play.
The ninth Wandsworth Sustainability Network event, held on 9 September at the Doddington and Rollo Community Centre Roof Garden, was a chance for residents to share their views on the borough’s Biodiversity Action Plan. More than 60 people attended the event, which featured a green marketplace of local sustainability-focused organisations.
Meanwhile, representatives from the University of Roehampton, City St George’s, South Thames College and schools joined businesses including Tony Gee and Partners engineering, Durkan construction and Crew Energy to collaborate at the Wandsworth Net Zero Partnership roundtable at Sambrook’s Brewery.
Array of events
September’s busy calendar of events also included a green day at St George’s Hospital, eco talks, sustainable art and craft workshops, community fruit pressing using local produce, litter picking in the borough’s parks, and nature walks.
The annual Southfields Harvest celebrated its tenth anniversary during Sustainable September, with families, friends and neighbours turning out for the buzzing event featuring live music, a repair cafe, arts workshops, freshly picked allotment produce and homemade goodies, supported by a climate action microgrant.
Showing how waste can be transformed into art, the Put a Lid on It project at Woodfield Pavilion in Tooting used old bottle tops collected from local communities and the Work & Play Scrapstore to create a huge rainbow-coloured collage.
With events on almost every day of the month, there was an activity for everyone – each aiming to showcase how small actions can contribute to a big difference in our communities.
Paul White, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “Sustainable September has showcased the passion, ingenuity and drive that our communities are putting into taking climate action across Wandsworth.
“It’s been inspiring to have so many discussions about how we can all work together to meet our ambitious climate targets.
“This year’s Sustainable September has been even bigger and better, with many of the events helping our residents to take climate actions that will also help them save money and be healthier. We can’t wait to continue the conversations through the year.”
Climate Action Microgrants
We helped directly fund 15 of the Sustainable September events through our Climate Action Microgrants programme, which awards cash to community and school projects focused on climate change and sustainability.
“Thanks to the microgrant from Sustainable September, we’ve been able to partner with local eco groups, including Restart repair group,” explained Mella Drewienkiewicz, organiser of Balham Big Green Fair at St Mary & St John the Divine Church.
“We had a really successful day, with a couple of hundred people coming and looking forward to being able to do something to help with the climate crisis.”
Climate Action Microgrants are awarded through the year, with upcoming deadlines on 28 November and 30 January to apply for funding, or on 24 October and 13 February for schools.
For more information following Sustainable September and upcoming sustainability initiatives, please subscribe to our monthly Climate Newsletter.
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