Richmond’s Sustainability Forum blooms with nature, art, and community spirit

Richmond's Sustainability Forum met for the sixth time on Tuesday evening, at Orleans House Gallery in Twickenham. The woodland setting was a fitting backdrop to the themes of the evening: nature and community. 

Orleans House Gallery is the hub of Richmond's Arts Service, and Andy from the arts team kicked things off by highlighting the importance of art in exploring our relationship with nature and being inspired to find creative responses to the challenges and opportunities we face.

Next to speak was Paul Jennings, the chief executive of Habitats and Heritage, who now have new headquarters at Grimwood Road in Twickenham, a site which is set to become an inspiring microcosm of nature and sustainability in the heart of the community. However, Paul's main focus recently has been on Richmond upon Thames's newly re-launched Biodiversity Action Plan. This has been delivered through the Richmond Biodiversity Partnership, an extraordinary range of knowledgeable individuals and local organisations that we're privileged to have in the borough. Paul drew our attention to the new action plans on Dark Skies and Amphibians & Reptiles and emphasised the importance of connectivity — for humans as well as for the natural world that surrounds us. We have many beautiful, natural, green spaces in Richmond. But they have become disconnected from the wider landscape. We can support nature's recovery by reconnecting these spaces. Rivers and railways are existing examples of how this can happen, but so are roadside verges, street trees, and our own back gardens and window boxes. 

Our next speaker was John Rose, who explained the Friends of Street Trees project that he is leading, supported by Richmond Council. In a nutshell, tree-friendly residents can sign up to look after new tree plantings in their neighbourhood. It's nothing complicated — you just keep the tree watered in hot summer months, maybe sharing the duty with your neighbours, just a few cans full per week, and water from dish-washing or the water butt is fine. You're also encouraged to talk to other people about how valuable trees are, not just in making streets attractive, but in supporting wildlife, providing shade and a cooling effect in heat waves, taking up rain water during downpours, and storing carbon. You can find out more about Friends of Street Trees. 

There are so many other ways to get involved in volunteering in nature locally. Moving around more and getting Vitamin D is good for physical health, and working creatively with other people to support our natural environment builds a great sense of community and belonging. Search for voluntary opportunities. 

Back to Richmond Sustainability Forum at Orleans House Gallery: it was an absolute delight to hear from two people who recently received "climate microgrant funding" from Richmond Council to support their local community climate action initiatives.

Emma Howcroft's climate action microgrant allowed her to bring her knowledge of the world of fungi to new audiences. Fungi aren't just beautiful emblems of autumn, they are an overlooked but fascinating and crucial part of natural ecosystems. They store vast amounts of carbon, restore health to depleted soils, improve agricultural yields, and much else besides — go to one of Emma's talks to gain more insight into the full potential of fungi in re-balancing our unbalanced world.

Maria Sprostranova also spoke compellingly — about the importance of being and learning outdoors. Maria used her microgrant to offer free Forest School training to people who couldn't otherwise afford it. In a society often dominated by screens, safety concerns, and transportation from building to building by car, it is hugely important that we allow ourselves to embrace the great outdoors in our play and our learning. It fosters a sense of belonging and guardianship of the natural world. Those who love to be in nature and are willing to understand it, will be foremost in looking after it.

These are just two of the initiatives that have been supported by Richmond Council's microgrant programme: if you need a little bit of support to share your sustainability solutions or get started on an climate-focused initiative in your local community, you can read more about climate action microgrants.

The Community & Nature focus of this Forum, and the knowledge and enthusiasm of all the speakers, captured the attention of the audience at Orleans House Gallery this week. Now I'm really looking forward to the next Forum. Look out for the details and come and join us!

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