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Many thanks to everyone who supported GreenFest West Berkshire 2025 - our photo gallery is a lovely record of the day. Following on from the success of GreenFest, the WBGE committee is now planning what to do next, and welcome feedback on the ideas below. Please email [email protected] with your comments, and if you would like to be involved in any way. Please also see our June Newsletter for more information. |
Possible activities for West Berkshire Green Exchange:
- Hold another GreenFest next year or the year after, either at St Bart's School, or Newbury Town Centre, possibly in collaboration with other organisers.
- Organise smaller events through the year.
- Work more with our Parish and Town Councils, West Berkshire Council and North Wessex Downs National Landscape (75% of West Berkshire is in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).
- Give more support to campaigns such as the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.
- Give more support to local nature and climate groups to help them recruit volunteers and apply for grants.
- Deliver Carbon Literacy training.
- Take our 'Nature and Climate stall' to local events.
- Support local schools with their Climate Plans through the University of Reading/Department for Education Climate Ambassador Scheme.
West Berkshire Green Exchange welcomes any West Berkshire group or individual who wants to connect with others working towards stabilising nature and climate. Our local network includes people with expertise in:
We help each other stay up to date with the latest nature and climate news through our WhatsApp group, presentations to local groups, and our Nature and Climate Stall at local events.
We share information from West Berkshire Council, including from the Town and Parish Climate Forum. Please subscribe to their Environment Newsletter, visit their online Green Hub and read their Environment Strategy 2020-2030 to find out more about available help and grants, the latest news from local eco-groups, and progress towards targets.
There is no charge for membership but please sign up here, or email [email protected] to find out more. Members receive approximately monthly emails and can unsubscribe at any time.
Updated June 2025
- Nature conservation
- Affordable and energy-efficient home improvements
- Single-use plastic reduction, & local recycling options
- Mediterranean (naturally low-carbon and healthy) cooking
- Reducing food waste
- Estimating and reducing carbon footprints
- Electric vehicle facts and myths
- Switching to banks and pensions that don’t invest in fossil fuels
- Campaigning (eg the UK’s Climate and Nature Bill and the global Fossil Fuel Non-proliferation Treaty)
We help each other stay up to date with the latest nature and climate news through our WhatsApp group, presentations to local groups, and our Nature and Climate Stall at local events.
We share information from West Berkshire Council, including from the Town and Parish Climate Forum. Please subscribe to their Environment Newsletter, visit their online Green Hub and read their Environment Strategy 2020-2030 to find out more about available help and grants, the latest news from local eco-groups, and progress towards targets.
There is no charge for membership but please sign up here, or email [email protected] to find out more. Members receive approximately monthly emails and can unsubscribe at any time.
Updated June 2025
Useful resources:
- David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet (also on Netflix) and Climate Change - The Facts on BBC player.
- Met Office, Climate Change Committee and United Nations reports
- https://footprint.wwf.org.uk and How bad are Bananas by Mike Berners-Lee, for estimating and reducing carbon footprints
- Penny Post Eco Podcast, the Cleaning Up - Leadership in Climate Action Podcast, and The Happy Heat Pump Podcast
- Many local Facebook groups including Friends Of the Earth Newbury, Hungerford Food Community, Thatcham & Newbury Plastic Free, Recycling & Zero Waste and West Berks Climate Action Network
- Some suggested reading: Sustainability is for Everyone by Alan AtKisson, Scientists on Survival by Scientists from XR , A Climate of Truth by Mike Berners-Lee, Not the End of the World by Hannah Ritchie, Less is More by Jason Hickel, and The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg.
