To quote the Royal Horticultural Society: "Soil plays a key role in the carbon cycle, can hold the water needed for plants to grow, and can help to prevent extreme water crises such as flood events or droughts. Most crucially for our species, it can feed us; perpetually, sustainably and healthily. But to maximise these benefits, we need to keep learning about it, and handle it with care and thought."

What lives in the soil is often little appreciated - bees…

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Do you want to develop food growing skills for a better food system? Game-changing Hackney-based social enterprise Growing Communities is recruiting this year's crop of urban growing trainees. Learn all about growing vegetables - especially salad leaves - at our urban market gardens in Hackney. The free training runs one day a week, plus monthly evening…

We enjoyed a very beautiful film on 17 November as well as learning a great deal.

The wonderful imagery of seeds sprouting, of fields and forests, backgrounded the story of seeds, the importance of having many varieti

es of…

The UK's only all-organic food market turns 20 this year and is throwing a series of events to mark this special milestone.

Growing Communities Farmers' Market based at St Paul's Church in Stoke Newington is celebrating 20 years of better food this May! 🧑‍🌾That's 20 years of fair pay for our hardworking farmers & producers,…

Hackney, like every other authority in the UK, is preparing a climate action plan and like every other authority it devises its plan on the basis of its own territorial boundaries. A major problem for plans like these is, of course, that climate knows no borders and trying to ‘fix’ the problem in one part of London without coordinating action with other authorities will undermine the whole project.

The Lea Valley Park and the Marshes, East London’s Green Lung, is the most…

In January 2023 we submitted our response to the council’s consultation on the draft Climate Action Plan and Council Implementation Plan.  These documents will shape Hackney's response to the climate crisis and whether Hackney can deliver on…

The council has published it's draft Climate Action Plan as part of the papers for a Cabinet meeting on Monday 24th October.

You can download and read the documents here:

This short film was made by Ian Phillips. To quote his description: : "A haven for wildlife and an essential wild space for the local people, the River Lea cuts through the urban sprawl of East London. But years of neglect have left it on the brink of ecological disaster. The local community have come together to highlight the plight of this vital resource, demanding action to improve the state of the river."…

With the increase in use of green spaces for exercise we are republishing these walks.  It will be interesting to try them again to see how things have changed in the last 10 years.  Enjoy!…

Did you know that the new Hackney Parks and Green Spaces Strategy will affect green spaces on estates?  From next year the Hackney Parks Department will take on the management of 237 green spaces on Hackney's estates in addition to the 58 parks and green spaces they already manage.  That's why it is vital that estate residents have an input to the strategy…

At this year’s Sustainable Hackney AGM, we asked people to talk about what they wanted to help build Hackney back better.  Now we are asking everyone who wasn’t there.

Hackney Council are holding a meeting early in March on building back better in Hackney post-Covid, and this is a chance to feed into it: if you tell us,…

The penultimate Bulletin is out now, available in print at Hoxton Trust. Happy Reading!…

Photo Kate Poland

Hackney Council has launched a consultation on it's draft Parks and Green Spaces Strategy.   You can read the …

Hackney has started the process of replacing its Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP).  The BAP was developed by the Hackney Biodiversity Partnership and outlined priorities and set out a programme of action to improve biodiversity across the borough.  Developed and monitored by a group of local people interested in nature conservation the partnership has continued to meet…

In November last year Sustainable Hackney developed a community response to Hackney Council’s…

Globally the United Nations is calling on governments to seize the opportunity to “build back better” by creating more sustainable, resilient and inclusive societies.

Here in Hackney we've been musing on the…

A%20Personal%20Journey%20into%20Sustainability%20ed1.docx

In this blog, we offer the personal reflections of people closely involved in Sustainable Hackney, on how the pandemic has affected them personally, and the wider Hackney community.

We’ve joined #BuildBackBetter

‘We can emerge from this crisis a stronger, fairer, greener country.’…

Towards a Dalston Plan consultation on key issues and objectives - launched on Monday 27 January 2020.

The consultation document and questionnaire is published alongside the Dalston Conversation report and is available at https://dalstonplan.commonplace.is/.

How to have your say

To view the key issues and objectives, and to have your…