Hackney Cyclists have circulated details of a motion on 20mph speed limits which will be debated at the Council meeting on the 21st November. The motion was…

The process of restoring East Marsh from a coach park to a green space has begun. You can see here the paving being stripped away from a layer of hardcore beneath.

By autumn of next year, we're promised, the green space will be restored. The football and rugby pitches that were shoehorned onto the main marsh will be moved back. The pressure on space ended HMUG's…

We've revamped our discussion forum, with sections for…

This is a welcome new report from Haringey's Carbon Commission.

It shows how there need be no conflict between action on climate change, action on inequality, and economic prosperity. The report promotes the growth of green industry and innovative enterprise models in the borough to ensure relevant job opportunities are created locally and so that the benefits of the 'economic prize' are shared more equitably and address the unacceptable levels of inequality within the…

Peoples Kitchen 2nd Birthday

Hello all you lovely people,

On Sunday People's Kitchen will be celebrating their 2nd Birthday at Passing Clouds, Please come down and support the project, enjoy some food, good company, talks and music.…

We're a new project concerned with educating, promoting and celebrating all aspects of local food. Our core activities include running pay-by-donation Sunday afternoon workshops which are open to all and six week courses (Seed To Plate; Harvest To Jar; Forage To Fork, Making To Sell) which we deliver to community groups such as young carers, low income families, and minority groups.

Below is our 2012 program of Sunday afternoon workshops. Places are very limited so drop us a line to…

Capital Growth's 11th funding round is now open until Monday 29 October (5pm). Grants of up to £350 are available for capital costs to community groups in London that want to start a community food-growing space. Priority will be given to applications for materials that assist with the following aims:

- increasing the amount of food grown on site or making the site more sustainable;

- helping the community group grow food to sell;

- helping the community group to start a new…

During Open House weekend I visited 74 Amhurst Road, which the owner has extensively renovated with the environment in mind.  Wall insulation, loft insulation, solar PV, efficient lighting, double-glazing, boiler heat recovery, water harvesting, and use of recycled materials are among the many features.  

With the owner's kind permission here is a guide to the…

Exiled from Hackney

Do you know anyone exiled from our corporate police state? My best friend has just fled…

Biofuelwatch is looking for a full-time Bioenergy Campaigner.  This is an opportunity to join the Biofuelwatch team for a minimum of 6-8 months of maternity cover position, although we hope to be able to extend this longer-term (subject to successful fundraising by the team). As a Bioenergy Campaigner, you will be working alongside a small team to support local groups running community campaigns in opposition to proposed biofuels and biomass power stations across the UK.  Additionally, you…

Sustainable Hackney supports the campaign by Stokey Local objecting to the proposed development at Wilmer Place.  To read more about the campaign see Stokey Local.

The deadline for comments on the proposal is this Friday 21st September.

Bring your family and friends and your wildlife costume to a free, fun family event at Waterworks Nature Reserve Lamas Rd on Saturday 15th September, 10am -4pm.

Experience a range of activities and entertainment against the back drop of a stunning wildlife community  garden.

For more information:…

“Just then they came in sight of thirty or forty windmills that rise from that plain. And no sooner did Don Quixote see them than he said to his squire, ‘…I intend to do battle with them and slay them. With their spoils we shall begin to be rich for this is a righteous war...’

‘Take care, sir,’ cried Sancho Panza. ‘Those over there are not giants but windmills. Those things that seem to be their arms are sails which, when they are whirled around by the wind, turn the…

Hackney Council's Voluntary and Community Sector Grants Programme for 2013/14 is open for applications.

The grants support the delivery of the six objectives contained in Hackney's Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS) which are:

• Objective 1: Reduce poverty by supporting residents into sustainable employment, and promoting employment opportunities.
• Objective 2: Help…

From the Royal Geographical Society, here is a Hackney walk about urban land use. Titled ‘Beans, berries and bees’ the walk visits urban spaces in Hackney being used to grow food and explores the potential of urban gardening in the borough. You can see the walk at the link here: Beans, berries and bees.…

Proposed Wilmer Place Development…

**** NEWS 25th September NEWS ***

We've submitted our response to the Development Management Local Plan consultation.  SH.consultation.response.DMLP.pdf Thanks for your input.

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Hackney Council is consulting on two important planning documents. Sustainable…

Background

Generally Hackney is a typical inner London Borough with limited scope for cavity wall insulation because so many of the homes have pre-1919 solid walls. While working as a paid surveyor on the Mayor of London’s RENEW programme I realised that this was not the case for homes originally built by Hackney Council. There is a band of estates scattered across Hackney built in the late 1970s easily identified by their non-standard bricks which were built with cavities. Most have…

I love the Olympics but....

Many people may not take me for the typical straight male sport addict, a victim of Chomsky's …