There’s always the other side of the story … @FoWimbledonPark @WimSoc @BeraSW19 @PutneyFleur @paulpowlesland @PaulKohlerSW19 @MayorofLondon @wandbc @FoEMerton @Merton_Council @JustPlaneNews

Make sustainable development practices mandatory in the UK - Sign the Petition! c.org/KLvvcndmds via @UKChange

Almost 1,000 permit breaches from the polluting Incinerator. The EA has the same care and protection for air pollution as they do for the water industry. Absolute joke of a regulator.

What the bloody hell is wrong with people? 😡 'No signs of life' in River Lugg after John Price destruction An ECOLOGIST has warned that it could take up to 30 years for a river that has no "signs of life" to recover after it was "obliterated" by a local farmer. Although then and now photos show that the landscape around the River Lugg near Kingsland has been drastically transformed, an ecologist has warned it could take decades to fully recover after farmer John Price used an 18-tonne digger to dredge a section. Price also stripped a mile-long stretch of the bank of trees back in 2020. He was jailed for 12 months in 2023 by a judge who told him he had committed "ecological vandalism on an industrial scale" along a section of one of Britain's most important salmon rivers. He had claimed he had carried out the work to help protect locals in the nearby hamlet whose homes were devastated by flooding and to help fix riverbed erosion. But the Environment Agency said the damage was one of the worst cases of riverside destruction it had ever seen, leading to a "devastating" effect on local wildlife - which has still not recovered six years on. Although trees, bushes, and greenery are growing back around the river, a leading ecologist believes there are "no signs of life" in the river itself. Environmental designer Richard Fishbourne said: "It is quite disturbing to see how much damage one person can cause in just a couple of days. "When I went down recently there was no sign of any fish where you would usually expect to see minnows, graylings, trout and salmon. "There's just no sign of life - there's nothing in the water here now and it has become an impoverished landscape. "It can take decades to build up this wonderful community of species and habitat but it can all be destroyed in a moment of insanity." More here:herefordtimes.com/news/26166…

"Swimmers warned to avoid sewage release area." Southern Water up to their old tricks again I see. Sewage illegally dumped into the sea and people told to say out of the water. When are govt going to get a grip? bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74d…

🚨 Fire every 5 hours. Cheap goods from online marketplaces are causing deadly UK fires, but tech bosses are making a killing due to a loophole that lets them dodge our safety laws. Act now to protect our homes! 🧵👇 you.38degrees.org.uk/petitio… via @38degrees

This is what entitlement looks like! 🤬 There are nesting waterbirds on this pond on Hampstead Heath... there are also big 'No Swimming' signs, all being totally ignored! 🤬 Pure selfishness... 😒🤬🤬 (Shared from Instagr*m with permission from 'swansofhampsteadheath')

Uncut grass keeps the ground at around 19.5°C Grass cut to 10 cm raises the ground temperature to about 24.5°C Bare ground in the middle of summer rises to over 40°C It's important to raise awareness #NoMowMay

An historic day, as the River Wye becomes the first river in the UK to have its rights recognised by local authorities across its catchment. Hundreds of people gathered on the banks of the river to watch as representatives from Monmouthshire, Forest of Dean & Powys Councils, Herefordshire County Council, the Wye Valley National Landscape & Bannau Brycheiniog National Park signed the pledge recognising the rivers rights and then spoke about why they had done so what it would mean for the relationship of their organisation to the river. It went beyond legal formalities into something of a service of thanks & honour to the river, with poetry, a choir singing songs, & offerings to the river. It has been a real honour to witness & be part of the surging movement towards river rights & guardianship on the Wye. Four years ago I met & advised Herefordshire Councillor Elissa Swinglehurst, who wanted to put a voice of the river on the Wye Nutrient Management Board. A year ago I sat around a fire on the banks of the river with other Wye guardians & Earth lawyers as the idea of a charter was first mooted. To see it become a reality, & supported by 6 public bodies, in just a year is astonishing. Now, of course, comes the hard work of making those rights a reality. But given the hundreds of active river guardians, & increasing public pressure to protect & restore the river, if it can be done on any river, it will be done on the Wye.

Farmers have figured out that the cheapest pesticide is a strip of flowers. When you plant wildflowers through a crop field, not just around the edge but in strips running through the middle, you get ladybugs, lacewings, hoverflies, and parasitic wasps living in the field instead of visiting it. They eat the aphids, the caterpillars, and the mites for free, all summer long. In controlled trials, fields with tailored flower strips had leaf-beetle numbers 40 to 50% lower and crop damage cut by around 60%, enough to drop below the threshold where spraying was even considered worth it. The flowers attract a standing army to our fields. We spent decades engineering chemicals to kill the insects eating the crop, when the insects that eat those insects would have worked for the price of seed.

Now there's a very, very good question. Thames Water have now admitted that they are not treating (dousing) their sewage for phosphate due to a "supply issue". That by the way has a massive and negative impact on water quality and aquatic life. Funny they didn't mention any of that until they were called out on it. How many other WCs I wonder are having supply issues?

Dame Judi Dench's petition to bring back our ancient woodlands is getting handed in on Tuesday. Let's help her get as many signatures as possible before then. Add your name now: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitio… via @38degrees

Save Merton’s Faith in Action: Help Us Stay at the Salvation Army Hub - Sign the Petition! c.org/GWnkQRh82t via @UKChange

While @mertonlabour claims they are making Merton greener, they forgot to mention they have removed council funding from @MitchamCommon

Ban the sale of Artificial Grass - Sign the Petition! c.org/pDQ4BYz7BS via @UKChange Artificial grass is made of 3 different types of plastic, it cannot be recycled & can overheat in hot weather making it unusable. It doesn't provide any food for living creatures.

It’s interesting that @wesstreeting says we should be talking about about local rather than international issues, as the most polluted river in London (750,000,000 litres a year of raw shit & landfill leachate) runs through a public park in his constituency and he’s done fuck all about it.

Excellent meeting in St Mark’s Church, Wimbledon yesterday evening. Clear and factual presentations from Richard Rees (who has designed tennis courts and infrastructure for @Wimbledon) and Ken McFarlane, both architects. Turns out there is a PLAN B 🤩👍

Well Done Netherlands 🇳🇱. This is not just about fireworks. It is about a country making a clear choice. Starting from the New Year period of 2026 to 2027, the Netherlands will ban citizens from buying and using fireworks nationwide. This is not a small change. It shifts a long tradition into something more controlled and safer. For years, New Year nights in the Netherlands brought chaos. Streets filled with smoke. Emergency rooms crowded with injuries. Fires breaking out in neighborhoods. Police and firefighters stretched to their limits. But there is another side that often gets ignored. Animals across the country go into panic during fireworks. Dogs shaking inside homes. Cats hiding under beds for hours. Birds flying into buildings in the dark. Shelters filling with lost pets the next day. They do not understand celebration. They only feel fear. This decision is meant to reduce that harm. Citizens will no longer be allowed to buy or set off fireworks. Fewer random explosions in neighborhoods. More control over how celebrations happen. Professional shows may still take place. But the loud, unpredictable noise in residential areas will be reduced. This is what change looks like when a government responds to years of pressure from safety experts, emergency workers, and animal welfare concerns. Less chaos. Less harm. More peace. And for animals, a quieter night is everything. Sources: - NL Times... Dutch Senate votes in favor of national fireworks ban - Euro News... Going out with a bang? Dutch shoppers snap up fireworks before nationwide ban #netherlands #fireworks #pet