Winchester Green Week, which aims to promote the message that a sustainable future can be created by all of us growing greener together, took place 23 September-1 October. This was a week of events for everyone, organised by local communities, environmental groups, educational institutions, faith groups, local authorities and businesses in the Winchester District.
The hope is that people who attend will learn, create and act – discovering easy, everyday ways to reduce our impact on the planet, getting inspired and immersing ourselves in artistic responses to climate change, and taking action against climate change alongside our community.
The week was jampacked full of events, with lots of local businesses taking part. Here are a few of the events that took place:
Chris Packham: Nature and Me
Winchester Youth Counselling welcomed their patron and renowned naturalist Chris Packham CBE to Winchester College on 25 September, at a wonderful event highlighting the important link between nature and mental health. The talk explored how local wildlife can support our well-being and promote positive mental health.
A sold-out audience of more than 400 people came together to hear Chris’ personal insights into how nature has had a huge impact on his mental health throughout his life. He spoke about the fact that autism has impacted his thought patterns and relationships, and how this led to personal guilt and anger about how our natural world is continually declining. Ending on a message of hope, Chris went on to discuss how he used these feelings to effect change and to lobby for open and honest conversations around climate change.
Young people played a key role in the evening and were asked to vote on certain issues. Chris emphasised the fact that young people should have a say in how the future is shaped, as they will be the inheritors of the ongoing climate change crisis.
I like working with young people. Yes, they make mistakes, but we need to make mistakes to make positive things happen. We need to listen more to young people and empower them to make decisions that are affecting their future.
Chris Packham CBE
Prior to the event, Chris led a nature walk on a local nature reserve, sharing his experiences and insights into embracing nature in a way that supports mental health with Winchester Youth Counselling’s Youth Advisory Board.
One of the Youth Advisory Board members, Emaline, said: “I have noticed that it is becoming increasingly common to witness friends and peers suffer with a mental health issue. The rise in young people struggling with mental health issues is concerning and the team behind Winchester Youth Counselling are doing the can to help tackle this. From a personal view and I am sure many would agree, providing mental health support for children and young people should not only be a priority, but essential. Identifying the issues as early as possible and providing early interventions would help to ease the transition from childhood to adulthood as smoothly and healthily as possible.”
Read more about the talk and nature walk via the Winchester Youth Counselling website here.
Confused About Carbon? – Climate Stewards
On 27 September, Climate Stewards hosted a ‘Confused About Carbon?’ event at Christ Church Winchester, sharing their insights on how we can all work together to make a difference for our planet.
For many of us, reducing our carbon footprint is something we aspire to, but don’t always have a plan as to how we can go about it! During this event, Climate Stewards Director Caroline Pomeroy explored routes to responsible stewardship, how carbon footprints are calculated, and the use of carbon offset markets. She explained how people can calculate their own carbon footprint and how to reduce it – for instance, our food accounts, on average, for between 20% and 30% of our annual carbon footprint, simply due to its manufacture and transport. Sourcing local foods can go a long way towards reducing your impact.
As both individuals and organisations, she encouraged us that we can take steps to become Carbon Neutral. This means reducing our current emissions, whilst also compensating for what has not yet been reduced by carbon offsetting.
Climate Stewards state that there are six key steps to take:
- Measure your carbon footprint
- Plan your response
- Reduce your carbon emissions
- Offset what’s left over
- Tell everybody what you have been doing
- Review your progress
Cycle Winchester Mass Ride
Another group to get involved in Winchester Green Week was Cycle Winchester, who for several years now have organised a ‘Mass Ride’. This event welcomes cyclists of all abilities and ages to support the main objective of Cycle Winchester – to make the city better by bike!
This year, Cycle Winchester worked alongside Kidical Mass, an organisation which promotes cycle-friendly hubs across the world, particularly for children, as well as sustainable mobility. The Mass Ride took place on 30 September, meeting at King Alfred’s Statue in the Broadway, then taking a processional lap around the city centre. Cyclists, their families and friends, then met at the Abbey Gardens for refreshments and a chance to chat.
A feeder ride was also organised for the day by the Colden Common and Twyford Bike Bus, which took place at a slow-to-medium pace on open roads. Experienced cyclists volunteered to marshal the group for safety reasons too, which was much appreciated.
Read more about the Mass Ride via the Hampshire Chronicle website here.
