The new Uttlesford Local Plan due for adoption in Spring 2026,
The new Uttlesford Local Plan 2021–2041, due for adoption in Spring 2026, is a ‘climate-led’ plan, requiring low-carbon, climate-resilient development that reduces emissions at source and improving residents’ well-being and quality of life. New development will be ultra-low-energy with fossil-fuel-free buildings powered by renewable energy, and walkable, well-connected communities reducing car dependency, and strengthening green […]
Big News for Community Energy
In case you haven’t heard it on the news this morning, GB Energy has launched it’s Local Power Plan which is great news for our growing community energy groups here in Essex. This represents the biggest public investment in community energy the UK has ever made, backed by up to £1 billion through GB Energy […]
EU Bans Destruction of Unsold Clothes and Shoes
The European Union has banned the destruction of unsold clothes, a move aimed at tackling overproduction and making the fashion industry more sustainable. They also introduce a standardized format for businesses to disclose the volumes of unsold consumer goods they discard. On Monday, the European Commission introduced new rules prohibiting companies from destroying unsold textiles […]
The Big Plastic Count
For one week in March (9th to 15th), thousands of people from households, schools and communities will be counting every piece of plastic packaging they throw away. Together, we’ll uncover the true scale of the UK’s big plastic problem and call on the government to do more about it. Once the week’s up, it’s time […]
An expedition to investigate the possible collapse of the ocean current that keeps UK warm in winter.
The AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation) is a current in the Atlantic that transports heat from the tropics up to the UK and Western Europe. The amount of heat energy being moved is frankly unimaginable – in a Channel 4 article on this topic they equated it to more then a million power stations worth […]
Funding for a nationwide, nature-rich river corridor network
As a result of our contribution to the petition on “Provide funding for a nationwide, nature-rich river corridor network.” we’ve had a response from the government. Some of the highlights of their response are: We are protecting or restoring 20,000 kilometres of watercourses and investing in flood protection. As a result of the June 2025 […]
(Updated) UK Government Releases Strategic Assessment on Biodiversity Loss
Last autumn the government commissioned a report by the joint intelligence committee (which oversee MI5 and MI6), but the release of the report was blocked by Number 10 Downing Street because it was “too negative”. The document linked below is the result of a ‘freedom of information request’ to get the information released. but it’s […]
Happy New Year – 2026
Happy new year to eveyone! Despite grass roots efforts like ours and all the energy put in by volunteers and ‘green’ organisations in 2025, the trajectory is still pretty dire as summarized at the National Emergency Briefing in November (see previous news item. Also, all 9 presentations are now available in full here https://www.nebriefing.org/ ). […]
National Emergency Briefing on the climate and nature crisis – 27th November
A National Emergency Briefing on the climate and nature crisis was held on 27th November at Central Hall Westminster. An invite-only audience of around 1,250 politicians and leaders from business, culture, faith, sport and the media with the latest implications for health, food, national security and the economy. 81 MPs and 52 Peers signed up […]
Water efficiency must become national priority says EA
The Environment Act set a target to reduce the use of public water supply per person by 20% by the end of March 2038, a quarter of that has apparently been achieved so far, but climate change and population growth are putting a tremendous strain on resources and this year’s drought is a stark reminder […]