Groups across the district are being asked to organise an event for the fifth Sustainability Festival in 2020 which will take place across two weeks from Saturday 23rd May to Sunday 7th June. Groups must register the event before 9th February.

For local businesses – from cafes to warehouses! For local community groups such as residents associations, women’s groups, wildlife groups, allotment groups and more. Includes all of our district’s faith groups – you can organise a walk -to -church day, or eco-mosque talk. Schools can be very creative; with school-based litter picks, or plastic recycling days, or creating art work on one of the environmental themes.

The festival is created by local groups; community; business; faith and schools (and other youth groups) in St Albans District, across St Albans, Harpenden, and villages such as Sandridge, London Colney, Redbourn and Wheathampstead.

Groups should organise an event that will take place during the festival weeks. The event must be about one of the ten themes of environmental sustainability – taken from Bioregional’s One Planet Living principles.For more information about how to organise an event please look at the website www.sustfest.org

 

Could you help us involve schools in next year’s SustFest2020?

Are you experienced in working with schools? Are you looking for some short-term voluntary work at the moment?

We are looking for a volunteer to help us get schools involved in next year’s Sustainabilty Festival – across St Albans, Harpenden and the villages.

Last year’s Sustainability Festival involved over 30 schools – infant, primary, secondary – (and scouts and guides and brownies) across the district – they got involved with some fantastic activities – and did stuff from plastic-free lunches; school litter pick; pond-dipping; jazzing up junk to reducing air pollution around the school entrances.

We now need to get the ball rolling for 2020 and are looking for someone to join our small team.

We have a small Sustainable Schools group and do have a couple of people already on board to help with Schools SustFest2020 – but we are lacking the experience of a teacher, or teaching assistant – someone who is familiar with how our local schools operate.

What kinds of things will the schools team do?

The team will have  to send out emails and follow these up to get some traction with teachers or eco-staff within the schools – and then passing on information to our communications team.  Some schools ask for someone to come in to talk to the children; that could be one of the SustSchools team. For the festival itself we also need to publicise activities within the schools’  newsletters to parents, and try and get some photos from engaged schools. We also need to make sure the schools get hold of programmes to distribute.

Contact us

Is this something you could help with? Or do you know someone who could help? Do let us know – email us through the contact form here.

Seven streets in St Albans and Harpenden closed for up to 3 hours on Sunday 22nd September  for World Car Free Day.  Neighbours took the opportunity to socialise as their children played on the road with bikes, scooters and skipping ropes. They were all taking part in the trial of a new Sustainable St Albans project called Playing Out.  The project enables residents to apply to close their own road to through traffic for the purposes of children’s play and community building.

The Playing Out scheme is being launched throughout the district including St Albans, Harpenden and the villages. It is being run in conjunction with St Albans District Council and is now open for applications from the public for 2020. 

Sustainable St Albans’ Playing Out co-ordinator, Nicola Wyeth, said:

“Playing Out sessions enable children to play out in the way that we all took for granted when we were young. It is a fabulous way to build communities, for parents to find a support network and for isolated residents to enjoy a cuppa and a chat all while the children get fresh air and exercise. It was wonderful to see multiple streets celebrating World Car Free Day in this way.”

A Playing Out scheme is always run in a way that minimises any inconvenience to residents who need access by vehicle to the closed area. Neighbours volunteer to steward the road closure points and if a driver needs access, they are escorted to their property at walking pace after children have been cleared from the road. 

Sustainable St Albans will help you through the necessary steps of the application and lend you the necessary kit such as high viz jackets and road closed signs. Interested residents can find out more at by visiting our Playing Out page or get in touch by emailing us. There will be free information sessions in November – one at the Harpenden Arms in Harpenden on 11th November at 10.30am and one at The Beech House pub in St Albans on 15th November at 10.30am. Come along to find out more.