We love a bit of reuse in St Albans! Although many of us have got into the habit of throwing things away easily, producing new consumer goods often generates a lot of carbon pollution, not to mention the volume of waste, and the loss of the precious materials into un-useable refuse… Repairing one item won’t save the world, but if it becomes a habit, it can quickly add up and make a huge difference! Resources for how and where to repair your items are below, and don’t forget that we run Repair Fairs across the District, and throughout the year. Keep an eye on our events for future dates.
Why Repair & Reuse?
Repair isn’t just about saving money or the planet. There are other benefits too. Fixing things can be fun – an opportunity to learn new skills or develop existing ones. And you’ll finish with a sense of satisfaction of a job well done.
The Restart Wiki contains a wealth of information, from basic theory and essential tools, to advice about specific types of device. Totally new to all this? Start with their “Scared to Repair?” page.
The ifixit website offers repair guides for computers, phones, tablets, cameras, and games consoles.
Reuse
You can buy and sell old smartphones, tablets and laptops on eBay, Freegle or Freecycle. Even if broken, they may have a value, because broken items sell for parts. Remember to wipe your personal data first.
Find dozens of links for buying, selling, upcycling, recycling, and mending your clothes on our sustainable fashion page.
Need clothing repaired or altered?
YouTube is your friend. For a general guide to sewing, try Good Housekeeping’s YouTube playlist. Want to turn up a hem, fix a zip, or darn a sock … just ask YouTube.
Want to learn more? Sew Enjoyable is a St Albans-based business offering sewing classes and workshops and West Herts College offers Dressmaking for Beginners.
Watch this practical talk on “Basic Bike Maintenance” given during SustFest21 by the Verulam Cycling Club.
If that isn’t enough to get you sorted, take your bike to one of our great local bikes shops, or use one of the local mobile cycle mechanics who come to you house and sort out your bike. For example, locally there are CycleTech, Botox Bikes, The Bike Loft in Redbourn, and more.
Local bike shops buy and sell secondhand bikes, as well as new ones, especially kids bikes which are quickly outgrown.
If you have a street WhatsApp group, that can be a great place to find and offer bikes.
HOUSEHOLD GOODS
For repairs, again, YouTube is your friend, and is filled with repair guides.
The Recycling Centres have reuse areas where you can donate and buy household items (check the latest status with regard to COVID).
Some furniture can be re-homed through Emmaus, and you can buy from their shops.
Charity shops accept many household items.
Watch the Restart Code (1 min)
RESTART PARTIES AND REPAIR FAIRS
Follow the Facebook Group for Sustainable St Albans’ project St Albans Fixers to hear about dates of upcoming repair fairs in St Albans and Harpenden. St Albans Fixers is using the model established by the The Restart Project. Restart aims for a more sustainable relationship with our electrical and electronic devices by encouraging and enabling community-based repair. Restart is growing a global network of affiliated groups supported by an online community, a repair wiki and a “Fixometer”, which tracks CO2 emissions and waste averted. Restart is also increasingly active in lobbying for “right to repair” and design for repairability.
Herts County Council have a directory of local repair fairs and cafes; here…
The Repair Shed in Dacorum is part of the Men’s Shed movement, aiming to help men aged over 50 to stay healthier and happier for longer, by making, mending and learning (though it does have younger members and women members). Shedders work on their own project and also community projects and commissions .. so do contact them if you have a wooden something that needs fixing!
They also run a Repair Shed in Redbourn. As well as wooden repairs, they also have a Sewing Cafe which (before lockdown) was running sessions on Thursdays from 10.00 am – 12.30. For the latest, follow them on Facebook.
A story behind fixing stuff in St Albans and Harpenden
On the 9th September 2019 Sustainable St Albans held an event ‘What can you fix’ at The Harpenden Arms featuring Doug Root from The Repair Shed, and Philip le Riche from the Restart Project.
The Repair Shed in Dacorum is part of the Men’s Shed movement: the aim is to help men over 50 to stay healthier and happier for longer by making, mending and learning (though it does have younger members and women members). Shedders work on their own project and also community project and commissions.
The Restart Project aims for a more sustainable relationship with our electrical and electronic devices by encouraging and enabling community-based repair. Our speaker, Philip has taken part as a fixer in many “Restart Parties” in London, and organised one as part of St Luke’s Upcycle and Repair Fair during SustFest19. He described his own involvement and also how Restart is growing a global network of affiliated groups supported by an online community, a repair wiki and a “Fixometer”, which tracks CO2emissions and waste averted. Restart is active in lobbying for right to repair and design for repairability.
Restart resources:
The Restarters’ community (Forums, Fixometer, Wiki) – registration required: restarters.net
The Restart Wiki (no registration required for read access): wiki.restarters.net
Flying is a major source of carbon pollution. Not everyone has the privilege of flying, but if you do, taking a few less flights is one of the best ways to dramatically reduce your carbon pollution.
Avoiding one flight per year will save tonnes of CO2;
one return economy flight from London to Sydney is 13 tonnes of CO2e (equal to the whole annual carbon footprint of a UK citizen, at 10-13 tonnes),
one return economy flight from London to New York is 3 tonnes CO2e (increasing the average carbon footprint by a third),
one return flight from Luton to Paris is 200 kg CO2e flying (vs around 10kg on the Eurostar).
There are a range of travel calculator available online, including from Atmosfair and Climate Stewards . Try calculating your whole carbon footprint online with the WWF; do it once with and once without flights, to see the difference.
We know people are desperate to travel again, and to see far-flung family; few people will commit to never flying. However, flying less is a key action you can take, especially those short haul journeys which can reasonably be replaced by train or coach.
Try the Seat 61 website, for routes and information about European and worldwide train travel.
Use the Rail Europe website to buy end-to-end tickets for European routes.
The Eurail pass allows unlimited travel across Europe for a fixed period of time.
Discover all of Eurostar’s destinations – with trains direct to Paris, Brussels, Lille, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, as well as connecting destinations in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, with an easy change in either Paris, Lille or Brussels.
The Caledonian Express takes you overnight to locations in Scotland including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness.
Many locations are reachable by ferry; France and Ireland, of course, but also Spain, Holland, Belgium, the Scilly Isles, the Scottish islands, and the Channel Islands.
There are lots of different operators, but for example:
If you are going further afield, can you reduce the impact? For example:
The Atmosfair calculator lets you compare different airlines for the same route; some airlines are – comparatively – better than others.
With Skyscanner, your can filter results to show ‘greener flights’; look for this option on the right hand side, towards the bottom of the filter menu.
Could you travel by train one way, making the journey part of the holiday, and then fly back? This halves the number of flights being taken.
Low emission vehicles will be crucial in the transition to our low-carbon future. The next time you’re thinking about purchasing a car, consider an electric vehicle (EV) – your purchase will significantly reduce your carbon pollution and improve local air quality. You can also look to the latest Euro6 emission standard which represents the highest standard in carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions for a vehicle.
Instead of burning fossil fuels, EVs are powered by a battery, which is charged by electricity. Since electricity is becoming gradually “cleaner”, as the proportion of electricity in the national grid produced by renewables increases, switching from petrol to electric cuts your carbon footprint by two thirds.
All sales of new petrol and diesel cars are stopping from 2030, with some hybrids allowed until 2035, so it’s a question of “not if, but when?”.
Fully Charged is a website and YouTube channel with lots of videos about everything to do with electric cars. It’s a great place to find reviews and guides.
Abrilliant place to start is their series “Maddie goes electric“. This follows presenter Maddie learning all about electric cars and the reality of driving and charging one. There are 6 x 25 minutes episodes or one summary, 20 min “super cut” version of the series.
Not sure what models are suitable for your needs? Use the EV Database to filter all available models by multiple filters; for example than you want a range of 200 miles, 5 seats, and a price of less than £30k.
Like a petrol car, you can buy new EVs from dealerships or you can buy them secondhand, from sites like Autotrader or from local garages such as the St Albans Car Centre. Filtering by fuel type will give you a feel for what’s available.
There is also the leasing option, through sites such as Wevee and OnTo. This can allow you to try a car out for a while, if you aren’t sure about purchasing.
Ask your employer whether they offer a salary sacrifice scheme: your company leases the EV, but you pay for it with a monthly deduction from your pay – before income tax and national insurance – making it a cheaper option for you.
Anyone thinking about an electric car is thinking about range and about charging. Range is becoming less of an issue, since newer models typically have 200 miles on a single charge now.
If you have a driveway, then you could consider a home charging unit (you can learn about home chargers with Charging At Home). Public chargers are all shown on ZapMap and St Albans Council is expanding the network of public charging points, including at Westminster Lodge.
We are proud to deliver, the Harpenden Sustainability Markets, in partnership with Harpenden Town Council four times a year (March, May, September and November). Each market welcomes local eco and food stalls to help you live a more sustainable life. Plus we will have entertainment from The Reverbs Ukulele Band at all our 2026 markets!
Find out more about our Eco Stallholders in our Meet The Stallholderseries of blog posts.
Location: the markets can be found on the tree-lined, shady side of the common in front of Park Hall, Harpenden
Dates & times: the upcoming markets are below. Also see our Events page:
Sunday 15th March 2026 – 10-3pm
Sunday 17th May 2026 – 10-3pm
Sunday 20th September, 2026 – 10-3pm
Sunday 15th November 2026 – Christmas Sustainability Market – 10-3pm
There are a limited number of free pitches for local environmental charity and community groups at the markets. Further information is here or email us on markets@sustainablestalbans.org
As individuals and communities we can take steps to significantly reduce our own carbon pollution. But this won’t be enough unless our politicians work with us to create the projects, laws and incentives that will deliver the changes we all need.
If we are to avoid the worst effects of climate change, we need our governments and councils to do their part. You can help by letting your elected representative know how you feel and encouraging them to be part of the solution.
Our elected representatives act on the things they believe we, their electorate, cares about, and will take bolder action if they know we support them in doing so. They will be lobbied by a range of groups, some of whom may regard climate as less of a priority, so it’s useful if they are aware of the strength and range of feeling about climate-related concerns.
Although it can feel intimidating to contact them, many people find it a positive experience that helps them understand local issues, connect with others and feel part of broader efforts in their community. Find out how Jess got on in this blogpost or read our guide below on who represents you locally and nationally.
MPs: Represent you at Westminster
Put your postcode into Write to Them, and you can quickly identify your MP.
While not elected, it is worth remembering you can also contact members of the House of Lords. For example, the Lord Bishop of St Albans lists the environment as one of his areas of interest. You can find a list of the Lords and filter it by areas of interest here.
Councillors: Represent you at the County Council and the District Council
Put your postcode into Write to Them, and you can quickly see a list of your councillors.
Herts County Council:
HCC is in charge of recycling facilities, libraries, transport & roads (including verges and street trees), some aspects of schools, and more.
SADC is in charge of waste collection, parks & green spaces, parking, leisure centres, council housing, and more. As the planning authority, they decide what gets built where, and to what standards, within the national planning framework.
You may be in an area that is served by a town or parish council, which get involved in climate issues in a range of ways – for example commenting on proposals for new buildings and modifications, managing biodiversity of green spaces, and promoting local shopping and low carbon initiatives.
Some local councils have written or are working on “neighbourhood plans” which set locally determined rules for environmental considerations such as protecting green spaces and setting building standards.
If you’re not sure which of these parish areas you may be in, enter your postcode here and it will tell you whether you have a parish council and if so which it is. From there, search online for their website.
A handwritten letter has more impact than an email, and a personal email holds far more weight than a standard “copy and paste” email from a campaign.
One option is to use the Write to Them website to contact your politicians. These are their guidelines:
Be polite, concise and to the point.
Use your own words.
It’s a waste of time writing to MPs/councillors other than your own; your message will be ignored. (For this reason, always include your postal address, even in an email.)
If your elected representative has a social media account, then you can also use this to make your points of praise or concern. The same general rules apply: be polite, specific, and speak to your concerns in your own words.
MPs and some councillors hold surgeries, at which you can discuss concerns in person.
There are set processes by which you can ask questions at council meetings, and even bring petitions. Read the relevant website for details
What should I talk about?
#foodrescueStA
Tell them you care, and why, in your own words.
Ask them about things which are under their influence:
for example, you could ask your district councillor about progress against the Sustainability and Climate Crisis Strategy, about ensuring a local planning decision takes account of the environment, about the biodiversity of your local park, or about improving recycling collections.
you could ask your district councillor about public transport, air quality, biodiversity of verges, how our schools are integrating the environment into school-life, or facilities at the local waste recycling centre.
you could ask your MP about the upcoming Environment Bill, press for national planning reform, ask for increased grants to make houses energy-efficient, and to hold the government to account to achieve their climate targets (a 78% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 and net zero carbon by 2050).
Ask them to take personal action and show leadership, for example through signing-up for Count Us In and sharing what they have done.
If you see that your elected representative has said or done something that you really agree with and appreciate, let them know. Positive messages are the easiest sort of communication to make and really help reinforce action. They don’t get many positive messages and the impact will be huge!
Getting involved: Young People
Watch the recording of Sustainable St Alban’s youth-led event “Activism and Optimism“, run in June 2021. This was an event for 14-27 year olds in St Albans district to talk all things sustainable with their political representatives. You can hear from both MPs and a range of councillors.
Don’t forget, that you could stand for one of these roles yourself. We can’t all become MPs, but what about becoming a town or parish councillor, a school or college governor, or a board member of a local health organisation or housing association?
Thousands of decisions are made every day by these organisations, and ensuring that carbon is a factor in all of them requires many hands!
Ian Yenney looks at how switching your energy may be the easiest step you can take to reduce your CO2… Read More »Switch Your Energy
You might have complete control over your home’s carbon footprint, maybe even your business too – if so, well done, and can you please tell us how you’ve done it?! However, a much-overlooked area is your pension, savings, investments, mortgage or bank account. The interest you earn on your money is made by banks investing in other companies: you could unwittingly be supporting fossil fuel companies with your own money! Scroll now for resources on why this matters, and what you can do about it!
Learn about an alternative way of think about our economy “doughnut economics” in this BBC podcast. “Imagine a ring doughnut. This is the basis of an idea about how we could run the world in a way that gives everyone what they need – food, homes, healthcare and more – and save the planet at the same time. Economist Kate Raworth, who came up with the idea, explains how it works.”
Probably your largest investment that you don’t even think about, what companies are your workplace or private pension savings invested in? Look at the Make My Money Matter campaign for ideas on finding out, and asking your employer to make sure their scheme is a good one. Ask them if they have signed the new Green Pensions Charter, or if they will consider it.
If you have pension pots from previous employers, you could look into transferring them to a more eco-friendly provider where your money can be invested differently. But any decisions about your pension should be taken with appropriate financial advice. Perhaps try a well-known platform or investment manager like Nutmeg, Hargreaves Lansdown or M&G. Or speak to an independent financial advisor.
INVESTMENTS:
There are now a huge range of ‘green’ investment funds, that you can invest in through ISAs or other investment products. You could be investing in eco-minded companies through shares and bonds, or even in low carbon property and infrastructure. Watch out for greenwashing and ‘too good to be true’ offers. Perhaps try a well-known platform or investment manager like Nutmeg, Hargreaves Lansdown or M&G.
There is a very useful guide to fossil free investing on Ethical Consumer magazine. Whilst you need to be a subscriber to read the ranking tables, much of the article is freely available if you scroll down.
Your bank uses your money to invest. So what is it investing in? It’s not easy to find out, but you can switch to a bank that is rated highly for its ethical operations. There are lots of lists, including this one: new-money.co.uk/nm-blog/top-5-ethical-bank-accounts-for-2020
Also note that INSURANCE companies have massive funds to invest – so how are your insurance premiums being used? Ask your Insurance company.
Although a mortgage is a loan to you, you pay interest on that, so you are significantly supporting your mortgage provider. The Ecology Building Society is well known as a ‘green’ lender, even giving better deals to eco-friendly homes. But there are others too. For example, see this article.
BILLS:
Of course, the money you spend also has an impact on the world. Green shopping gets a lot of attention, but what about your everyday household bills? As well as choosing a ‘green’ energy supplier, you can invest environmentally to reduce your bills. For example, getting solar panels and insulation to reduce your heating or electricity bills. Getting an electric car can even be seen as an investment in reduced fuel bills over time.
