Sustainable St Albans Week kicked off this weekend with a variety of activities throughout the city. There are over 100 events happening throughout the week, that focus on green living and sustainability, to educate and inspire our local community. There is a wide range of activities, for both adults and children, such as; litter picking, talks, films, exhibitions, storytelling, junk modelling, food waste workshops and many more. Just a few of the highlights are:
- Make your own bird feeder to hang in your garden with RSPB and Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust.
- British Butterfly poems by Dr Richard Harrington for Save Butterfly World
- Plant-based cooking demonstrations by The Green Kitchen to help reduce food waste.
- Make reusable gift bags at St Albans Christmas market from recyclable materials.
- Self-guided tour of BRE Innovation Park to test their collection of sustainable houses with innovative low carbon materials and technologies. (See Sustainable St Albans website for booking info).
- Recrafting. Swap a donation to Oxfam (Harpenden) for swatches of fabrics or other craft materials.
- ‘Gluttony’ art exhibition in association with The Hunger Project.
These are just a few examples of some of the wonderful selection of activities available during this week. Many of the events, including the ones above, are FREE. However, please note that there is a charge for some of the other activities. A full schedule of events can be found on Sustainable St Albans Week website.
Last but not least, I would like to challenge St Albans pubs, bars, cafes, restaurants and clubs; will you go straw-free to celebrate Sustainable St Albans Week? Either ditch disposable plastic straws completely or provide them on request only. Sign up here…
Individuals can also join in too, simply request no plastic straws when you order. Pledge your commitment to refuse plastic straws by signing the One Less Straw campaign pledge. You can also use #1LessStraw #strawless and/ or #strawfree hashtags to share your commitment on social media, and don’t forget to ask your friends and family to take the pledge too!
See onelessstraw.org website for more useful information about this campaign.
We can ALL make a difference just by saying ‘no thanks’ to plastic straws.