The Great Big Green Week is a nationwide celebration of action on climate change, taking place across the UK from the 18 - 26 September 2021.

Saturday 18^th September Events

10:30-11:30am: Charge my Street “How to charge an electric car” at Wyresdale Rd car park at Williamson Park.  If you are thinking of getting an electric car, you probably have hundreds of questions about how to charge, where to charge, how long does it take, how much does it cost, who do you pay, and ….. what happens if you get a flat battery?  The great news is that Charge my Street is a local social enterprise that operates several charge points around Lancaster and we will be answering all of your questions at this event.  Charge my Street have installed charge points for Lancaster City Council at Williamson Park and we will be showing how you connect and disconnect an electric car, pay through an app and avoid getting a flat battery!

11am-3pm:  Open Days at Claver Hill Community Food Growing Project and Nature Reserve LA1 3JY-   Flower Craft 11-12,   Sustainability Walk 12-2-A walk around the site looking at how land management is utilised to mitigate climate change.  Learn about the No Dig Method, no chemicals, being kind to the earth, animals and humans. 

Eating seasonally and locally produced food, reducing carbon miles.  The nature trail will be open for self-guided walks. There will be a beekeeping display and a market stall of preserves and produce.

2-4pm. Tour of Forgebank, Lancaster Cohousing, Halton, LA2 6FD. Visit the multi-award-winning eco cohousing project, consisting of private homes, community facilities, workshops/offices/studios and shared outdoor space. See inside a Passivhaus home, learn about the local renewable technologies and how sharing enables a more eco-lifestyle, 9 Forgebank Walk  Book via www.lancastercohousing.org.uk  There will also be a representative from Halton Senior Cohousing available to share about their developing project.

 2:30– 4:30pm at the Gregson Hall:  Transition City Lancaster will host an Introduction to The Great Big Green Week “What can WE do?”  This will be an opportunity to come together as a local community and express our concerns and fears for the future. The discussion will, hopefully, start the week off with some provoking thoughts on what we are going to be asked to do as individuals in moving towards a lifestyle that is net-zero.  

2-4pm: Meeting with Trees Walk- This is a gentle reflective walk to visit some of the wonderful native trees sharing our city.   We will find out a little about the mythology of the trees and their medicinal qualities but not about botany/identification as such.  For more info or to book a place and receive details of start point etc please contact Sami on samagita@phonecoop.coop  There is no charge but donations are welcome for https://treesforlife.org.uk/

2-4:30pm: Friends of Dorrington Woods and Play Park will host a Green Swap Shop at the Play Park on Dorrington Road.  An opportunity to swap unused items from toys to plants, clothes, books for free!  Contact:  fodwpp@gmail.com for more details

Sunday 19^th  September Events

9am, 11am, 7pm: Tearfund Sunday at St. Thomas, Lancaster focusing on places where Climate Change is posing challenges already.

3-4:30pm: A litter pick around the parish, followed by refreshments.

10am: St. Luke’s Slyne with Hest and St. Wilfrid’s Halton will both be having Climate Sunday services. 

The services will focus on Creation with prayers for the environment and for COP26. There will also be a collection towards twinning our Church toilets. Our Sunday schools will be taking place outside with environmental activities for the children.  

11am-3pm:  Open Days at Claver Hill Community Food Growing Project and Nature Reserve LA1 3JY-A market stall of preserves and produce, nature trail, Pollinator display, Spud Club Tour at Noon.

2-3pm at Claver Hill A Gratitude Circle  This event has been cancelled for today but will be available on Sunday, September 26^th, 2-3pm at Claver Hill Community Food Growing Project.

7-9pm: Halton Mill Political Café- Are You a Food Friend?  Speaker from The PLOT -  https://foodfutures.org.uk/the-plot/   Free event.  The Covid-19 outbreak has brought the need for local resilient food economies into sharper focus. Come along and hear about two new small farm sites in North Lancashire which will supply the local economy with organically grown produce and be a training and education centre for new entrant farmers.

Monday 20^th September Events

7-8:30pm on Zoom - ESTA "Local Businesses doing Good"

How are local businesses helping tackle the climate emergency by working on cleaner local supply chains and the creation of a local circular economy of stuff? How can you get involved in supporting this process?

Join us for a presentation and discussion. with local examples of good practice.

To join the Zoom meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83852032199

Tuesday 21^st September Events

10-11am: Market Square, Lancaster Extinction Rebellion  

To raise awareness about how people can change banks, pensions and other financial choices so that they are not inadvertently funding Fossil Fuels and Climate Change

3pm - 6pm Relic Plastic Open House

https://transitioncitylancaster.org/event/open-house-relic-plastic/

Precious Plastic Lancaster has a new name (Relic Plastic) and a new home! Join us for the grand opening of our new plastic foundry. See how we make our recycled plastic products, help us sort plastic, and take a few things home for yourself.  Feel free to drop in any time between 3 and 6pm, and YES children are welcome with adult supervision.  No tickets are necessary for this event, see you there! 

Contact: team@relicplastic.com website: relicplastic.com 

Relic Foundry - Unit 14a, MAJOR Industrial Estate, Middleton Rd, Heysham, Morecambe LA3 3NT

Wednesday September 22^nd Events

9am-4pm Dalton Square.  Lancaster City Council will have the ‘Cosy Homes in Lancaster’ (CHiL) bus at the market to promote what we’re doing to improve energy efficiency in homes.   Officers from the planning department will talk about what we’re doing strategically to tackle the climate emergency.  We will have some of our electric vehicles on show to promote take-up of the car club.  Learn about the decarbonisation of Salt Ayre leisure centre.

9am-4pm Dalton Square.  The Jack Berry™  stall will be in the Lancaster market to showcase No BEE Vegan HONEE® and other Natural Wholefoods.  Stop by and have a chat.  Discover how we can eat healthily and preserve nature around us.  

11am-2pm Dalton Square.  XR for Peat’s Sake stall.  Find out how important Peat Lands are to trap carbon, fight climate change and support our ecology. They will also be doing outreach work with local garden centres during the week.

1-2pm Green Rose is offering an Energy Ambassador Training Taster Session on zoom. Green Rose CIC, a Morecambe-based social enterprise, is offering a taster session of our 4 workshop Energy Ambassador Training. The free training is designed to help people make their homes warmer and greener, and for them to share their knowledge with others. Any Lancashire resident is eligible, and Green Rose can also offer bespoke sessions for staff and volunteers at local organisations. The taster session will cover helpful habits in the home and the wide range of help and support on offer from local organisations Here is the link where people can book themselves on   https://GreenRose.as.me/ or people can also contact us at info@greenrosecic.org.uk

5:30-7:30 pm Food and Climate, How they Interact - Online event with Food Futures.  Explore the links between climate change, the food we eat and how we can take local action that is aligned with our community food strategy.  To attend, email   anna@lessuk.org

7pm Labyrinth Walk for Life on Earth at Friend’s Meeting House Meeting House Lane.  No need to book, just show up.

Thursday September 23^rd Events

11am-1pm Meet at the Half Moon Bay Café Car Park Entrance LA3 2QH   Join Freedom Confectionery, Heyshams’ Vegan Marshmallow Company, for a litter pick with a difference. With your help, passionate local volunteers from the Morecambe Bay Partnership will lead the way to clean up the local beaches and streets around Heysham port and the Freedom Mallowland HQ - where your Mallow reward awaits you. Invite only.

1pm - 3pm The Great Big Sorting Party: The community has helped Precious Plastic Lancaster (now Relic Plastic) collect over 60,000 plastic bottle caps in the last year through the Plastic Bottle Top Project.  Relic Plastic has just opened their new Recycled Plastic Foundry which means there is now a space to showcase the transparent recycling system they are trying to build. Get involved and help sort donated plastic through The Plastic Bottle Top Project and see how we can turn trash into treasure. More info about the Plastic Bottle Top Project (and how to join) at https://m.facebook.com/groups/652319012158447/

No tickets necessary for this event, see you there!

Relic Plastic Contact: team@relicplastic.com website: relicplastic.com

 https://transitioncitylancaster.org/event/the-great-big-sorting-party-relicplastics/

Relic Foundry - Unit 14a, Major Industrial Estate, Middleton Rd, Heysham, Morecambe LA3 3NT 

 2-4pm at Halton Mill:  Sustainable Housing with the Lune Valley Community Land Trust, South Lakes Housing, Halton Senior Cohousing, and Lancaster Cohousing @ Halton Mill https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sustainablehousing-in-halton-tickets-169080818279  Speakers will be:

• Matt Bridgestock @ John Gilbert Architects - Overview of Passivhaus

• Charles Ainger @ LVCLT with South Lakes Housing- Mill Lane Project

• Chris Coates @ Halton Senior Co Housing Project

4-5pm - Tour of Forgebank, Lancaster Cohousing, Halton, LA2 6FD. Following the afternoon session on Passivhaus eco-homes and community-led housing, there will be a chance to go inside a real Passivhaus in an existing community. Discover the multi-award winning eco cohousing project and what it’s like to live in a community.  Book via www.lancastercohousing.org.uk  There will be an opportunity to talk with someone from Halton Senior Cohousing about their developing project.

4-6:30pm Steiner School Lune Rd. LA1 5QU are offering an eco-friendly craft workshop and open evening to be held at the school in the garden.  An option of a tour of the school will be available (masks must be worn inside).

5pm Lancaster Green Spaces Groups Forum at the Eco-Hub at Lancaster University: Anyone who is involved in a green space group (our definition being a group that enhances land for more than private benefit, on a voluntary basis) is welcome to come along. The plan is to catch up, hear how each group is managing post lockdowns, share news and discuss what groups would like going forward from Lancaster Green Spaces.  

For further details or to let us know that you will be coming, please email Abi on lancastergreenspaces@gmail.com

7:15-8:30pm Lament for Lost Species at Lancaster Methodist Church, Scotforth Rd. LA1 4TE. Facilitated by Mark Rotherham.

Saturday 25^th September Events

10:30am-4pm: Lancaster, Morecambe and District Fairtrade are attending the Fairtrade/Green Fair at Cornerstone, Sulyard St. Lancaster with Craft Aid.  Other local crafts also. The film “Guardians of the Rainforest' will be showing every 30 minutes.

11am-12 Noon at Aldcliffe Rd. Triangle, King Street Arts are offering an Outdoor Drawing Workshop for Adults for the gentle appreciation of nature.  No experience is needed.  Bring your own materials.  Email Info@kingstreetstudios.art for your place.  Booking is essential as places are limited.   

11am-2pm Dalton Square.  XR for Peat’s Sake stall.  Find out how important Peat Lands are to trap carbon, fight climate change and support our ecology.

11am to 2.30pm - Christ Church Camino including eleven prayer points as we pass different environments along the way round Christ church parish boundary  

1-4pm:  Sewing Café Mending at Cornerstone.  Free mending kits are available while the supply lasts.   Let us know if you are coming at sewingcafelancaster@gmail.com

2-5pm Fairfield Association Apple Day in the Millennium Orchard- Homemade refreshments will be served throughout the afternoon. There will be apple-themed games and crafts, story-telling and forest school activities for the children.  We hope you can join us! 

3-4pm An outdoor drawing workshop with a nature theme will be provided by King Street Arts as part of Apple Day.  No experience is needed.  Bring your own materials.  Email Info@kingstreetstudios.art for your place.  Booking is essential as places are limited.   

Sunday 26^th September Events

9:45pm in St Paul’s, Scotforth Rd. - Harvest & pre-COP26 Climate service

10:30am-3:30pm in the Ashton Memorial, Friends of Williamsons Park:  Second-hand book sale A wide variety of second-hand books for sale, and opportunity to meet the Friends.  (No more books needed).  Contact: info@parkfriends for more details

2-4:30pm Stardust Walk - We will walk the timeline of the 13.7 billion years since the big bang - mapped onto 3 km of Lancaster pathways.  We will walk together thru the massive creativity that created stars, our solar system, all life and us.  This walk gives us a new relationship to the creative powers of the universe - how we are all - literally - stardust.

For more info or to book a place and receive details of start point etc please contact Sami on samagita@phonecoop.coop There is no charge but donations are welcome.

 2-3pm Gratitude Ceremony/Practice at Claver Hill LA1 3JY - Gathering in a seasonal gratitude circle, together we will co-create a simple ceremony to say a heart-felt, home-made thank you for the abundance around us; to celebrate our companionship with all of the Earth community; and to honour our ancestors and descendants. Bring musical instruments, brollys and other celebratory and practical paraphernalia. 

2:30-4:30pm in the Gregson upstairs meeting room Transition City Lancaster will host “What have we Learned this week and how can WE move forward Together”.  Everyone is invited for discussions.

3-4pm: Prayer Gathering at St. Thomas church.  Prayer stations focusing on local, national and global concerns, with time for reflection.

Throughout the week:

Entangled Festival    Entangled Festival (@EnsembleLancs) | K Gopal Krishna's Nitter (kayg.org)

Leaflet map Lancaster Loves Clothes: City Walk Map. A route that takes you through Lancaster to places where you can get your clothes fixed, buy supplies to do so yourself, or shop for second-hand clothes. Inspired by Fashion Ecologies Walk. The map will be available at the exhibitions at The Cornerstone Café and Lancaster City

Museum. https://sewingcafelancaster.com/lancaster-loves-clothes-walk/