Green week event a great big success
VONNE’s Going Green Together programme invited environmental and community organisations from across the North East to join a special showcase and networking event for Great Big Green Week.
On Tuesday 13th June, members from over 25 North East-based organisations, from the voluntary, public, and private sectors, came together to celebrate, showcase, and connect around the theme of climate action and sustainability. Attendees learnt about how the voluntary sector is responding to the climate emergency in our region, what opportunities there are to become environmentally sustainable, and networked with other like-minded groups.
The event hosted five talks from organisations within the voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) sector. Carol Botten, CEO of VONNE, introduced the event and shared VONNE’s progress in supporting the wider sector to become sustainable through the Going Green Together project, which provides resources, events, and subsidised training.
This was followed by Tom Parkin of Durham Wildlife Trust talking about their Nextdoor Nature programme, which supports and collaborates with communities in Wearside, South Tyneside, Coastal East Durham, and Darlington to take action for nature in their local area.
Mandi Cresswell and Andy Skinner of Meadow Well Connected shared their experiences managing a community garden, discussing the challenges they have faced, tips for creating community growing areas, and how community gardens can benefit the environment.
Stephen Armstrong of Groundwork spoke on the Revitalising our Estuaries programme, which aims to restore biodiversity in the estuaries of the North East’s major rivers. The project includes creating habitats for marine life through modifying artificial estuary walls, creating floating estuary life, and restoring salt marsh ecosystems along river banks. Through these nature-based solutions, the project helps to sequester carbon, support wildlife, and create new green spaces in urban areas.
Finally, Matthew Allen from Climate Action Middlesbrough spoke on their efforts to engage with the local community and get them involved in climate action, from hosting a People’s Forum, to tree planting, to Climate Awareness Training. Matthew asked the group to consider why people are resistant to take climate action, and how we might address this.
Throughout all the talks there was a theme of centring and supporting communities as we work to tackle this pressing emergency, and a celebration and recognition of the good work being done, as well as the vital need to continue and expand sustainability initiatives across the sector and beyond.
The talks were followed by a chance to network, and to chat to additional environmental organisations at showcase tables, including consultants genee and SmartCarbon, Going Green Together’s evaluation partner Rocket Science who captured where attendees were at on their climate journeys, and Breathe who provided their perspective on engaging communities in discussions around the climate emergency and addressing issues of climate justice.
The event was held at Hope Street Xchange in Sunderland, and was an excellent opportunity for likeminded organisations to meet face-to-face, share their successes, and inspire one another to take further climate action.
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