Spare Land in Myrna Close - Would anyone like to plant fruit trees there?
Nature Reserve behind Myrna Close – There used to be lots of wildlife there, but it is now all gone and the pond is full of rubbish. English Nature used to look after it, but is no longer doing so. Colliers Wood Residents’ Association has organized clean ups, but this area needs more ongoing care as it just degenerates again. It was suggested that the London Wildlife Trust might help – Joanna will investigate this.
Love Wimbledon – since being set up earlier this year, progress has been made on providing free recycling to businesses, but it’s not in place yet. There is now a free App, which lets people see on their smart phones what is going in the area. (And Mark will see if Abundance Fruit Day can be added as an event). The Information Desk in Centre Court gives out information on local businesses, as well as groups which support the local community. Go Green is continuing – and Mark will provide the new contact for this.
Tamworth Farm – this is Sustainable Merton’s new project. The land is leased from the council for 5 years only - it is then going to be used as a cemetery. It will be used to teach gardening to children. Sustainable Merton is holding an event in November to talk about the latest climate change data.
The Foodbank – Christine collected cans of food for the Foodbank at Green Coffee. At present, tinned tomatoes, biscuits and cup-a-soups are needed.
Recycling aluminium cans – Juliet asks if anyone knows a charity that accepts those and earns money from recycling them. The alternative is to just put the cans in the recycling bin. The sorting process separates out aluminium cans and the council sells them.
Untended allotments – many of the plots at the Durnsford Allotments are unused and are now covered in weeds. This allotment site has not taken over running its own affairs and is still run by the council.
Friends of the Earth Conference – this is in London, for the first time in many years. (Details of the event are given below in ‘What’s On’.) Speakers include Caroline Lucas (the Green Party MP), Vivienne Westwood, Satish Kumar, Polly Higgins (author of Eradicating Ecocide), Neal Lawson (Compass), Pam Warhurst of Incredible Edibles and others.
Green Spaces – are at risk with looser planning regulations.
Food for Thought – a series of discussions, looking at difficult issues. Jointly organised by the CND, Holy Trinity Church and the local United Nations, where they will be held. The themes are:
21st September ‘ Can War be ‘Just’ in the 21st Century? See the poster
HERE.
26th Oct ‘Equality and Inequality’ (speakers include Bruce Kent and Sam Murgatroyd) and
15th Nov ‘The Militarisation of Society’
We Hate to Waste – a US website giving lots of great tips on sustainability. See
HERE. Rachel may become the local link for this.
Paving Over Front Gardens – in Woodside, 3 houses in a row have paved over gardens. Although there is a council policy to stop this, it does not appear to be applied. There are better options - paving can be made permeable or only laid down where vehicle tracks are. Gravel allows good permeability and is also excellent at deterring burglars.
One idea is to encourage residents’ associations to hold a front gardens competition to raise awareness of the contribution green front gardens make to the neighbourhood. Mark will see if the Chamber of Commerce would be interested in supporting this.
Upgrading a home in Woodside – Leigh has employed Parity Projects to manage the work and aims to reduce energy use in this home by 80%. Once the work is underway, it might be possible to allow visits to see the work in progress.
Parking Consultation – the council is currently consulting on parking and comments put forward through this consultation will influence future parking policy. So it’s really important that people take this opportunity to put forward their views. Find the consultation document and more information
HERE. Comments need to be in by 18th Sept. This consultation is mainly about cost and availability of parking, but there is a space near the end of the document to put in your own comments.
Parking at Bertram Cottages – parking was not allowed outside of these Victorian cottages, until quite recently. Now there can be 9-10 cars parked for free in this area, and the traffic wardens ignore this. Can anyone suggest what can be done about this?
New venue for Green Coffee – September Green Coffee was held at Elys on the top floor. Background noise meant this was not an ideal venue. At the end of the meeting, Gillian, Rachel, Juliet and Joyce visited Bill’s, Reds and the YMCA. It was decided to hold the Oct meeting in the room at the back of Reds and probably the Nov meeting in the YMCA. If this is felt to be too far away from the town centre, then we should try Bill’s.
Business-voluntary sector links - Merton Chamber of Commerce – Ray Kinsella is the new business engagement manager and has responsibility for strengthening links between the voluntary sector and businesses (at least until Sept 2013). Given that funding from the public sector is likely to dwindle, voluntary groups should be aware that there could well be funding available from businesses. Businesses are approached all the time by voluntary groups – so it’s best to understand what businesses are looking for. Large businesses have well formed views on what relationships they want with the voluntary sector. Small businesses are often uncertain about what sort of relationship they want and may not find the time to think about it. The first step for a business is to form a relationship with a voluntary group. Businesses might donate staff time and resources – and once committed to a voluntary group or project, they may then provide long term funding, rather than just give money upfront. In return, a voluntary group should keep the business informed. Often the impetus to develop voluntary sector relationships comes from the staff, rather from the top. (WSM, the accountants in Hartfield Rd, are an example of this). There are just 200 NEETS in Merton.
Getting rid of unwanted property – a 5 foot futon. Try Freegle and the Vine Project.
Vertical Garden for “The Tower”? – a meeting in Colliers Wood this evening will decide whether to apply for funding from Boris for a vertical garden up “The Tower” – voted the ugliest building in London.
