Ealing (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Ealing Council launches its first Climate Week, featuring events that promote cost-saving, healthy lifestyle changes in the fight against the climate crisis.
From September 20 to 28, Ealing Climate Week: Better Living will offer a range of events aimed at motivating people to take action and reaffirming the link between climate action and daily life.
The council or its partners have already planned dozens of events. These consist of:
- A change of school uniforms
- fix cafés
- sessions of advice on lowering your energy costs
- inexpensive food markets
- Sewing sessions
- movie screenings
- Children’s play streets without cars
- rides on bikes
Residents, companies, and community organizations are encouraged to participate by planning their own event or joining in on events already taking place during Ealing Climate Week.
The Ealing Climate Week website requires registration for anyone wishing to host their own event.
Ealing Repair Cafe, Act for Ealing, Cycle Sisters, Oxfam, the Felix Project food distribution organization, and Ealing GoodGym are among the partners who have joined up thus far.
Although participants are free to choose the events or activities they want to host, some suggestions for ideas are as follows:
- Swapping books, toys, or clothing with your neighbors or at school
- a play street with other families on your road without any cars
- distributing some of its fall produce or imparting knowledge
- People that know how to cultivate their own plants
Children can take back their street for a few hours and play without any traffic for free, provided an adult is watching.
Ealing Climate Week includes World Car Free Day on September 22. In London, it will be celebrated on Saturday, September 20, or Sunday, September 21, if it falls on a Monday.
In addition to supporting neighbors in hosting their own Play Street, the council will waive its customary road closure fee. The deadline for applications is August 4. Keep in mind that not every street qualifies and will be reviewed. The council’s website has additional details.
Ealing Council leader Peter Mason said:
“Our first ever Ealing Climate Week is about highlighting the everyday ways that residents can save money, improve their physical and mental wellbeing and build connections in our communities through tackling the climate crisis. We want to make it easy for everyone to lead more environmentally friendly lives which aren’t just good for the environment but make their lives better too.
The council has been working to tackle the climate crisis in ways such as planting 50,000 new trees by next year to improve air quality and offer shade from hot weather, investing £28 million in the past year to make it safer and easier to walk, cycle or wheel their way around the borough and helping 15 community organisations to install solar panels since 2023.”
Councillor Paul Driscoll, the council’s cabinet member for climate action said:
“We were recently rated among the top 5 councils in London for our work to tackle climate change and we highly value the fantastic work being done by residents, community organisations, charities and businesses. During Ealing Climate Week, we want to showcase this work, highlight the benefits of making more sustainable choices and inspire people to take action.
Be part of Ealing Climate Week – whether you want to hold or run an event or help spread the word.”
What measurable goals has the Ealing Council set to achieve through this Climate Week initiative?
Ealing Council’s Climate Week initiative is part of its broader climate and ecological emergency strategy, which sets ambitious and measurable goals centered on carbon neutrality by 2030. While the week itself focuses on community engagement, raising awareness, and practical actions to inspire sustainable living, it aligns with specific targets outlined in the council’s comprehensive strategy and delivery plans.
The strategy, adopted in 2021, highlights five key themes—energy, food, nature, travel, and waste—with unique objectives designed to either reduce or capture carbon emissions within the borough.
One of the overarching goals the council aims to achieve through initiatives like Climate Week is to accelerate the reduction of carbon emissions at the community level by encouraging residents and businesses to adopt low-carbon lifestyle and operational changes.