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Tomorrow (Saturday 22 April) is Earth Day, the world’s largest climate change event.
It’s an opportunity to think about the environment and raise awareness about what we can do to reduce the effects of climate change.
Climate change is already here but it’s important to remember we all have the power to do something about it and play our part in making North Somerset a healthier, happier, and greener place to live and work.
You might already recycle the majority of your waste, have a meat-free day each week, avoid plastics or plant trees, but there are still opportunities to do more.
Could you challenge yourself, your friends and family to take part in a litter clean-up, join a petition, write to your MP, or join a composting or eco group?
Maybe you could make an on-going environmental change, such as walking to and from school or work regularly, buying second-hand clothes, or getting a local veg box?
It may take time to adapt but these things could soon become a way of life – and you might influence others along the way.
There are lots of ways to do your bit to reduce your carbon footprint and help tackle the climate emergency. Find out more at on our website.
Look out for Earth Day events happening near you.
Free family event
Celebrate Earth Day by joining Weston Museum’s Wild Escape free family event at the Burlington Street museum tomorrow (Saturday 22 April).
There’ll be lots of free hands-on nature based activities, from making seed bombs and creating leaf art, to helping with the finishing touches to the park's new bug hotel.
There’s no charge and no need to book, just drop in between 10am and 2pm. This event is suitable for a range of ages with support from accompanying grown-ups.
New climate hub
A new ‘Hub Zero’ is launching in Weston-super-Mare tomorrow (Saturday 22 April) as a space to hold climate and sustainability-themed events.
Alongside the Fridge of Free Stuff, the space in The Sovereign shopping centre will host educational talks and workshops every other Saturday at 10am, hosted by people from the local community and climate change experts.
The hub, run by Weston Town Council, can also be used for community meetings and workshops based around climate change, low-carbon diets and sustainability, to empower the community to develop local solutions to making the transition to net zero and a climate-resilient way of living.
Tomorrow’s opening will include local speakers and an ideas box for people to say what they would like to see happening in Weston to tackle climate change.
No Mow May
Liberate your lawn and allow wildflowers to grow to provide a feast for pollinators, tackle pollution and even lock away carbon below ground.
No Mow May returns next month and calls on garden owners to keep their lawnmowers packed away and instead provide a space for nature.
In the UK we’ve lost nearly 97 per cent of flower-rich meadows since the 1970s, a vital food source for pollinators like bees and butterflies which are also at risk of disappearing.
There are more than 20 million gardens in the UK so the month-long campaign could deliver enormous gains for nature, communities and the climate.
Here in North Somerset we’ve reduced how often we mow in some areas to allow the grass to grow, as part of our rewilding strategy.
As a result, we’ve introduced about 400,000 square metres of tall grass across the area.
We cut most of this grass once at the end of the flowering season, usually between August and October, and only mow more frequently where we have to, such as for visibility at road junctions or sports pitches.