LBHF has declared a climate & ecological emergency.
Like many other UK councils, it has pledged to be net zero carbon by 2030.
Greetings from Hammersmith 2030
Greetings from Hammersmith 2030
4 years after closing to traffic, the debate about the future of Hammersmith Bridge rumbles on. The Council have put forward a plan involving a temporary truss which would enable traffic to return while the bridge is fixed, allowing for a full return to thousands of cars in a year or two. The biggest problem with this plan is the cost: conservatively estimated at £180 million, of which LBHF council will have to pay a third. The council proposes to recoup this by charging a toll in due course. Of course, there is an alternative involving no more spending, and also no cars. Looks like that is politically inconvenient. We wonder why the good people of Hammersmith, Fulham, Richmond and Putney can't imagine a world without cars and why we can't imagine the bridge for pedestrians and cyclists is a mystery. For more details have a look at our latest newsletter: you can download it below.
We’ll be in Parliament Square during the weekend of 21st–24th April for the so-called Big One. It’s a gathering of organisations who share our concern (to put it mildly) at the government’s deplorable lack of action to address the Climate and Ecological Crisis. Organised by our friends at Extinction Rebellion and involving everyone from Greenpeace to Mums for Lungs, Friends of the Earth, PCS and War on Want, the Big One promises to be the UK’s biggest climate protest since the heady days of 2019. Heaven knows, it’s needed. The gap between the radical action called for by the world’s climate scientists in the latest IPCC reportand the government’s recent ‘half-baked, half-hearted’ ‘Powering up Britain’ energy strategy (not to mention its issuing of licenses for new North Sea oil fields) is huge. Details of the Big One can be found here.
Finally, one more date for your diaries: Sunday 21st May is the Spring Fayre in Wandsworth Bridge Road.Last year was the first of these, organised by our friends at the splendid Wandsworth Bridge Road Association – and, despite the rain, was a great day of car-free fun in the street, with an amazing array of stalls and activities. One of the stalls was ours – and we’ll be there again this year; among other things, we’ll be sharing info about the newly-formed co-operative, Hammersmith & Fulham Community Energy, whose mission is to put solar panels on our public buildings and fund community projects. Come and learn more – and, even better, get involved! – on 21st May.
LBHF council is seeking applications for Climate Action Microgrants of up to £500 for small community projects. They are seeking ideas that ‘make the borough greener or teach people about the environment, or about repair and re-use, or a few other things, including ideas we haven’t thought of.’ So get inspired, fill out the form – and let a hundred flowers bloom!
some recent local events
On Sunday 11th September – our friends at W6 Safe Cycling Families and the Hammersmith & Fulham Cycling Campaign hosted a fun, bubble-themed bike ride along the lovely C9 cycle lane and King Street (closed to traffic for the day, yay!).
On a different tack entirely, for those of you interested in possible technological futures of food, I recently stumbled across this interesting 2-part blog from the White City-based Food Tech consultants, Forward Fooding:
The FoodTech Innovation 'blind spots' of the last decade - Going beyond the Hype - Part 1
Popup Parklet Day: you’re invited – by the Parklet Campaign – to create a popup parklet in your street. Just seize an empty parking space (or two) and fill it with something – anything – more interesting and delightful than a car. Then send a picture to the Parklet Campaign. There’s a competitive element too – with prizes awarded by judges from the V&A for fun and creativity – and last year we had a winner in Hammersmith & Fulham. Details of last year’s Popup Parklet Day (then called People Parking Day) can be found here.
Finally, some of us are looking into starting a Hammersmith & Fulham community energy project - along the lines of what our friends at the North Kensington Community Energy have done. We’ll be looking for big roofs (non-domestic), south or southwest-facing ideally, with an area as big as a tennis court on it, for the panels to go. All suggestions welcome! And do let us know if you might be interested in getting involved with this project in the future: we’d love to hear from you.
Held regularly at the Livat shopping centre (formerly Kings Mall) in King Street W6, there’s an Electronic Repair Party, hosted by the most excellent folk, the West Central London Fixers. So if you have a broken electronic device, don’t chuck it out! Book a time slot at the Repair Party and take it down there!
reducing car miles?At the end of 2021 we held a people's assembly in White City , listening to a panel of experts followed by a Q&A and a discussion leading to some conclusions about the best ways of achieving this. We were joined by: Caroline Pidgeon (Chair of the Transport Committee at the Greater London Authority), Ian Mudway (a professor at Imperial College), Ruth Fitzharris from Mums For Lungs, Casey Abaraonye from Hammersmith & Fulham Cyclists, and Leo Murray from the climate change campaign group, Possible.
You can read the report here, we are now planning further meetings in different locations in the borough. If you'd like any information please get in touch - imagine2030lbhf@gmail.earth.
We reported that LBHF had published its H&F 2030: Climate and Ecological Strategy. The borough has been named top council in London for its plan - lets see if they deliver on it.
What that means in practice is a wide range of initiatives led by the Climate Change Unit - you can see all the details on their website. Some exciting things including a Library of things where you can borrow tools, a map of the borough highlighting H&Fs repair shops, a scheme to make it cheaper and easier to get solar panels, and many more things. The Council is committed to reducing emissions to zero by 2030, and not just from Council activities - all emissions across the borough. We look forward to seeing that become a reality for all of us.
So, what could it be like in LBHF? clean air, less congestion, more greenery
Over the last year we've been asking people what they imagine and have now updated these cards.
If you have other dreams why not share them with us -
Send to us at: imagine2030lbhf@gmail.earth.
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