PRESS RELEASE: York Environment Week 2021 event listings announced

York’s second Environment Week will run this year from 18th-26th September. More than double the 2020 number of events are planned with both online and in person events possible this year. They will showcase environmental groups who are focusing on acting to tackle climate change in and around York. 

With the theme #YorkActsTogether-Tackling Climate Change, events will highlight ways in which everyone can help reduce climate change by individual and group action. 

This year’s events have been timed to coincide with – and will receive support from – The Great Big Green Week. With thousands of groups involved this will be the largest programme of events for climate and nature ever seen in the UK. 

York Environment Week will be hosting events as diverse as Improving Your House and Re-Wilding the Campus East of University of York, to in-person discussions about the Sustainable Transport Report on Tadcaster Road and guided walks around Museum Gardens, and much more. 

Some of the events will remain online, which gives greater accessibility for more widespread participation, but others will this year be conducted in person, which after last year’s restrictions due to the national lockdown, is very welcome. 

One live event will be conducted walks around the Groves, one of a national programme of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs). Sara Mair, spokesperson for the group ‘We Are The Groves’ said “We’re really excited to be part of York Environment Week and work together to tackle climate change and we’ll be running our popular ‘Storytelling Walk Around the Groves’, both to encourage walking as an activity and to spread awareness of LTNs.’ 

‘We are the Groves’ is a creative community storytelling project. Find out more at tellusastory@wearethegroves.org or on social media @wearethegroves 

The programme has been put together by members of York Environment Forum and aims to celebrate and promote the work of local environmental groups and amplify “the voice for the environment in York”. 

The Forum’s Chair, Penny Bainbridge, said: “We know the environment – built and natural – is a big concern for York people. Greta Thunberg’s huge following shows that young people want to know what they can do and want to learn practical, sustainable things to make the living world a better place. We hope York Environment Week will help them, as well as all other residents around York, to do that, and to connect the global problems of species extinction, climate change and environmental degradation to positive solutions that they can get involved with locally.” 

“There are already so many people in York passionate about caring for the environment. We want York Environment Week 2021 to showcase them and direct local people towards them to help them get involved.” 

Organisers also want the week of activities and events to create further momentum for implementing York’s climate emergency target of net-zero emissions by 2030, as well as promoting further support for the UN climate conference COP26, to be held in Glasgow in November. 

Many events will be recorded and uploaded to the YEW YouTube channel so that they are available to watch again, which is also designed to create a legacy of resources and information. 

All event listings are now live on the YEW website at https://yorkenvironmentfestival.org.uk/events-2021/.

Announcing York Environment Week 2021!

We are pleased to report that following its successful debut in 2020, York Environment Week will be back in 2021 from 18th to 26th September, so pencil it in your diaries now! The theme for this year will be “#YorkActsTogether – Tackling Climate Change”, and it will be taking place at the same time as the nationwide Great Big Green Week. This means that YEW will be one of many events running all over the country to raise climate awareness and demand action from our politicians as they prepare for COP 26 in Glasgow.

Last year’s event was almost entirely online due to COVID restrictions; we are hoping to have more in-person events this year, but only time will tell. At the very least, we will be aiming to have a greater variety of events beyond the standard PowerPoint presentation format (although there will be plenty of those too). More on that in the near future!

If you would like to put on an event during the Week, submissions are now OPEN! You have until Friday 16th July to fill in the form and tell us what your event is all about. You can find the form and guidelines for entries on this page. Remember, this year it’s all about York standing together to take action on climate change. Action can come in many forms: we can all make changes in our own lives to reduce our carbon impact, but we also need our political and business leaders to make changes, as they have the power to make massive emissions savings on a scale we can only dream of. And don’t forget that teaching and inspiring is also a form of action; the more people we bring along on the journey, the more emissions we save, and the louder our collective voice for holding those leaders to account.

We’re really looking forward to seeing what kind of events and projects you come up with. So be creative and get brainstorming! Also, if you would like to join the organising committee, we are currently looking for someone to help with fundraising and/or admin, so if that sounds like you then please get in touch.

Press release: York Environment Week: 28 November – 6 December 2020

Outdoor events have been given the go-ahead for York Environment Week 2020, which begins on Saturday and runs until 6 December.

The festival, which coincides with National Tree Week, originally had 15 outdoor events for people to take part in practical activities, but it was thought these would have to be postponed due to the second national lockdown. 

Now organisers have confirmed that some physical events WILL be permitted, so long as social distancing and other precautions are observed.

It means activities with The Conservation Volunteers (TCV), including four volunteering sessions at Clifton Backies Nature Reserve and a gardening session at Hull Road Park, will take place. 

There will also be an opportunity to do tree planting and maintenance (including the removal of plastic tree guards and cable ties for recycling) with the John Lally Foundation Kimberlow Hill and Diamond Wood project on the University of York campus.

For those wishing to do their environmental activities from the comfort of their own home, York Environment Week has a packed programme of online events to join in with on the themes of energy, food, nature, resources and waste, and transport and travel.

They include the ‘revitalisation’ of One Planet York, featuring guest speaker Mike Berners-Lee, author of ‘How Bad Are Bananas?’ and ‘There Is No Planet B’; an opportunity to find out how beavers can help reduce flooding; a waste-free virtual lunch hosted by St Nick’s, and stories of food and resilience from Tang Hall.

Other virtual events look at the history of transport change and cycling in Amsterdam; a celebration of innovative housing design in York; how to build your own small solar panel systems, and lessons from Bishopthorpe’s popular annual recycling day.

Participants can also get “involved” with trees and nature without getting muddy or cold. Online options include a virtual tour of a tree trail in New Earswick, an introduction to Rowntree Park’s Forest School, and a talk by Greener Pocklington about engaging the community through practical projects to combat wildlife habitat loss.

The week, which features a total of 27 online and outdoor events, is organised by a team from York Environment Forum, which aims to celebrate and promote the work of local environmental groups. To find out more and to book for events, go to: https://yorkenvironmentfestival.org.uk or email info@yorkenvironmentweek.org.uk