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Projects

Phipps Bridge Community Garden

A project run by Sustainable Merton in collaboration with the National Trust, Merton Abbey Horticultural Society, Merton Council and the local community.

The Phipps Bridge Community Garden was one of Sustainable Merton's first major projects, and continues to play a large part in our lives.

The allotments, owned by the National Trust and run by Merton Council, were largely abandoned and strewn with refuse in 2008. Six were released to us in October that year. We have taken over many more since then. Over the next nine months, some 40 volunteers spent over 1,000 person-hours hacking down brambles, removing rubbish and installing drainage. Raised beds, a fruit cage and a shed with a reception area followed.

We started teaching local school children about the joys of growing fresh organic produce. The local community have been involved throughout the project and have contributed their time and skills, as well as donations of recycled wood pallets, compost, tools, and much, much else.

In the autumn of 2009, encouraged by us and the National Trust, Merton Council cleared the brambles from the rest of the allotments and began offering them to people on their waiting list.

By the end of that year, we had grown 750kg of potatoes, beans, carrots, beetroot, sweetcorn and other vegetables. Our first bramley apples were harvested in the summer of 2010.

Read our full report on the project.

There is always work to do on the site. Sustainable Merton needs volunteers to weed and water - not to mention harvest and eat the produce. There is also heavier work if you want it! We already have several families with young children who work and play on the site regularly, but we need more help. Work days are on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 3pm.

Volunteers clocking up 50 hours each year will get a free National Trust Card with access to NT gardens and a 20% discount at the Morden Hall Cafe and shop.

If you are interested, please call trustee and garden project co-ordinator Gillian on 07956170141, trustee Ruth on 07821865072 or SM community liaison officer Tom on 07779879091.

 

 

Living Green Centre

A community outreach project based in the UK's most energy-efficient historic building.

The Livinggreen Heart of the Park project, or the Living Green Centre for short, opened on 5 November. It is the only project of its kind in the UK and attracted 2,000 in its first week.

Formerly Morden Hall Park's stableyard, it includes a café, exhibition space, offices and craft workshops. Sustainable Merton hosts drop-in advice sessions on sustainability.

The National Trust's project joins a number of similar eco-renovations across the EU funded by the European Commission, which are sharing experience on engaging local residents and businesses in sustainability. The £2.5m centre has received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Thames Water.

It boasts a remarkable litany of green technologies, including:

• Underfloor heating system powered by a wood-burning stove.
• Air-source heat pump.
• Solar 'roof slates', integrated photovoltaic and solar thermal panels and conventional photovoltaic panels.
• Roof and wall insulation using wool, hemp, cork and Spacetherm (a silica-based material).
• Original wooden window frames fitted with secondary glazing, with some windows fitted with triple glazing.
• Rainwater harvesting tanks
• Internal walls have been lined with lime plaster. Not only is it less carbon intensive than cement-based mortar, it also absorbs carbon dioxide while curing and is less vulnerable to damage from floods.
• A micro-hydropower device will be installed in 2012, to be powered by the river Wandle

You can find out more and get the latest updates at the project blog.

 

 

Wandle Valley Low Carbon Zone

Sustainable Merton is participating with Merton Council, national environmental charity Groundwork and others to engage the residents of the Phipps Bridge Estate in one of the Mayor of London's ten Low Carbon Zones.

A Low Carbon Zone is an exciting, community-led approach to cutting CO₂ emissions. Ten boroughs, including Merton, have won support and funding from the Mayor of London to create local Low Carbon Zones. These will provide examples that can later be rolled out both within and beyond London, paving the way to a cleaner, greener future.

By 2012 the aim is to have reduced the zone’s CO₂ emissions by over 30%, while demonstrating to residents and the wider public that living more sustainably can make a real difference to ordinary people’s lives. The zone should also help bring new skills and new jobs to the 3,000 people who live there.

Sustainable Merton's role in the zone focuses on public engagement. We have hosted many events, some at the neighbouring Phipps Bridge Community Garden
.

 

 

Transition Town Wimbledon aims to prepare the town for the twin challenges, and opportunities, of peak oil and climate change.

TTW is part of the international Transition Towns movement, which aims to tackle the twin challenges of climate change and 'peak oil' by harnessing the power of community. It was formed after Wimbledon's Odeon cinema hosted the UK's best-attended showing of the film The Age of Stupid in 2009. Originally a separate organisation, it is now a largely autonomous arm of Sustainable Merton.

We were formed in 2009 and are rapidly expanding our portfolio of activities and projects. Highlights so far include:

• The London premier of 'In Transition 1.0: The Transition Towns Film' at Bishop Gilpin School.
• Hosting 'Rethinking Wimbledon' in March 2010, TTW's first major public engagement event.
• Forming the Wimbledon Food Group, to bring more local land into food production.
• Forming the Wimbledon Energy Group, to raise awareness on peak oil and take practical action on energy consumption.

While most people are aware of the basics of climate change, and the threats it poses, the problem of peak oil production is less well known. Briefly, peak oil is the point in time when the world reaches its greatest rate of production of petroleum, after which it will inevitably decline. The concept is based on the way that individual oil wells, oil fields and whole countries' rates of oil production have risen and declined. Even though oil is still being discovered, the amount discovered has been less than global consumption since the 1970s.

But no-one is saying that oil is running out. The problem (for western society, at least) is that the easily-extracted oil is running out, prompting the industry to turn to controversial biofuels, tar sands and deepwater fields.

The threat of climate change makes carbon emissions reduction essential.

Peak oil makes it inevitable.

Transition initiatives make it feasible, viable and even attractive to do so.

Transition initiatives progress through raising awareness, connecting with existing organisations and building bridges with local government to eventually drawing up a community-defined 'energy descent action plan' over a 15-to-20 year timescale. These are intended to minimise the upheaval caused by rising energy prices, while accelerating preparation and response.

Get in touch with TTW at ttwimbledon@yahoo.co.uk. TTW also maintains a page on Project Dirt, south London's green networking and events website.

 

 

Sustainable Food for Merton

Coordinating local food growing projects

Sustainable Merton is the ‘local lead’ for food-growing projects under the Mayor of London’s Capital Growth scheme. There are currently 28 food-growing spaces in the borough, and we are encouraging and facilitating more to be set up.

Sustainable Merton has its presence at the Phipps Bridge Allotments, and runs food growing projects in local schools.

Transition Town Wimbledon’s Wimbledon Food Group also has brought two patches of land into production: the previously derelict ‘Fireplace Community Garden’ off Kingston Road and at Christ Church West Wimbl edon. If you would like to get involved with the Food Group, contact or phone Joyce on 0208 946 3750.

We have also planted apple trees on Wimbledon Hill Road and at Morden Hall Park.

Transition Town Wimbledon’s School Garden Club at Ricards Lodge is another string to our bow.

The ground is rotavated, students have dug in the compost, and have planted up the garden with potatoes, carrots, beetroot, chard and spinach. Tomatoes are growing on the windowsill of the technology room and beans and squash are being looked after by girls at home over the easter holiday.

 

 

Adopt a Green Space

Help take care of your local green spaces.

‘Adopt a Green Space’ is a scheme designed to make it easier for individuals and groups to improve their local green spaces. The Council will continue to keep our flagship parks to a high standard but sadly no longer have the resources to look after some of our smaller spaces in the way they would like. Could you do better?

This isn’t about volunteering to help the existing contractors. If you take on a space you get to decide how you want to manage it; you could create a perfect lawn – or a wildflower meadow. You can grow roses – or blackcurrants.

How much you take on is up to you. You can plant a single rose bush or take over the whole space. You can continue to leave jobs like grass cutting to the council or you can do them yourself.

Once you have made your plans, ‘Adopt a Green Space’ will co-ordinate with the Council, so that their workers will know not to weed up your newly planted border and you will know if they need some areas kept clear for access.

Take a look at the dedicated Adopt a Green Space website to learn more.

 

 

Juice from Your Roof

London's first not for profit buyers' club for solar panels.

Juice from Your Roof is a free-to-join, not-for-profit buyers club, offering Merton businesses and homeowners the chance to benefit from discounts on rooftop panels purchase and installation.

It kicked off in April 2010, the idea of Sustainable Merton member Alban Thurston.

Solar clubs like JFYR were key to Germany's massive growth in solar power generation after it started offering 'feed-in tariffs'. These have been in force in the UK since April 2010, known as 'Clean Energy Cashback'. They pay a regular subsidy based on the amount of electricity generated from smaller-scale renewables. “You get paid for every unit you generate, even if your family uses all of it,” said Alban. “Anything left over, you can sell back to power companies”. The government guarantees their payment, tax-free, for 25 years.

“I can’t pass a south-facing roof, without wondering how its owner could be making money from it," Alban added.

In partnership with British Gas Solar Technologies, one of the UK's oldest solar power firms, JFYR is offering a discount of up to £12.5%. The more people who join, the greater the discount, which is applied after each threshold is reached.

In most situations, planning permission is not needed for solar electric or heating systems. Even conservation areas and Listed Buildings can benefit, provided south-facing roofs don’t overlook neighbours.

“Merton gave the world the “Merton Rule for commercial buildings; now feed-in tariffs make low-carbon energy a reality for many homes”, he added. Phone 02380 461918 or e-mail julia.bamford@solartechnologies.co.uk quoting JFYR to book your no-obligation survey.

Due to charity law, Juice from Your Roof is not an offical part of Sustainable Merton.

 

 

Working with Merton Council

Sustainable Merton is not part of Merton Council.

That said, Sustainable Merton interacts with the council on many levels.

The council’s approach (in theory) to climate change and sustainability is most clearly explained in their Climate Change Strategy. Sustainable Merton helped to put together a good document with lots of firm commitments.

Unfortunately, after it had been through Council, it had most of those firm commitments were removed.

We have also responded to other consultations, such as the South London Waste Plan.

Sustainable Merton cannot expect to always agree with the Council but it isn't enough to only criticise. There are many knowledgeable and committed Council officers who have helped us beyond the call of duty. In return, Sustainable Merton is building up an understanding of the mysterious way Councils operate. It is a continuous learning process.

What can I do?.

There are no end of opportunities to become involved in this side of Sustainable Merton. In every area of Council work - education, planning, parks, schools…somebody needs to speak up for sustainability. You can also find yourself helping to put together bids for thousands of pounds of central government funding for environmental projects. So whether you have a specialist area of interest or want to work on the big picture, the opportunities are waiting.

Politics.

The members and supporters of Sustainable Merton come from a wide range of political backgrounds. We are not aligned with any particular political party. We are pleased to work with everyone who has a real commitment to sustainability.

 

 

Awareness Raising

People have to know about the threats to the environment before they take action..

Sustainable Merton has shown many films, including ‘Crude Impact’, ‘The End of Suburbia’ and ‘The Power of Community’. We were launched at a showing of 'An Inconvenient Truth'.

Sustainable Merton launched with a showing of ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ at the Wimbledon Odeon. There has been a series of discussions around showings of films like ‘Crude Impact’, ‘The End of Suburbia’ and ‘The Power of Community’.

But we also spread the word the old fashioned way. A Thames Community Foundation grant helped finance our co-ordinator Tom Walsh to visit schools, church halls, libraries, pubs and wherever else he can find an audience. The Wimbledon Civic Forum has been helpful in arranging debates; some of which turned out to be quite exciting. And of course Sustainable Merton takes the traditional trestle table to local events.

The local ‘Guardian' newspaper has given some of Sustainable Merton’s projects front page coverage. We are grateful for the regular coverage we receive.

Sustainable Merton also believes it is important to take the chance to put our point of view across on local matters, such as planning. This may mean speaking at community forums and council meetings, writing to the newspapers and to Councillors…even if it means not always being popular.

We have had a good start but it could be better. Too many environmental groups spend their time preaching to the converted – if we are to break out of this we need fresh thinking. Do you have an interest in communications, the media, lobbying and generally putting across the sustainability message? If so, get in touch!

 

 

Singlegate Biostation

During the summer holidays of 2008 five volunteers from Sustainable Merton installed a pond-based ecosystem at the school in Colliers Wood with the help of pupils, parents and staff..

Like the Phipps Bridge Community Garden, the Singlegate Biostation was one of Sustainable Merton's first projects. A raised dry wall rockery was built and a selection of flowering shrubs, trees and spring bulbs were planted. Then aquatic plants for the pond, a shed, picnic table and picket fence completed the picture.

Dragonflies soon arrived and were followed by newts, frogs and birds.

The creation of the Biostation at Singlegate School was an exciting and worthwhile project and is part of a bigger environmental awareness process going on at the school for which it was awarded the Gold Standard in the 2009 'London in Bloom' contest. Sustainable Merton believe that projects like this are vital if our children are going to develop an interest in the natural world and, in time, take on the role of its protectors.

Are you a teacher?

Would you like to help bring the sustainability message to your classroom? Sustainable Merton would like to hear from you!

 

 

Bags for Better Lives

Replacing plastic bags with reusable ones

In 2008, Sustainable Merton member Mariana Cervantes-Burchill co-ordinated our first big project: Bags for Better Lives.

Sustainable Merton planned to knock on 3000 doors in Wimbledon Park a deliver a sponsored cotton shopping bag. We did not ask for money, only that residents should try to remember to use the bag and so help reduce our reliance on oil based products, protect the environment, cut business costs and control litter and waste.

The team also approached local shops. If their customers had been given re-useable shopping bags, then we hoped the shops would feel justified in not giving out free plastic ones so readily. They would also be asked if they wanted to sponsor the project - in return their name would be printed on the bags.

It was the first time this sort of project had been tried in London. What sort of reception would they get?

In the event, Sustainable Merton was overwhelmed by the amount of support and encouragement they were offered. Not only did many local traders sponsor the bags but the Co-op in Arthur Road sponsored a whole bag of their own, allowing Sustainable Merton to deliver two bags per household. Merton Council gave us time and money, Wimbledon Park and Bishop Gilpin Schools and the Wimbledon Park Residents' Association all pitched in and the local Guardian covered the project from start to finish.

 

 

Sustainable Merton is a registered charity, No.1123041.