York Environment Week 2021 is over, but you can watch video recordings of events with a 🎥 in the title, and view photos of events with a 📷 in the title.
York Walking Festival
iTravel York
18-26 September
If you love going on walks or want to give it a go, the York Walking Festival is just for you. Why not go on a group walk during the festival?
Greenfields is ten!
Greenfields School and Community Garden
18 September 10:30am – 12:30pm
Greenfields School and Community Garden is ten years old! Come and enjoy walking around this lovely community garden, chat to local gardeners over delicious refreshments and see how the different vegetables, fruit trees and bushes are growing this year.
Introducing some of the 10 principles
One Planet York
18 September 10am – 5pm, Sunday 19 September 10am – 5pm
One Planet York will be sharing our 10 Principles for One Planet Living: looking at Local and Sustainable Food, Sustainable Transport, and Zero Waste in particular.
Taddy Road talks
Dringhouses Ward Councillors
18 September 10am – 12:30pm and 2 – 3:30pm. 20 September 6:30 – 8:30pm
What are the opportunities for further improvements and what are the potential constraints? Can we start to build a broad consensus through discussion between people who live, work and travel along Tadcaster Road?
We need better local food to tackle the climate crisis. How do we get it? 🎥
Good Food York
18 September 2 – 3:30pm
Find out from Good Food York how better local food can help improve soil health, plant and wildlife health, and OUR OWN health – whilst tackling the climate crisis in our region.
What has the climate crisis got to do with our health? 🎥
Medact
18 September 4 – 5pm
A presentation looking at how a changing climate impacts health; how health care is adding to the climate crisis and the win-wins for people and planet of tackling the climate crisis.
Climate uncertainty – moving from listening to change 📷
My Future York
18 September 3:30 – 5pm
This neighbourhood walk will be a chance to explore everyday life and start to see where connections with climate change questions might be made.
Read more
Community picnic 📷
York Rotary Tree Planting Partnership
19 September 11am – 3pm
A second community picnic for the family and friends of the babies who had trees planted to commemorate their birth in 2018/19.
Climate change impacts guided walk
Mayfields Community Trust
19 September 2 – 3pm
An interactive tour exploring how Mayfields Community Trust works to optimise carbon retention on site and tries to deal with wetter winters and drier summers.
Wild Bishophill
Bishophillbillies
19 September 2 – 5pm
Join us in Bishophill Community Garden to celebrate and raise awareness of wildlife. Find out about our Pollinator Project linked to green corridors across York.
Kidical Mass bike ride and picnic 📷
York Cycle Campaign
19 September 3 – 4:30pm
Family friendly cycle ride and picnic, to celebrate cycling and show everyone that we want to cycle and need safe spaces for cycling!
Cloth nappy chat
National Childbirth Trust (NCT)
20 September 10 – 11am
Interested in cloth nappies but not sure where to start? Tried some and want to know what else is available? Just want to chat with other local cloth nappying families? Cloth nappy chat is for you!
Green spaces in York 📷
York Public Transport Ramblers
19 September and 20 September 10am – 2pm
Circular walks of around 8 miles with York Public Transport Ramblers, to view some environmental projects around York.
Sustainable business from the ground up 🎥
Sustainable Futures Report
20 September 12 noon
Four entrepreneurs from York explain how and why their businesses are sustainable followed by questions from the online audience.
The Great Pensions Scandal 🎥
Fossil Free North Yorkshire
20 September 6 – 7pm
A webinar looking at why divestment is an essential tool in addressing the climate crisis, and how we can move forward to ‘green’ investment.
Community Woodland walks
City of York Council
21 September and 25 September 10 – 11:30am
City of York Council is creating a community woodland with 50,000 trees. The two walks around the site are now fully booked.
Pallet upcycling
The Recycling Project
21 September 8:45am – 4pm
Pallets can be assembled into something unique and desirable. A tutor will guide you through these free hands-on woodworking sessions.
District Energy, Domestic Heating and Decarbonising York 🎥
Sustainable Futures Report
21 September 3 – 4pm
Domestic heating is a major cause of carbon emissions. How can a city like York keep warm with a minimal carbon footprint? A panel discussion with experts will look at district heating, insulation and more.
Give your home a HUG!
City of York Council
21 September 2 – 6pm
Drop in advice and information session on how to HUG your home. Learn about heat losses from homes and how to save fuel and save money and reduce carbon too whilst you’re doing it.
Better buses help us to fight the climate emergency 🎥
York Bus Forum
21 September 5:30 – 7pm
A talk on the importance of quality bus services in persuading people to switch from cars, thus reducing emissions and improving air quality.
Ta(l)king Action: What’s COP26 to you?
St Nicks
21 September 7:30pm
Join us online in sharing your organisation’s or personal plans for action around COP26 and beyond such as a local climate action hub for York.
Re-wilding Campus East
YESI, University of York
22 September 2 – 3pm
Learn how a tract of arable land has been transformed into a thriving biodiverse habitat of lake, lagoons, wet meadows and grassland at the University of York.
Read more
City-centre edible gardening at Peasholme Green
Edible York
22 September 2 – 3pm
Edible York’s second city-centre garden has been going for 10 years. This drop-in session will show the range of produce grown in a small space.
York Museum Gardens – environment aspirations
York Museums Trust
22 September 2 – 3pm
A one hour walk around the Gardens with the Gardens Manager, looking at areas where we have taken action to increase the flora and fauna diversity, and the impact so far.
Bike maintenance workshops
The Recycling Project CIC
22 September 5:30 – 8:30pm and 24 September 9am – 12noon
Our free bike maintenance workshops are centred around teaching you how to keep your bike running smoothly in the day to day.
We are the Groves – a storytelling walk
We are the Groves
22 September 6 – 8pm
Starting at the Bile Beans sign, join us for an easy storytelling walk around the Groves, down ancient and secluded walkways where homes once stood, animals roamed and food grew.
York Community Energy open meeting 🎥
York Community Energy
22 September 7:30pm
Our open meeting will look at our solar schools initiative, Warmer Homes York insulation programme and our new project to help York residents in fuel poverty.
Furniture upcycling
The Recycling Project CIC
23 September 9am – 4pm
In these workshops we will be working with various items of furniture that could do with bringing back to life. Think fixing, restoring, prepping, sanding, painting, and staining.
Read more
Climate change impacts
Mayfield Community Trust
23 September 7:30 – 8:30pm
Learn how climate change influences all MCT’s management practices, with particular emphasis on carbon storage and conservation/sustainability.
100 million hands
York Ebor District Scouts
23 September 7 – 8:30pm
This event will present different case studies of local action on Climate Change by Scouts in York and from across the world. Followed by a panel discussion and a Q&A section.
Why COP26 can’t deliver climate justice 🎥
York and District COP26 Coalition
23 September 7pm
Hear from a panel of international climate activists on the limitations of COP, and help organise the movement fighting runaway climate change.
For the future – what to know before you buy a new home 🎥
St Nicks
23 September 7:30 – 9pm
This event looks at how moving home gives a homebuyer a chance to create a home for the future.
Read more
How can the community build sustainable housing? 🎥
Constructive Individuals
24 September 7:30 to 9pm
There’s much agreement that homes built with and by communities are most likely to be better built for the future. So why don’t we see more?
Read more
York Open Eco Homes
St Nicks
25 September 9:30am – 4:30pm
Are you wondering how to make your home better for you and the planet? Meet fellow York residents who have achieved just that!
Read more
St Mary’s Eco Saturday
St Mary’s Church
25 September 10am – 2pm
A chance to see how York’s churches are going green. There will be informative displays, children’s activities and talks from renewable energy professionals. All are welcome.
The Tang Hall leek show
Edible York
25 September 12noon – 1:30pm
A traditional Leek show with a difference – to promote the fun and creativity of growing leeks of all shapes and sizes, alongside other lovely edibles.
Solar for Schools 🎥
York Community Energy
25 September 1:30pm
Would you like your school to do more to reduce its emissions and tackle climate change? Come and find out how this scheme works, and also hear from a school that has already taken the plunge.
Trade Deals and Climate Justice
Global Justice York
25 September 12noon
Exploring how campaigners are acting locally as part of a global movement to challenge trade agreements that prioritise corporate profit over climate justice.
What if we solved the climate crisis? What would York look like? 📷
My Future York
26 September 9:30 – 11am
An opportunity to look at your city, to think about how it will need to be different and to see how imagination and creativity might unlock a better future York.
Read more
Other events
Below is a list of other local events running during York Environment Week/Great Big Green Week, which you may also be interested in.
| Title | Description | When | Where | Organised by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vale of York NHS Equipment Amnesty | Unreturned crutches, commodes etc cost our local NHS £500,000 annually! These items can be cleaned and used by another person. So, we’ve organised an EQUIPMENT AMNESTY for patients to return items to their local surgery, no questions asked. Thanks for helping reduce our NHS’s carbon footprint. | 20 – 24 September, normal GP hours | GP surgeries across the Vale of York | SPY (Sustainable Practices York) |
| Relay to COP26 – events in York | The Young Christian Climate Network is walking in stages to Glasgow for COP26 to highlight the need for global climate justice. At their York stop there will be a programme of events open to all. Full details here. | 20 – 24 September | Events at various venues in York | YCCN York Hub |
| Workshops to create a community garden | The beginning of a project to set up a new garden in Castlegate. To volunteer and get involved, further details here. | 22nd Sept, 3-5pm, 24th Sept 3-5pm | 20 Castlegate, York YO1 9RP | Good Neighbours UK |
| York Stitches for Survival drop-in session | MASS-CRAFTIVISM TO PUT THE EARTH CENTRE-STAGE AT COP26. Across the UK, we are knitting, crocheting, stitching and crafting 1.5 miles of climate messages for the negotiators to urge them to take bold and binding action together. All welcome, from beginners to experienced crafters. | 23 September 1.30 – 3pm | Southlands Methodist Church, Bishopthorpe Road, YO23 1NX | Stitches for Survial York Group |
| Eco-Fair – St Paul’s Church | Displays, stalls, workshops and activities for all age groups. How to make small changes that have a positive eco-impact. Free admission. Fair Trade cafe. More details and how to book are here. | 25 September 10am – 3pm | St Paul’s Church, Holgate Road, York | St Paul’s Church |
| Street re-cycle | Residents in South Bank clear out their unwanted goods and put them outside for anyone to take away for free. Posters and balloons are supplied for households signing up in advance, and there will be a map compiled to show the sites. More details are here. | 26 September 11.00 – 3pm | South Bank neighbourhood of York. | Planet South Bank |