This group which was formerly called Harpes Road Environment Group has proved so successful that they have expanded to include neighbouring streets and have renamed themselves the Sunnymead Environment Group to celebrate their newly grown size! Anyone in the area north of Summertown is welcome to join.
Join the action
They had a zero waste street party to celebrate their launch. At the street party all refreshments were either eaten, composted or recycled. Music came from instruments built from rubbish items.
Collection points were organised in the local streets for various items such as unused timber, plastic, cardboard and CDs - materials not currently accepted for recycling in local kerbside recycling boxes.
The group promotes eco-improvement to their houses and many opened their homes to share techniques that have been used in eco-renovation. These include loft insulation, low energy recycled insulation and thermal Sempatap on solid walls as well as evacuated tube solar heating. They also held a light bulb party to show people the benefit of low energy bulbs.
Greenwaste going to landfill creates a problem. In landfill the organic material is squashed down and buried with other materials such as plastic and so is unable to break down with enough oxygen. This creates methane -a harmful greenhouse gas known to contribute to global warming.
Green shredding events
The Group has green shredding events on the street, so residents can bring along the green garden waste they had been storing up. Once this is finely shredded it can be make into a useful mulch to improve the health of their gardens - and reduce the size of their bins.
The group have regular meetings and have also organised wildlife garden tours in their street, helping residents learn more about how they can turn their garden into a haven for wildlife.
'Our neighbourhood seems to be more and more aware of how precious the local environment is'
Elaine Steane, chair of Sunnymead Environment Group
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