Islington Together: Let’s talk about a greener future

Islington Council launched their Islington Together: Let’s talk about a greener future” festival at Islington Assembly Hall on Monday, 18th October.

I attended the event along with council staff, local campaigners, stakeholders and community groups. This was the start of a series of events to green the borough.

Islington Town Hall Assembly room looked magnificent with trees from Islington Forest on display for the event. They looked beautiful and healthy, ready for planting later in the month and the perfect symbol of our Forest for Change project to green the borough together.

Cllr Rowena Champion thanked the council tree service and Islington Clean Air Parents for the collaborative efforts on the Islington Forest for Change project, and added “the massive energy from Islington Clean Air Parents should be replicated in the future. We look forward to working with ICAP going forward.” She also said,  “we can turn the grey (concrete) to green, it costs much more to put trees in roads but we are going to have to do it because we are running out of space.”

“the massive energy from Islington Clean Air Parents should be replicated in the future.”

Cllr Rowena Champion, Executive Member for Environment and Transport

Islington Forest of Change trees on display.

A series of speeches began with Council Leader, Kaya Comer-Schwartz, she provided context for the programme of events. The council have declared a climate emergency and committed to being net zero by 2030.  They recognise it’s a huge challenge but one that must be undertaking to address inequality in the borough and improve life expectancy. Islington is one of the most densely populated boroughs in England and Wales. It is triple the London average and 37 times more than the national average with a very high level of child poverty.

She gave an overview of the four areas they are focusing on: transport, building infrastructure, natural environment and waste.  On transport the Leader acknowledged that air pollution has reached dangerous levels and that lowest income families are worse effected. I was pleased to hear her confirm they are dedicated to taking decisive action to reduce air pollution with their People Friendly Streets programme and that they recognise the need to work with everyone in the borough to achieve their aims.

Next up was Cllr Rowena Champion who explained why Climate Change is the the biggest challenge Islington will face going forward.

Islington is the 6th London borough most vulnerable to climate change according to the GLA Risk of Climate Change report. The borough is very dense and has a lot of concrete, this coupled with increased extreme heat events and surface water flooding will have a huge impact. She said, “climate change is a global problem but it’s also a real problem for Islington now.”

She spoke about the sources of carbon emission, to address this the council are working on a decarbonising plan, looking at retrofitting buildings, district heat networks, green economy and they have a number of initiatives including a ‘library of things’, a borrowing service opening soon.

It was great to hear that Cllr Champion is determined to change the way people move around the streets to improve people’s health and wellbeing, she said they want to “reimagine our public space: make them in to play spaces for children, to make them greener and make them healthier.” We have some great ideas for this! Check out our campaigns.

David Harrison, chair of Islington Living Streets and co-founder of Footways walking maps explained that behaviour change is required but it’s difficult for public health campaigns to have an impact with the scale of car advertising with car-centric messaging.

Traffic is a significant contributor to greenhouse gases. There is huge potential for walking in Islington it plays a significant part in tackling Climate Change. One third of journeys are under 2km which is easily walked. 

David said “If you’re thinking of ways to combat climate change I suggest go for a walk!” What a wonderful suggestion.

He proposed monitoring walking patterns, greening, rain gardens placed in roads instead of cars. Go for carshare not ownership. Low traffic neighbourhoods do have a positive effect, he encouraged the council to keep going with the fantastic People Friendly Streets! ICAP agree!

David concluded, providing more pro-pedestrian infrastructure enables behaviour change and makes public health campaigns relevant. “Let’s use these new attractive people friendly routes for safer and healthier daily walks with Footways map!” 

ICAP love them, not only can these routes provide attractive and more pleasant ways to get around our city but more importantly walking on quieter streets with fewer cars reduces the impact of air pollution caused by traffic.

Rosie Kurnaz, Islington Young Mayor, representing the youth council. She said, “young people are fighting for their voices to be heard, they often feel disregarded and ignored. They want to be part of creating change and making an impact on climate change.“ 

Collective action is key and has a huge impact but that all starts with an individual action which snowballs, i.e. encouraging young people to walk to school will have multiple benefits for them and their environment. Young people need to be part of the solutions because they are going to be the ones who live with consequences of the actions taken today. She and other young people are committed to holding the council to account to insure they act on their promises.

MP, Jeremy Corbyn gave a short overview of Islington’s history in making the borough more sustainable. He reminded some of the audience of the 1992 Rio Climate Summit, which he said was a turning point in history. Islington council recongnised that and so set up a climate committee called ‘Agenda 2021’, which he chaired. They examined council services for environmental sustainability and worked on community engagement. In May 2019 he proposed a motion to parliament, which resulted in it making a declaration that we were facing a climate emergency. It was the first parliament in the world to make that declaration.

He said “Unless we realise and the whole world understands there is a climate emergency little will be achieved.” He said he would be attending COP26 and demonstrations on the 6th November to show that people are very concerned about the climate emergency, however, he said “being ‘very concerned’ doesn’t cut it and doesn’t bring about the changes that are necessary, it is about practical steps to bring about a green industrial revolution.” This means engaging with existing polluting industries to become more environmentally sustainable. They need support to guarantee the jobs of their workforces in order to make the transition.

We need to look at our use of nature and natural resources in our daily lives. We may know that we should buy sustainable products, but that can be expensive. He said: “Surely, we need to legislate for environmentally sustainable food and manufacturing from the beginning rather than leave it to those who can afford it.”

It was fantastic to hear that the council are committed to some ambitious goals and initiatives and that they recognise that in order to achieve these goals they need to work with the whole community. Thankfully, there are many people in the borough with valuable knowledge, skills and creative thinking who are willing to get involved.  Islington Clean Air Parents for one look forward to working in partnership with the council again soon for a cleaner and greener borough.

The event closed with a short Q&A, which only scratched the surface, clearly there is a lot to talk about. If you have questions and ideas feed them back to the council by engaging with consultations and developments. Join a local community group, become and ICAP member here, we’d love to hear your ideas!

More information about Islington council’s vision can be found in Building a Net Zero Carbon Islington by 2030.

Islington Forest for Change: first trees planted

The first trees of our Islington Forest for Change project have been planted! Four of the trees originally part of the Somerset House exhibition were planted in an under-used open space near Liverpool Road on Friday 22nd October.

Children from local schools helped to plant the first tree, a silver birch, and also planted dozens of flowering bulbs under the guidance of local gardener Lynne Friendli.

Luella Facer, aged ten, who put in the first shovel of soil, dedicated the tree to her great, great grandfather Harry Facer, who lived in Islington in 1850.

A team of 15 people from Angel Central, planted another of the trees, as well as clearing the site of litter, removing weeds and planting bulbs. Angel Central shopping centre are sponsoring the project, and will continue to be involved in the transformation of the space through staff volunteering days.

Rowena Champion, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Transport, attended the event and thanked Islington Clean Air Parents and all the volunteers for their support.

Over the coming 12 months, the space will be transformed with more trees and bulbs planted, and a woodland habitat created with bird boxes and insect piles. The space will be renamed Islington Forest for Change, and will become the hub for the wider tree planting project.

We will be inviting local schools to get involved, using the space as an outdoor classroom for forest learning. Plus there will be more bulb and tree planting sessions in the next few months.

If you would like to volunteer or get involved with this space, please get in touch via email: islingtoncleanair@gmail.com

The rest of the trees funded through our crowdfunder campaign will be planted over the winter months.

COP26 – What can we do?

We have a problem. It is has been proved that human activity is destroying the earth. The science has been clear for decades; burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) is responsible for climate change. We have been lied to by fossil fuel companies such as Shell and BP. They are spending trillions of dollars supressing data, greenwashing and discrediting climate science for years, and now some of them are on trial in the US.  The fossil fuel industry benefits from subsidies of $11m every minute, according to analysis by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). They make huge profits whilst polluting and brutalising the planet resulting in a rise in temperature causing a catastrophe for all living things.

Global warming as a result of human greenhouse gas emissions is having a catastrophic effect on our planet. Our climate is changing, with more frequent extreme weather events, such as: wildfires in the Greece, US and Australia; heatwaves in North America and Russia; flooding in England, Germany and China. Some changes are now irreversible, the polar icecaps are melting, sea levels are rising dramatically, oceans are heating-up destroying coral reefs and marine life, many animal species are becoming extinct.  Land and sea are becoming uninhabitable resulting in mass migration and loss of human and animal life.

The rich in the richest nations are the most responsible for this global climate crisis and the poor are the first to suffer the consequences.

A recent report from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) said it’s ‘code red for humanity’. It will not affect some imagined future generations in other countries –  it’s happening to people living NOW and WILL have an impact on you, your children and your grandchildren.  It’s literally on our doorstep – the recent flooding in London will now be a regular occurrence we have to adapt to. Air pollution is the biggest environmental threat to health in the UK, with around 36,000 deaths a year attributed to long-term exposure. 

Solutions are available

As Sir David Attenborough said in his opening speech to COP26 delegates this week, are we doomed because we are “failing to see the bigger picture in pursuit of short-term goals?” However, he urged world leaders to “turn this tragedy in to a triumph” he also said, “we are after all the greatest problem solvers that ever existed on Earth” and “We must fix our sights on keeping below 1.5 degrees.” We have a choice we can put this in reverse as solutions are available and we will all benefit.

“We are after all the greatest problem solvers that ever existed on Earth.”

Sir David Attenborough, COP26 People’s Advocate.

This month world leaders are meeting for COP26 in Glasgow to discuss how they work together to limit temperature rises to 1.5C. Should we sit back and wait for them to provide the answers? No. They are falling very far short of meeting the targets set by the Paris agreement in 2015. We must do everything we can to protect our loved ones and our environment because every individual action does make a difference. If we don’t act, can we look our children and young people in the eye and say “I did everything I could to reverse this climate catastrophe and improve our environment?”

There’s a decision to make; do we stand by and watch our own destruction over the next decade or do we act now. We all have busy lives but there is time, it can be found. As individuals we can make changes by altering our behaviour right now, this week you can reduce: car use; consumption and waste; eat less meat and lobby your leaders and politicians to enable us to make better choices.  

Together we are stronger

It’s not too late, get involved and use your energy to find solutions not problems. We need to work together and ensure no one is left behind because together we are stronger. Where ever you are on join millions of people on Saturday 6th November for the Global Day of Action and show world leaders the time for action is now.  It’s expected 100,000 people will march at COP26 in Glasgow, the other main march is here in London – Global Day of Action, 12pm, Bank of England, Threadneedle Street, London. See COP26coalition.org for details.

If you’re not able to join the march there are many other ways to get involved. Whatever your interests and skills they are needed. Join us and become a member or join another community group such as islingtonalliance.com or lowtrafficislington.org or national organisations like the Friends of the Earth or Greenpeace.  Whatever you do, get informed and ACT NOW!

The Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill

Islington Clean Air Parents and our children joined many other families for a children’s summit outside Parliament on 8th September 2021 to share their concerns with MPs about air pollution and the climate and nature crisis. The event was organised by Zero Hour and Letters for Future, the campaigners behind The Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill (The CEE Bill).

Children handed their letters to MPs and made banners to show them how concerned they are about climate change. It was very powerful and moving to hear children speak with such passion about their hopes and fears.  They want the Government to prioritise the environment and do more to protect their future. One 9 year old boy from Islington wrote “we are animals and nature, if animals and nature die we die too.”

We spoke to MP Caroline Lucas, who has brought this bill to Parliament, she said “Children see the connection between humans and nature, but sadly there is a disconnect for many adults.” 

We are grateful to MPs who took the time to listen to our children, including Islington South MP, Emily Thornberry, who was there but has not officially signed up yet.  It is essential the government back the CEE Bill because legislation is the best way to protect our children’s health and their future.   

What can you do?   

Declare your support for the CEE Bill. It’s really easy to do via the Zero Hour link here. It’s really important you let your MP know that you care about this, that your children care about this and you want the Government to care about this enough to commit to action.

They need to hear from as many people as possible so please share widely to insure the climate and nature and emergency is at the heart of Government policy by passing this bill.   

The Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill (The CEE Bill)   The bill was first set up in 2008 with contributions from eminent scientists, academics and lawyers. It was first presented to parlament in 2020 and now has the backing of many MPs, Peers and many others from a wide variety of backgrounds.     There are 140 MPs and Peers from across all the major parties currently supporting the Bill, including the Islington North MP, Jeremy Corbyn. However, there are a total of 650 MPs in Parliament so there is more work to be done to gain more support.  

Parliament declared a Climate Emergency back in 2019 but action has not matched their words. The CEE Bill can do that.   

Law making can be a long process the Environment Bill was first published almost three years ago, still needs to finish its passage through the Lords and House of Commons. The timelines are not yet known but the government is likely to want to wrap things up before COP26 in November. Declaring your support NOW is critically important Here.

Updates:

6th September: The House of Lords demanded a more ambitious approach by the UK Government to tackle air pollution.   Peers voted in favour of an amendment to the Environment Bill that would commit the government to reduce levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), one of the most harmful pollutants, to within World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines by 2030 – at the latest.

21st October:

Climate Change Debate in the House of Commons.

An open letter was presented to Prime Minister Boris Johnston signed by 800+ including scientists, businesses, campaigners and politicians called for joined up climate-nature emergency plan for COP26 .


 

Highbury Fields Play Street

We held a Play Street event on Saturday 25th September to celebrate Car Free Day and the permanent closure of the road through Highbury Fields to traffic.

It was fantastic to see children enjoying the road space – we had skipping, chalk drawing, bubbles, and some hotly contested egg-and-spoon and three-legged races!

Several families passing by came to join in, and everyone commented how crazy it seems that cars were once able to drive along this road through the park! We also had visits from local elected councillors, the new Active Travel Officer for Islington Council, and dozens of cyclists taking part in a tour of local parklets!

As well as fun and games, we also had lots of conversations with people about what they thought should happen next with the road space. To gather these ideas, we had clipboards with templates of the road space, and asked people to sketch their vision.

There were lots of great ideas, with common themes being play spaces and spaces for wildflowers and nature, as well as some seating, improved (or removed) fencing, and a more demarcated space for a cycle path.

If you didn’t get a chance to attend, you can still contribute by downloading our printable template, sketching your ideas and emailing it to us.

Our next step is to put these ideas to the council and ask them to work with the community to develop both short-term plans for the space and a longer term vision.

If you’d like to get involved, join our mailing list or get in touch by emailing islingtoncleanair@gmail.com. You can also follow our @unitethefields campaign on twitter.

Highbury Fields Play Street event

We are running an event on Saturday 25 September (2-4PM) in Highbury Fields to celebrate Car Free Day, as part of our Unite the Fields campaign.

There will be activities for all, including chalk, drawing, skipping, fun races, and more.

The event takes place on Highbury Crescent, the road dividing the park, which has now been permanently closed to motor traffic.

At the event we are inviting the community to develop suggestions for how the space could be better used. You can sketch ideas on the road in chalk or an a printed paper template (pencils and clipboards will be provided). The results will be shared online and with Islington Council.

Join us on Saturday 25 September from 2-4PM. Bring your friends and family!

How to plant a street tree: Q&A with Greg Packman

We are currently fundraising to plant 200 trees in Islington, to help combat climate change.

Many of the trees will be planted along streets, where they will be maintained by the tree team at Islington Council.

We spoke to Greg Packman, the Council’s Senior tree inspector, to find out more about the task of planting and maintaining these trees.

Greg Packman

What is the best part of your job?

Getting to work outdoors most days, alongside the trees!

You can find all manner of unusual species or trees that have grown in an unusual shape, or at certain times of year you can encounter a stunning blossom display or phenomenal autumn colour. Being able to see some of the hidden parts of Islington that I may not have seen otherwise is really nice as well.

Which tree species are best for streets?

Tough question! It depends on various factors such as the size of the road, pavement, overhead space and what is below ground – especially the soil!

On larger streets, trees such as the London plane can be great as they are more tolerant of urban life, filter more pollution, cast more shade, cool the air temperature and so much more. Other large-canopied trees such as Tulip tree or a group of South American trees known as the Nothofagus are also really interesting.

On smaller and residential streets, I’m a huge fan of the hawthorn as a street tree. You can buy special varieties that have fewer thorns and a more upright form that fits into the street. I think they’re great as they are fairly compact and shouldn’t need too much pruning. They are quite tough, have a wonderful flower that is both visually attractive and ecologically important as well as producing berries (haws) in the autumn.

There are a whole range of smaller trees that work very well on residential streets such as cherry trees, Magnolia and Hibiscus that are all wonderful flowering trees. There are a also range of maples that have lovely autumn colour and some amazing species of birch such as the Chinese red birch or American river birch that have stunning bark.

We do have to be quite mindful of the soil type and water demand of the trees we plant. Much of Islington is on shrinkable clay soils, which combined with prolonged drought and trees that have a high water demand can see an increase in subsidence claims – this plays a role in our species selection for certain areas of the borough. With temperatures increasing and reduced water availability in highways we do look for drought resistant trees as well.

What is involved in physically planting street trees?

The tree team goes around the borough looking for suitable locations to plant trees. On highways it could be fairly straightforward if there is an existing tree pit but no tree. Otherwise, if there is a space in the pavement, we’ll look at what else is in the immediate area such as utilities, street furniture, driveways or drop curbs, access routes and the width of the pavement.

If we think the location is suitable we’ll do another check for underground and unseen utility lines. After this, a suitable tree species is chosen which is based on the available growing space, soil type and general suitability of the tree.

For the planting, our contractors have to use machinery or tools to remove the hard surfacing to dig the tree pit which is usually 1m x 1m, but can be larger or smaller depending on the size of the tree and width of the pavement.

They’ll then place the tree in the tree pit, making sure that it is level and has as much growing space as possible and an irrigation pipe will be installed.

The planting hole is then back-filled and staked to stabilise the tree. Sometimes, resin bonded gravel or another surface will be placed over the planting pit, or it may be left as soil and mulch. Planted tree pits add to the biodiversity of the borough and, crucially, provide food for both bees and butterflies.

Pipes and bags work by slow-releasing water into the rooting area and distributing it over a wider area. With pipes there will be an above ground nozzle, then the underground pipe will circle the root ball and release water all around the tree. Bags wrap around the trunk with an opening at the top to pour in water, this takes longer to distribute all of the water so more can filtrate in to the soil.

The amount of watering required depends on the age and size of the tree when it is planted, plus the local environmental conditions. A larger planted tree needs much more water to help it establish than a smaller tree. The general practice is that from May to September then newly planted trees need around 50 litres per week, sometimes more during droughts if the tree is struggling.

Young trees are staked to support them from the wind. Although trees are naturally flexible, especially when they are young, the wind can blow them to the extent that their shape can be distorted. The tie that supports the tree to the stake shouldn’t be so tight that it constricts the tree’s growth. The stake and tie should be removed when the tree no longer needs it.

Often, newly planted trees will also have metal cages placed around them to protect them from vehicle damage.

How can a community get involved?

In my opinion, the best thing that a local community can do is to get to know their local trees and keep an eye on them. If the trees look like they are struggling over summer, then giving them some extra water can really help a lot.

If you think there is something more serious, such as disease or damage, then get in touch with the tree department so we can visit the tree.

You can use free resources from Observatree, The Woodland Trust, The Tree Council or The Arboricultural Association to learn about young tree maintenance and tree health with some of the more common pests and diseases.

After the tree has been planted for over a year, if the location is suitable you could also take part in our tree pit planting.

What are you most excited about in the Islington Forest for Trees project?

Getting new trees is always great and an exciting moment!

Having legacy trees is also special as well. There could be any number of great community projects such as creating a tree trail of the new trees across the borough.

I’ve always been very community focused with my work, so getting to collaborate with community groups and projects is always a nice thing to do.

The Islington Forest for Change crowdfunder runs until 28th July 2021. For a donation of £150, you can sponsor a tree in the name of an individual or organisation.

Why cities need trees: Angus Cunningham Q&A

We are currently crowdfunding to plant 200 trees in Islington to help combat air pollution.

The trees have been donated by Forest for Change, an interactive art exhibition that took place in the Somerset House courtyard last month.

Angus Cunningham is the CEO of Scotscape, an urban greening company who worked on the installation and are supporting our project.

We put some questions to him to find out more about urban tree planting, and why he’s so passionate about biodiversity in cities.

What led you into your profession?

My parents were very keen gardeners, and I spent school holidays spent gardening for neighbours in rural Scotland! When I landed in London in 1984 to seek my fortune, it was the default career choice. After a year as an apprentice at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, I joined the ranks of the self-employed gardening fraternity and have remained there ever since!

What were the biggest challenges with the Somerset House project?

Firstly it was choosing the trees, and making sure that their foliage colour and height matched the computer-generated image that had already been released to the press!

We also had to ensure they would not blow over, whilst not being able to fix into or damage the cobbles or the fountains in the courtyard.

Finally we had to keep them alive during a very hot spell over the month.

What trees are best for city streets?

We picked a variety of trees, including some non-natives. Native trees are not necessarily the best choice, as they are struggling with climate change and disease.

Trees at Forest for Change included common lime (Tilia platyphyllos), silver birch (Betula pendula), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), hazel (Corylus avellena), Norway maple (Acer platanoides), European Hornbeam (Carpinus Betula ‘Fastigata’), walnut (Juglens regia) and small leaved lime (Tilia Cordata ‘Greenspire’).

How much watering does a newly planted tree need?

The amount of watering required is very much specific to the site and dependant on the weather.

In general terms, once the buds on the trees begin to break, they require watering every 3-4 days during dry periods. Smaller trees of 12-14 cms girth require 50-60 litres of water per watering, whist semi-mature trees of 20-25cm girth need as much as 100-120 litres.

The watering period usually lasts from April until September.

How should newly-planted trees be protected?

Smaller trees of 12-14 cms girth should be protected from high winds using stakes and ties, left in place for 3-4 years.

Larger trees of 20-25cm girth should have stakes left in place for 4-6 years.

Why is introducing biodiversity into cities important?

The global population is increasing by 83 million people a year. By 2050, 68% of the population will be living in cities – up from 55% in 2015.

Biodiversity is required in urban places to make them healthier and more sustainable places to live and work.

Why should people support the Islington Forest for Change project?

We need more trees to ensure we have amazing air quality and for humanity to thrive in our cities.

We are inter-connected with nature, and a single tree can support life on so many levels, from within the soil to its connection to everything around it.

Ultimately we need to be creating more and more wildlife corridors. A single tree is ok, but a project like Islington Forest for Change creates connection at all levels.

The Islington Forest for Change crowdfunder runs until 28th July 2021. For a donation of £150, you can sponsor a tree in the name of an individual or organisation.

Finding forever homes for Islington Forest for Change Trees

Our mission is to plant up to 200 trees in Islington to help reduce toxic air pollution and counter the heating effects of climate change. But we also value the impact they have on the environment and residents wellbeing. That’s why we are striving to find homes for Islington Forest for Change trees in as many different locations as possible. Here are some of the communities we are helping through this project.

Housing Estates

Residents on The Grove housing estate lost two trees a few years ago in their communal gardens. They’ve been trying to get them replaced since but their housing management haven’t taken action. When they heard about Islington Forest for Change they got in touch and we’ve allocated them two suitable trees. Through our partnership with Islington Council, they will be planted in the Autumn. The residents gardening group is already planning a welcoming party to celebrate their arrival. They will continue to take care of these trees and this community involvement will increase their chances of survival from 70% to 95%. As they bed in for the first three years they need extra water on hot days whilst their roots become established.

Schools

Hugh Myddelton School is in one of the most polluted parts of the borough. The parents and teacher have worked together tirelessly to reduce air pollution in and around the school. This year they are revamping their nursery playground which is currently an open space with a tarmac area. They plan to landscape the playground and turn it into a wonderful, safe and green place for the children to play. We will be donating up to 5 trees to create a mini-forest in the playground. The trees will not only produce oxygen and soak up carbon, they will provide shade for the children and a natural environment that will boost their wellbeing.

Residential streets

Theberton Street has a strong community of residents but it is blighted with high levels of traffic, creating air pollution and noise. There are five empty tree pits on this street that residents have been asking the council to plant with new trees. The residents of Theberton Street realised through Islington Forest for Change, they could help take action. They started a mini-fundraiser that many contributed to and raised enough for five new trees which will be planted this Autumn. They will continue to take ownership of these trees so their chances of survival are greatly increased. Neighbourhoods with more trees and greenery are also safer and crime is shown to reduce.

Next steps

Islington Forest for Change has created so many more inspirational examples of schools, residents associations and community groups in Islington, coming together to request trees or raise money through mini-fundraisers. This enables Islington Forest for Change to benefit a wide variety of communities across all areas of the borough.

The conversations are growing as we learn about the importance of trees in our urban environment. Together we can grow this urban forest.

If you would like to start a mini-fundraiser, sponsor a tree or donate please visit our crowdfunder page to find out how:

http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/islington-forest-for-change

If you would like to suggest a location please email us: islingtoncleanair@gmail.com

Launching our urban forest crowdfunder

We’re excited to launch Islington Forest for Change, a project to plant an ‘urban forest’ in Islington to help reduce toxic air pollution. The trees will help regenerate urban and green spaces, and well as greening our streets, estates, schools and neighbourhoods.

Up to 200 trees are being donated to Islington Clean Air Parents by Forest for Change, an installation by artist Es Devlin open at Somerset House from 1-27 June.

To get the trees professionally planted around Islington, we need to raise £15,000. This will cover the transport, planting with supports, and watering of the trees whilst they take root in their new homes.

We are delighted that Islington Council is supporting the project and will take on the long-term maintenance of the trees. This is a community project and will bring together many local groups, schools and organisations.

Please consider pledging to our crowdfunding campaign. Each tree costs £150 to plant, and anyone donating this amount can dedicate a tree in the name of an individual, family, school or organisation. There are also other rewards for smaller donations.