October 2023
Another month has flown by thanks to the many projects and initiatives that kept us busy during October.
The Butterfly Project group returned to Osier Road to continue expanding the Meadows’ new local butterfly garden - introducing butterfly friendly plants to the area and adding some colour and biodiversity to the space. Additionally, we set up our first Knowledge Bank display in the Meadows Library, celebrating World Food Day and showcasing different food-related books that can be found in the library. We also ran the next round of our Low Carbon Tours, visiting the energy sharing community at Trent Basin.
Keep reading to find out all about it.
Community Projects Update!
The Butterfly Project
Butterflies have already started to say hello… like our Red Admiral friend!
After a day of clearing the area and litterpicking, the Butterfly Project group got together again on the 23rd of September to add some colour and biodiversity to the pathway off Osier Road. The plants were chosen by Jane and Colleen, local residents involved in the project, and included geraniums, primroses, hellebores, and lavender.
It was great to see so many neighbours taking part with the planting - thank you to everybody who got stuck in!
Take a look at the steps that the group have taken below: starting with ‘bio blitzing’ and clearing the area (undertaking a wildlife survey and seeing what needs to stay and what can go), gathering new plant life and running a planting session. It is great to see the transformation of the area, which is already welcoming new butterflies!
Green Meadows also support a Meadows Growing Group and Community Composting.
If you would like to get involved with these expanding projects or start one of your own, get in touch with Heather at engage@greenmeadows.uk or call 0115 718 2028.
World Food Day at the Meadows Library
We set up our first display in the Meadows Library, featuring a wide range of books from the library and those donated for our Knowledge Bank. The display was to celebrate World Food Day on the 16th of October - a day to raise awareness for our reliance on food systems which are suffering the effects of pollution, ecosystem degradation, unsustainable practices and climate change.
Green Meadows have local projects that think about growing, foraging, cooking, eating and composting - taking a sustainable approach to food which results in positive action for the future. The display featured this as part of the ‘Green Meadows Food Cycle’, showcasing efforts such as the Growing Group’s local allotment, Young Climate Champions’ ‘cook and eat workshops’ with food that often goes to waste, the Community Composting initiative, and more.
We also displayed handy books such as ‘The Thrifty Veggie’ by Nicola Graimes and ‘Mrs Beeton’s Soups & Sides’, which feature sustainable, low-cost ways of cooking with veggies. This was complimented by our Seasonal Veg Challenge board, where many Meadows residents added their own recipes that use seasonal veggies, such as squash, beetroot and cabbage.
We recommend the Beetroot Biryani, which somebody has kindly added to the board and which we can agree makes a tasty dinner!
The display ran from 16th - 25th October at the Meadows Library. We are planning on making this a frequent occurrence to keep our Knowledge Bank content current and to make sure people are aware of the different books we have available! If you have any suggestions or ideas for displays, we’d love to hear from you and work with you to set one up - get in touch at comms@greenmeadows.uk.
Autumn Foraging - the wild food on our doorsteps
We were excited for the second round of our foraging workshops, held here in the Meadows by the Nottingham Forager, and they were a great success!
The sessions began in the morning at the NEP Climate Hub, running through foraging 101 and how to safely and sustainably forage wild food. This involved looking at a wide range of foraged finds and whether they could be classed as food - or not food at all!
Check out the photos below:
Attendees then set out on a sustainable foraging walk to the river and had a look at the different wild food that grows in the area. We hope to run more events like this, so keep your eyes peeled on our events page.
Low Carbon Tour 3 - visiting Trent Basin
The third round of our Low Carbon Tours took place, heading to the ‘Energy Sharing’ community at Trent Basin.
With the substantial and growing number of houses in the Meadows, we have the incredible potential of generating our own energy. The Sensible Project (run recently in the community by Mozes and the University of Nottingham) explored the idea of using battery storage to share electricity among Meadows residents - revealing that it could lead to significant reductions in energy costs. Although this couldn't be implemented in the Meadows due to licensing constraints, they successfully demonstrated its feasibility through virtual means, showing that one day it could be a possibility!
Meanwhile, a similar project has emerged - just a stones throw away at Trent Basin. Spearheaded by the University of Nottingham, SmartKlub, and Blueprint, this experimental project was of interest to the third round of our Low Carbon Tours, as it shows how well an energy sharing system works in reality.
Trent Basin is a sustainable community development which holds Europe’s largest community battery! This battery stores energy generated by solar panels across the development and shares it among the homes, enabling people to charge electric vehicles and exchange electricity. You can find out more about the project here.
Our Low Carbon Tour kicked off with a large visual display that explained how the the system works. The group then embarked on a walking tour of the development, culminating in a visit to the community battery. Attendees returned to the Meadows after and were left inspired by the possibilities of community energy!
Upcoming events this November!
Beat the pending winter blues by keeping busy this November. We have a range of DIY Workshops coming up this month that can expand your skills and empower you to use tools around the home. Join us for:
DIY Build your own bird box on Friday 8th December, 10am-1pm - this engaging, hands-on workshop will expand your DIY skills by building something handy and crafty for your home
DIY Practical floor and loft insulation on Saturday 2nd December 10am-1pm - learn how to install your own wall insulation to keep your home warmer this winter
DIY Plumbing for beginners on Friday 10th November 10am-1pm & Friday 24th November 10am-1pm - learn handy tips and skills on how to tackle your own plumbing, enabling you to handle jobs yourself & cut costs
Sign up:
View all upcoming events here or sign up to our Newsletter to keep in the loop.