This section contains Greener Kingston / Greener Upon Thames /Towards a Plastic-Bag-Free Kingston press releases and links to local media stories about plastic waste and other waste and green issues, the most recent at the top. For other Greener-upon-Thames news click here, and for national and international news see side menu.
You can also read occasional newsletters from Greener Upon Thames here.
March 2013 Paint the Town Green returns to Kingston- and will include another chance to see the film "Plastic Shores" on March 4th, in C-SCAIPE, Kingston University Penhryn Road campus, Kingston. Greener Upon Thames will be showing this documentary about the effects of plastic debris on our marine ecosystem, with the opportunity for discussion with the director Edward Scott-Clarke.
Kingston Council to recycle more plastic, October 2012 - all plastic bottles including drink, shampoo and detergent bottles + meat trays and ready meal food trays, margarine tubs, yoghurt pots and ice cream containers, and fruit and vegetable punnets. This is really good news and will keep a whole lot more plastic waste out of landfill!
We support TOPO, the local campaign to bring the Old Post Office in central Kingston into use as a community/environmental hub. Listen to a very good podcast about the proposals at http://www.mixcloud.com/kingstongreenradio/the-old-post-office-kingston-podcast-no-1/?utm_source=redirect&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=cloudcast
Goldsmith and Attenborough call for plastic bag free Olympics (Richmond Guardian, 5/8/12) and London group [GUT] urges a plastic-bag-free Olympics (Newswire Environmental News) , Aug 2012)
May 2012, Paint the Town Green
A month of varied green-themed events and activities around Kingston, and an annual opportunity for local green groups, businesses and third sector organisations to join the growing number in Kingston that are doing their bit for the environment and for a better quality of life. This year Paint the Town Green included the launch of the Kingston Green Pledge,, which we hope many local businesses and organisations will sign up to. Shoppers were asked to make a special effort to BYO bag when shopping in Kingston in May - and if by any chance the didn't have one, come along to Stitch in Time's bag-making workshop on Wed May 2nd to make a good strong shopping bag out of their own material or something from Stitch's big bag of remnants.
Kew, Monday 26 March, 2012, "Plastic Shores"
Following its sell-out premiere at the United Nations in Brussels, Greener upon Thames showed the film "Plastic Shores", followed by a Q & A with the director, Ed Scott-Clarke and guest speaker Roz Savage, National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. Watch our Calendar for further opportunities to see this film about the life of plastic after you put the lid on your dustbin and find out the opportunities to get involved in tackling the plastic problem. Full details at http://greeneruponthames.org/#/plastic-shores-event/4562022903.
Old London Road shops go plastic-bag-free for Kingston's Paint the Town Green festival in March 2011.
Greener Upon Thames 2012 competition, February 2011 – watch the videos and have a go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItUkfVaY6T4 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB5i4j34vAk
"Plastic - where do you think it goes?" events in Richmond (November 4th) and Kingston (November 11th) - read the pre-event press releases and a brief report of the Kingston discussion.
Several thousand fewer plastic bags in the Kingston environment? Volunteers gave away 320 long-life bags and fliers to shoppers in Kingston Market Place on Plastic-Bag-Free Day, Saturday 11thSeptember 2010. That means 320 shoppers who now have less reason to take the 300 throwaway plastic bags that the average shopper collects every year...
Interview on Brooklands Radio about Plastic-Bag-Free Day, September 2010 - listen here
Plastic-Bag-Free Day 2010 coming to Kingston - we will have a stall outside All Saints in Kingston Market Place from 11.00am - 4.00ish, giving away long-life bags from Greener-Upon-Thames and TTK, and taking plastic bags for recycling in exchange. See http://e-voice.org.uk/greenerkingston/news/plastic-bag-free-day-2010-reac/
Greener Kingston and Greener Upon Thames at the Green Guardian Awards, January 2009
Susan Kramer supports Kingston plastic-bag-free campaign, North Kingston Journal, November 2009
Report from the front line, Norbiton, October 2009
4 intrepid campaigners have a successful Saturday morning in Norbiton - see
http://e-voice.org.uk/greenerkingston/files/view/3_Oct_report.doc
October 2009: Towards a Plastic-Bag-Free Kingston becomes Greener Kingston
Nothing much else changed, and the name change simply reflected the fact that we had joined forces with our neighbours in the borough of Richmond, in the umbrella group Greener-Upon-Thames, which shared our aims. The new name also reflects our origins in wider concerns about local waste and recycling, and will allow us to continue with other environmental campaigns when there are no more plastic bags to worry about. See http://www.e-voice.org.uk/greenerkingston/news/why-have-we-changed-our-name/.
"Plastic bag Vermeer on the Fourth Plinth"
Towards a Plastic-Bag-Free Kingston co-ordinator became a plastic bag work of art for an hour on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, as part of Antony Gormley’s epic art project “One & Other”.
Bags go like hot cakes on Plastic-Bag-Free Day in Kingston
Plastic-Bag-Free Day in the local Informer and Green Guardian, August 09
Wednesday September 9, 7.00pm - 10pm(-ish): TTK and Towards a Plastic-Bag-Free Kingston bag-making workshop at Environment Centre, Fairfield North, Kingston (map at http://kingstonec.wordpress.com/) - we will be making cloth bags to give away in central Kingston on national Plastic-Bag-Free Day - Saturday 12 September. All welcome regardless of sewing ability (see how to make bags at http://www.morsbags.com/)! Tea, biscuits and sewing and ironing materials provided, but if you can, please bring sharp scisssors and/or a sewing machine as there are lots of bags ready to sew and finish off. Contact info@plasticbagfreekingston.org.uk or 020 8546 4086.
Could Kingston give up plastic bags for a day, for a week, a year – or for ever?
Towards a Plastic-Bag-Free Kingston is joining the many other British campaign groups working together to mark the world’s first ever Plastic-Bag-Free Day on Saturday September 12th... .
National, indeed international, Plastic-Bag-Free Day is coming to Kingston
On Saturday September 12th Towards a Plastic-Bag-Free Kingston will be having a display in Kingston Market Place by the church gates, giving away long-life bags and information, encouraging shoppers to give up their bags for a day - and if for a day, why not a week, or a year or for ever? On and before National Plastic-Bag-Free Day, we will continue to raise awareness locally and try to get lots of pledges from individuals and stores to stop using or giving away plastic bags at least for one day. Giving up plastic bags must be one of the very easiest ways to help the environment, both locally and world-wide. Click the heading to find out more, watch this space, and keep an eye on "How you can Help".
Surrey Comet covers first awards of Towards a Plastic-Bag-Free Kingston certificates, November 2008 - Kingston Market Moves in a Green Direction, press release November 2008
Towards a Plastic-Bag-Free Kingston press release, September 2008: Another weapon in the battle against plastic bags