Small is beautiful – Why local action matters
Parish Council’s Guest Environmental Contributor: Small is beautiful – Why local action matters
Things are moving fast in the UK climate change space.
News of floods and extreme weather events are pouring in regularly, prompting even the climate-sceptics to admit that we may need prepare better for climate impacts.
While many on Woldingham’s high ground may be safe from the worst of the flooding, we’ll all have experienced the disruption to travel from closed roads, potholes, trees falling and transport cancellations. There are secondary impacts, too, such as the impact on crop yields and food prices [1]. A reminder, perhaps to donate when you can to the local food bank [2].
Some of us may also be noticing the impact on our beautiful gardens and woodland – unseasonably warm or cool weather changing the cycles of native plants and ecosystems. As stated on the Surrey council website, 11% of our native species have gone extinct in the last few decades. Our penchant for perfect lawns and pesticides can’t be helping.
But as the UK climate impacts are worsening, the collective response is mobilised. The start of 2025 sees the Climate and Nature Bill have its second reading in Parliament, while the UK Health Security Agency has established a new centre for Climate and Health Security – in recognition of need to support the mental and physical health impacts of climate disruption.
Educational institutions too, are beginning to mobilise, with the Department for Education (2022) [3] requiring all schools to have a Climate Action Plan in place this year, overseen by a school sustainability lead. This includes plans for enhanced climate education, sustainable school infrastructure, natural outdoor education spaces, and a focus on green careers. I am happy to say that the head of Woodlea is on the case, having attended my training for school sustainability leads late last year.
Localisation is here
Perhaps it is time also for the Woldingham community to mobilise – taking climate adaptation and mitigation seriously. Not only because the Woldingham carbon footprint is greater than the national averages (as is our capacity to reduce it), but also because strong communities are more resilient. The Covid pandemic and resulting disruption to our way of life gave us a flavour of the need for communities to pull together in tough times. If we are less reliant on global supply chains for our goods, we will be less impacted when these are disrupted.
Localisation also helps reduce our carbon footprint. We can start small – the fruit and veg swap What’s App group was a great example of how a local sharing economy can both reduce our food air-miles and reduce waste.
But perhaps this goes deeper than carbon mitigation and adaptation. Last year I attended an event in Surrey council offices hosted by Zero Carbon Guildford – entitled ‘Small is Beautiful’ celebrating 50 years since the publication of ‘Economics As If People Mattered’ by Caterham resident, E.F. Shumacher.
Like the book, the event’s speakers challenged the received wisdom that ‘bigger is better’ and instead, espoused the importance of local economies for climate both adaptation and resilience. Having personally been raised in a culture that implied international travel, and goods were glamourous and local travel and goods were dull – it profoundly changed the way I think about community.
Community is connection. A lack of meaningful community, or social disconnection is what many people in climate circles now cite as the root cause of the ‘polycrisis’ including climate change, biodiversity loss, culture wars, proliferation of A.I and social media harms, loneliness, and geopolitical instability. The individualistic western psyche promoting ‘consumption’ and ‘competition’ is making us dissatisfied and restless. We’ve disconnected from each other and nature, and even from ourselves.
The world is changing and so must we. Perhaps the best thing we can do is to reconnect with each other and truly care for our beautiful surroundings, whilst repeating the wellbeing and health benefits of both [4].
If you have any ideas for community projects or want to learn more about climate psychology visit www.climatedpsych.com or email info@climatedpsych.com.
Dr Louise Edgington, Chartered Educational Psychologist and specialist in Wellbeing in Climate Education
Footnotes:
[1] UK’s wet winter ‘pushing up’ food prices as costs near record high – Farming UK News
[2] Caterham Foodbank | Helping Local People in Crisis
[4] White, M. P., Alcock, I., Grellier, J., Wheeler, B. W., Hartig, T., Warber, S. L., … & Fleming, L. E. (2019). Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing. Scientific reports, 9(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44097-3
Plastic-free July 
People power works.
A snack that is eaten in a couple of minutes carries a huge ecological cost. Often thrown on to the ground, they blow in the wind and make their way to rivers and the sea. Bags, made of a plastic-foil hybrid material to keep the crisps protected, dry and crunchy, pose a threat to wildlife – from fish to seabirds, seals and dolphins. And, as the packs break down, tiny pieces of micro-plastic are eaten by these creatures and become a hazard all the way along the food chain – eventually to us.
We all have choices when we shop. So what can we do while we wait for industry and politicians to make the necessary changes?
On a more seasonal note December happens to be the start of the fruiting tree planting calendar, the window of which can end as late as May, so if you are thinking of planting a tree to help tackle climate change please don’t forget about the humble fruit tree. You could consider a simple fruit variety or even plant a traditional orchard. Traditional orchards have been among the chief beauties in the English landscape for many centuries and hold a special place in people’s affections. They are hotspots for biodiversity in the countryside, supporting a wide range of wildlife. The combination of fruit trees, the grassland floor, hedgerow boundaries and scrub, fallen and standing deadwood and associated features such as ponds and streams mean that traditional orchards offer a mosaic of different habitats, upon which many creatures depend. In spring when your orchard is in full blossom your trees provide a feast for local pollinator communities. Not only does this make sure you get a good harvest but it gives pollinators a good supply of nectar and pollen. Alarmingly, 90% of traditional orchards have been lost since the 1950s to neglect, development or conversion to intensive modern orchards, which contribute a negative impact on biodiversity.
It is also well worth considering one of the many heritage varieties local to Surrey, like Palmers Rosie, which originated in Whyteleafe, the Crawley Reinette or the Claygate Pearmain, all but forgotten due to the Cox, the Jazz and the Gala that dominate our choice at the supermarket. Why not check out the Peoples Trust for Endangered Species fruit finder tool to find heritage varieties belonging to Surrey or even Woldingham, or contact us for a list of local heritage apples and pears. You can order some of the more unusual varieties at specialist fruit tree nurseries such as Keepers Nursery, Orange Pippin Trees and Brogdale. Additionally, they can supply useful information about selecting a suitable rootstock and pollination groups.