Environment Matters on Mix 92.6

The 2023 Great Britain State of Nature report makes depressing reading, but there are some rays of hope. Chloe Edwards of the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust explains how are things shaping up in Hertfordshire, and how we can all take action to turn these grim figures around. If you’d like to take action now ... Read more

Here in Hertfordshire we are still, yes, still, throwing out food to the value of £720/family/year. Crazy! But whilst bad habits can be hard to kick, Helena Jackson of Wasteaware Herts has a proven solution. So find out how you can save cash whilst making a dent in your carbon footprint in this week’s Environment ... Read more

Registration is now open for this year’s Solar Together. But is it for you? In this week’s Environment Matters podcast, Cllr Raj Visram explains what Solar Together is and local resident Martin talks about his experience with Solar Together last year.

The OLLiE Foundation is recognising the huge benefits that being outside in nature can bring – not just using growing things and green places as a nurturing environment for positive mental health, but also helping young people champion sustainability to overcome eco anxiety. In this podcase, Debi Roberts, CEO of the Foundation, talks about their ... Read more

Back at the start of the summer, 8 year old Grace Gaskin was the inspiration behind The Saturday Pickers, who’ve spent an hour a week cleaning up the New Greens Area of St Albans. But what started as just litter picking has proved to have more going for it than just tidy streets. In this ... Read more

In this podcast, Wasteaware Coordinator David Birley talks about the Hertfordshire Waste Partnership Final Destinations Report 21-22 which has details of where your recycling goes and what happens to it when it gets there. The report that is discussed can be found at https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/media-library/documents/waste/hwp-final-destinations-report-2021-22.pdf

Sustainability author, blogger and influencer, Jen Gale of Sustainableish, talks about her anxiety about the climate and how she uses conversations to help herself and the planet. To read more of Jen’s down to earth sustainability advice and to buy her books, check out the Sustainableish website. Photo credit: Priscilla Du Preez, Unsplash

Turn your despair about the climate into a conversation – it’s been shown to be one of the most effective things we can do for the planet and has been described as making you the Secret Weapon of Awesome. Find out how in this week’s Environment Matters podcast where Amanda talks to experienced climate conversationalist, ... Read more

The St Albans Arts Team have decided to embark on an exciting year of events and projects promoting sustainability and environmental awareness that they’re calling The GreenArt Effect. Grae Wall chats about it on this week’s Environment Matters podcast. Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

If you love coffee, then listen to this week’s Environment Matters podcast to hear the amazing Mo from Sustain Coffee in Old Hatfield explain all about how your favourite drink could be more sustainable and more delicious.

We all love a cup of coffee, but know so little about how it’s grown and who grows it. So in this week’s Environment Matters podcast we hear from coffee producer Ian Abigaba of Gorilla Summit Coffee in Uganda, to find out what’s happening at the other end of the journey of the coffee that ... Read more

Last Wednesday, the consultation opened on the latest Draft St Albans District Local Plan. It’s a blueprint for the District’s built environment that includes land for future business, infrastructure and housing developments, for the years up to 2041. In this week’s Environment Matters podcast, Leader of St Albans District Council Cllr Chris White answers your ... Read more

Sadly, butterfly numbers have declined significantly since the 1970s but happily, there are easy ways that we can all help them. In this week’s Environment Matters podcast, Nadia Bishara of the Wilderhood Watch and Malcolm Hull of Herts and Middlesex Butterfly Conservation explain how. And as promised here’s a link to the Big Butterfly Count ... Read more

In this week’s Environment Matters podcast, Sustainable St Albans’ Playing Out Coordinator and local Our Street Party Representative, Nicola Wyeth, explains the many benefits of closing your road for World Car Free Day – some of which you might not expect. You can find the help that Nicola talks about here: https://sustainablestalbans.org/2023/06/22/celebrate-world-car-free-day/ http://ourstreetparty.org/stalbans/

Farhat Zia tells us about how we can help the efforts of her and her husband to reduce plastic pollution in their home town. Plus updates on free trees you can claim for this winter and the latest on the St Albans Local Plan. You can donate to the Bags for Baffa appeal here and ... Read more

James Fisher, who works at BRE, has taken on the challenge of building his own eco house, which he reckons might be the most sustainable in Hertfordshire. Will it be, and what makes it so sustainable? Find out when Amanda Yorwerth talks to James in this week’s Environment Matters podcast.

Activism needn’t be about gluing yourself to the road or waving a banner – there are numerous forms of activism. Tricia Gibbons, Lee Woods, Richard Lafford, Katie Carr and Anthony Helm are all local environmental activists and in this week’s Environment Matters podcast they share what they do and why. The following local organisations are ... Read more

As part of their United for Warm Homes campaign, St Albans and District Friends of the Earth are holding an event for this year’s SustFest with advice for everyone on how to have a warm, energy efficient home this winter. In this week’s Environment Matters, Judith Leary Joyce explains about the event and the United ... Read more

In this week’s Environment Matters podcast, hear the heart warming story of Peter, the Countryside Range. Countryside Ranger isn’t a job many careers advisers suggest, but for Peter Northcott it’s turned out to be a great option. Hear about how Peter took himself from a dark place to caring for our local Commons.

Cllr Eric Buckmaster explains what’s so good about the new recycling centre in Welwyn Garden City. Plus an update from the St Albans peregrines, how to nominate for the Ember Eco Awards and how a robot is helping make Watford homes warmer.