News and Events

by

500 new trees planted in North Oxford!

Over 100 people joined us on a bright and frosty Saturday morning to plant more trees in North Oxford, as part of National Tree Week. As one of them said – “What a great way to start the day”! Thank you to everyone who came, to Oxford Direct Services who organised the trees and oversaw the event, and to International Tree Foundation, who funded the trees.

Michael Woods from Oxford Direct Services’ Parks Team was up early to prepare the site at Sunnymead Park, and the first volunteers arrived shortly before 10. Soon the park was busy with people of all ages and, under Michael’s expert supervision, 500 trees were planted in record time.

Continue reading →
by

National Tree Week starts 23 November – help us plant more trees in North Oxford!

We are delighted to have secured funding for 500 trees from the International Tree Foundation. Come and help us plant them!

When? Saturday 30 November, from 10am until about 1pm.

Where? Sunnymead Rec Ground (next to Cutteslowe Community Centre, Wren Road).

Please share with your family and friends – all ages are welcome, no experience necessary, and children are encouraged to help!* Turn up any time from 10am and we will guide you to the exact site. Please bring sturdy shoes and gloves. We will provide cake, hot drinks, trees and equipment.

Oxford Direct Services’ Landscape and Countryside team will be there to oversee the planting and provide advice and help. We will plant a mix of native trees, including oak, hazel, silver birch, sweet cherry, European spindle, wayfaring tree, and whitebeam. You can find out more about most of these on the Woodland Trust’s A-Z of British native trees. Or download their free Tree ID app.

If you have a moment, please sign up or register your interest on our facebook page.

*Please ensure all children are accompanied by a responsible adult. LCON is unable to take responsibility for unaccompanied children.

Continue reading →
by

Want to talk about Climate Change? Come to our next Climate Cafe on 27 October for a friendly chat and cake

Our next cafe is at 15.30 to 17.00 on Sunday 27 October at the Bicycle Shed, 204-206 Banbury Road (opposite Thorncliffe Road and next to Summertown Cycles).

We think our Climate Cafes offer something different from the usual gatherings of people with interests in climate change. They are facilitated – so you can be sure that there will be space for you to speak. They are not designed to recruit you to do anything or to put you under any pressure. The idea behind them is that talking about climate change is really important – but it is often made more difficult by our feelings of guilt that we are not doing enough, or frustration that others are not doing enough. So we provide a space in which we don’t talk about what we or others are doing or should be doing. We just talk about climate change and how it is making us think and feel. Everyone is welcome.

For more details and to RSVP visit our Meetup page.

by

How to plant a tree

Did you know?

  • Just 13% of the UK’s total land area has tree cover (compared to an EU average of 35%).
  • Doubling UK woodland cover could help absorb 10% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions annually.
  • Not only do trees absorb carbon, they fight flooding, reduce pollution, nurture wildlife and make landscapes more resilient.
  • In a year, a single mature tree can absorb up to about 22kg CO2. That’s roughly equivalent to driving 10 miles in heavy traffic.
  • 100 mature trees can absorb roughly a third of an average annual UK carbon footprint (excluding stuff we buy and international flights).

Every tree counts, and we need more trees in cities like Oxford. If two thirds of all households in Oxford planted just one tree in their garden, we would have an additional 40,000 trees, which in time could grow into the equivalent of a tenth of Wytham Woods!

This short video from the RHS talks you through what you need to consider if you want to plant a tree.

Continue reading →
by

Our chance to take action – have your say on traffic reduction plans for Oxford

Oxford is taking to the streets. Over 5000 children and adults took part in last Friday’s Global Climate Strike, spilling through Broad Street, Cornmarket and surrounding streets, demanding action. This was followed on Sunday by World Car Free Day, as Broad Street was stripped of its car parking and “given back to the people”.

Now is our chance to build on this and help Oxford become a less congested, healthier and more pleasant city to live and work in, reducing its climate impact as well as air pollution: Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council have published ambitious proposals to reduce congestion in Oxford and are inviting the views of residents, commuters and employers. Members of the Coalition on Health Streets and Active Travel, including LCON, will be contributing to the consultation and we encourage everyone to have their say. Find out more,  including how you can respond, here. And check out Cyclox and LCON’s Alison Hill’s column in the Oxford Mail.

  • This is what more of Oxford could be like – CAR FREE Broad St on 22 Sept
by

Calls for poems by XR

Calling all activist poets! Extinction Rebellion Oxford will publish an anthology of poems (planned for the autumn) from people rising up to demand urgent action by local and national governments to halt the deterioration of our planet before it is too late.  Please send your own poems about the climate emergency, the urgent need for radical measures across the world, and the transnational campaigns to put them in place, to: rebtalk@igy50.net by 15 September 2019.

Continue reading →
by

E-Car Club – new Summertown e-car can do 120-150 miles

Back in 2013 LCON partnered with E-Car Club, to provide the residents of Summertown with their very own electric car sharing scheme. This was part of a wider project to combat climate change and improve air quality in and around Oxford.

Six years later and with significantly more members using the service, we’re now delighted to announce that E-Car have launched a brand new, fully loaded Renault Zoe 40KwH to replace the vehicle previously available to the residents of Summertown. The new model, located at the Diamond Place Car Park, offers a much wider charge range of 120-150 miles. This new feature will enable users to travel longer distances without having to worry about re-charging the electric vehicle. To celebrate this, E-Car are offering new members 50% off the sign-up fee (£25 instead of £50) and £10 driving credit. To redeem this special offer, enter DIAMOND19 when prompted during sign up. You can sign up here.

New e-car comes to Summertown
by

‘Old houses, new houses – thoughts on sustainable homes’

We are delighted to announce a public meeting followed by our AGM, at the Baptist Church, Woodstock Road (corner of Beechcroft Road) on Wednesday 3 July at 7pm (doors open 6.30pm).  The evening is open to everyone, so do invite friends. We’d appreciate it if you would RSVP via Eventbrite.

Our theme for this meeting is Cosy Homes Oxfordshire – the new local home energy efficiency retrofit service. Our headline speaker, Charlie Luxton, is an architectural designer and TV presenter who writes and speaks about the environment and sustainable architecture (see article below). His practice Charlie Luxton Design is based in North Oxfordshire and specialises in sustainable housing.

We will also hear from a representative from the Cosy Homes Oxfordshire service and there will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the new service.

These discussions will be followed by our Annual General Meeting.