Root of the Issue

26/11/2022

Big thanks to Zoe Young Falmouth Town Council, UK for the swift and authentic response to our concerns about the lack of sustainable action, and our appeal for urgent reform to allow the community to play an active role in shaping the towns greenspaces and promoting biodiversity.

She was very enthusiastic about the council establishing participatory initiatives such as this one.

We are excited and hopeful that over 2023 we can reach similar accomplishments to the ones in this article. A quietly radical policy that was first trialed in Brazil, 1989 and has now reached a London borough, bringing a new lease of life to the community. 😊🤍🌞🌱

Big thanks to everyone for the support we have received so far 🙏

‘Participatory budgets’ such as one project in east London are revitalising areas and improving accessibility

25/11/2022

Our beloved Tom Lacey, an incredible musician travelled all the way from Newquay to Falmouth to help us with some promotion.

You won't find freestyle lyrics and soul like this anywhere else ❤️❤️🌞🌞🙏🙏

25/11/2022

With "climate anxiety" becoming a real issue particularly for young people, we need as many initiatives within the community to provide practical steps towards sustainability that everyone can get involved in.

That's what we aim to provide at Root of the Issue please show your support in any way you can every like and share is greatly appreciated 🙏🤍🌱

Research shows that children and young people are increasingly concerned about the climate emergency…

25/11/2022

The government declared a climate emergency in may 2019, but Falmouth Town Council, UK still don't have any recycling bins in Kimberly park.

Thoughts?

24/11/2022

We are disappointed but not surprised to discover yesterday that our community compost bin at Kimberly park was dismantled by Falmouth Town Council, UK .

It would have been nice if they had contacted us with the details we provided, still I had the pleasure of speaking with the park warden Julian.

He informed me that although it was structurally decent, a sound idea and appreciated the "Do not climb" signage, that we would have to go through the proper channels and receive approval from the council.

The main concern he had was rats and mice, and although they have "1 or 2" in the park already they do not want anymore.

There was no room to agree with him on a version 2, sealed with a lid to prevent rodents, and he insisted on the proper channels.

The reason why we did not wait for approval is because the government have admitted that there is a climate emergency, but despite this we believe not enough is being done to address it as well as the secondary issues of eco anxiety and depression in young people, both of which are on the rise.

Julian admitted that the council could be doing more in terms of recycling of plastic as there are no recycling bins in the park, and went on to share with me the hurdles he's encountered trying to get a compost facility himself on the site, suggesting a shortage of funds being one of the main obstacles.

We and a growing number of people are of the opinion that our current democratic system is failing to accurately represent the best interests of the UK citizens, particularly in the area of sustainability. This begs the question, what is conscientious individual to do?

A climate emergency is exactly that, an emergency. A matter of urgency requiring immediate and special attention and action.

We have no intention or interest in mimicking the disruptive direct action seen by some activist groups such as blocking roads, defacing paintings or glueing ourselves to anything. However we do share the same desperation, frustration and determination that has brought thousands of people to take such extreme measures.

We will be approaching the council in the coming days with a watertight proposal for a volunteer and community led sustainability initiative, where We will assemble and maintain community compost bins and other such actions. The intention being to pick up the slack caused by the grave failings of our democratic systems and representatives, supporting, inspiring and educating our community in the process.

We hope that our proposal and the crises it aims to address will be treated with the urgency they deserve. The COVID Pandemic saw unprecedented emergency laws brought in to protect our communities. When will the authorities treat our environmental crisis with the same haste? What will it take?

In support of our appeal, we will be creating a petition. Please be sure to keep an eye out, like and share if this is something you support.

Thanks for reading and keep the faith alive that change can and will happen, so long as we make the effort. Despite all obstacles thrown in our way 🙏🤍

22/11/2022

Who doesn't love hedgehogs?!

Check out this tutorial if you fancy whacking together a nifty shelter for them.

Hedgehogs are in decline because of our inconsiderate building practices, something I'm sure we can all agree is quite sad.

What better way to balance out our karma than a hedgehog home?

Big thanks to Green Skills Library for putting together such a vast library of how to's.

We will definitely be using one of these for one of our Friday sessions :)

Please like and share guys :)

Build a cosy hedgehog home, and encourage these prickly yet adorable creatures to rest, hibernate and raise their hoglets in your garden. It is estimated that there were over 30 million hedgehogs in the UK in the 1950s. But...

21/11/2022

Success!

Our 2nd community compost bin is up in Kimberly park, Falmouth by the toilet block.

It was a hard couple days work lugging pallets around (you might've seen us with 2 on a longboard up the high street on Friday afternoon 😅) but a bit of help from the the FACS (Falmouth Autonomous Community Space https://instagram.com/facs.cornwall?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= ) and some words of support from passersby made the arduous ordeal thoroughly rewarding!!

We have our fingers crossed that the fruits of our labour with provide Falmouth Town with:

- a convenient place to pop their compostable waste so that it doesn't end up in landfill, the potential nutrients going to waste in a plastic bag 😔😔

- Inspiration and motivation to tackle our climate and cultural crisis, by recognising the value in our "waste" and unlocking the worlds of potential we all have to make real change, no matter our circumstances.

- A shed load of high grade compost for all our gardening needs ☺️

If you pop anything in the bin, we'd love to see a photo of what you contributed plus a smiley face! And please to tag us!

We kindly ask that the local residents and any conscientious souls passing through the park keep an eye out, remove anything that shouldn't be in there, and guide anyone in what to put in and what to keep out 🙏

If this is something you support and want to see more of, then please please please like the page and share far and wide 🙏🤍

We intend to keep momentum for this work, with more compost bins to come, as well as big hotels, hedgehog homes, some guerilla growing and more! We're aiming to do something, however small, every Friday afternoon so drop a comment or message if you want to get stuck in ✊🌱

If you have any suggestions, feedback or questions do feel free to drop us a message 🤍

Stay strong, stay healthy and keep the faith that we WILL make a brighter for us all in these unprecedented times ✊🌞🌧️🌱🤍

Peace.Love. Unity. Respect!

20/11/2022

Yesterday was great fun meeting the team at the Loveland Community Field in Penryn! What an awesome project and a great bunch of people! We'll be attending their next Thursday volunteer session from 10am - 1pm.

We would strongly recommend everyone and anyone to go up and at least have a look at the site. We couldn't have felt more welcomed and what they've done in the short year and a half since leasing the site is truly inspiring!

With a focus on moving away from mechanisation and back to nature, they are laying the foundations for the reform of our food supply system, so that we may live in harmony with nature and not against it.

Their food has helped provide an impressive number of free meals in the local area for those people most in need, while their open arms policy is helping create a sense of community for people from all ages, backgrounds and beliefs. And that's not the half of it!

Please do get up there and check it out for yourself as they need all the help they can get with it being run pretty much entirely by volunteers and donations.

It can be tough stepping into unknown territory and uncomfortable entering a group of people you're not acquainted with, but grab trowel or ask what you can do and any anxiety will dissolve as you connect with the earth, it did for me!

As well I think there's nothing more satisfying than contributing to a cause bigger than yourself, and Falmouth Food Co-op are tackling some of the most important issues that Cornwall, the UK and mankind as a whole faces today..

Food sovereignty and sustainability ✊🌱🍏🍐🥕🍅🌽🥦🧅🌞🌧️

Photos and more to follow 😊

Check their website below for more info or just drop in Thursday and/or Saturday from 10am till 1pm whenever you've got a spare morning 🤍🌱🙏

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16/11/2022

Hello wonderful people of Cornwall and beyond!

We are a couple of 2nd year journalism & creative writing students at Falmouth University, who have taken the opportunity to use our magazine assignment to grab the current cost-of-living and environmental crises by the horns, a matter no doubt close to everyone's hearts at present.

On discovering that past years have been successful in taking their magazine to print which are still running today (check out Witches Magazine), We decided to dream big and are aiming to achieve the same success!

We're glad to be set on a permaculture/activism magazine, accompanied by the founding of a local movement that aspires to :-

1) Paint a vision for a sustainable future with food, water and energy sovereignty.

2) Empower, assist and equip all people from all backgrounds, abilities, and socio-economic status with the means to begin the journey towards total sustainability through community led:

- Permaculture style growing of edible food
- Small scale rain collection and purification
- Composting and waste management

And this is just the beginning!

We will be covering a handful of the many wonderful groups in Cornwall, who are paving the way for a future where we can co-exist with and support the huge variety of incredible life forms that we share this beautiful planet with.

Alongside our feature articles, we will provide "how-to's", relevant research and insights into our own progress in our community movement, beginning here in fantastic Falmouth.

We will be trialing a "Fruity Friday" regular meet up where the whole community and beyond is welcome to join us in getting stuck in to promote sustainability. To date, we have set up one community compost bin, with plans to assist people in building their own in their gardens, and other such activities.

Although ambitious, we have had excellent responses from interviewees, our tutor and many others. We want to stand out by not only providing inspiring and educational information covering solutions to the unprecedented environmental and economic crises, But actively playing a part in the solution, leading by example, uniting our communities and making the most of what resources we do have.

This is just the start of what we hope is going to be a great adventure, and we would love to welcome one and all along for the ride. Arguably, We Need You!!

Please show your support by keeping an eye on the page, liking, sharing, or even coming along to one of our upcoming volunteer afternoons. Also, if you have any ideas, thoughts, queries or concerns, however big or small, please do drop us a message!! We'd love to hear from everyone :)

Thanks very much for reading and we look forward to seeing you all soon on the brighter side of these uncertain times :)