The Canterbury Climate Action Festival and Awards has arrived for 2022!

The Festival, running over the weekend of the 24^th and 25^th of September, is a celebration of all things green and environmentally friendly in the Canterbury District, from schools to local businesses.

The Climate Action Festival is a descendent of the 2021 Canterbury Climate Action Week, in which an entire week was spent presenting talks such as “Repair Cafés: reducing waste and strengthening communities” and “Canterbury Festival Talks: The Global Climate Emergency” – the latter of which having over 100 attendees. Other events included a public rally with members of the community and Rosie Duffield, Canterbury’s MP; a Fairtrade Fair; Green Business Day, with 50 local businesses gathering to discuss climate change and commitments to reducing carbon emissions; and an Education and Schools Day in collaboration with local schools, colleges and universities.

Following the success of the Climate Action Week, the Canterbury Climate Action Partnership (CCAP) is hosting the Climate Action Festival as a weekend of presentations, activities, and stalls displaying the work of community groups, schools, colleges, universities, local green businesses, our local authority and CCAP partners.

There will be zones for climate-related family activities, as well as more serious discussions such as a the “CCAP Action Plan”, “Sustainable Energy Solutions” and “Eco Churches.” Topics like the fashion industry, retrofitting and Wilder Blean’s reintroduction of bison to Kent are also scheduled.

There will also be opportunities to get creative with the creation of bug hotels, bird feeders and bee bombs with the founder of Natural Whitstable, Helen Smith, and the Canterbury Labour Party. Canterbury’s Abbot’s Mill Project will be running a nature-themed collaborative art workshop, while the University of Kent and the Kent Community Oasis Garden stalls will show you how to make sustainability hero badges, go on a wildlife scavenger hunt, and design your own wildlife-friendly garden.

To cap off the weekend, there will be the presentation of the Canterbury Climate Action Awards. In recent months, nominations from schools, business and community groups have been put forward for the two award categories – Climate Action (for projects that present a reduction in carbon and/or increase biodiversity), and Leadership in Innovation (for innovations of carbon reducing/biodiversity increasing). Christ Church’s own Student Green Office has been nominated for an award.

The overall goal is to recognise and celebrate those in our local community who are taking actions towards safeguarding our planet both now and in the future.

The Awards will take place in Augustine Hall on Sunday 25^th, between 4 and 6pm.

The Canterbury Climate Action Festival will also locally mark the beginning of the national celebration, the Great Big Green Week, which runs from the 24^th of September to the 2^nd of October. The week is a celebration of community action to tackling climate change, and in 2021, over 5000 events ran in collaboration with the week.

This year’s Climate Action Festival will run from 10am until 4pm on each day of the weekend and is completely free to attend. To find out more about this event, the awards, and how you can get involved, please visit the CCAP website.


By Bethany Climpson, Sustainability Engagement Assistant