As Cardiff marches for COP, climate campaigners are making their neighbourhoods more environmentally friendly
THE COP 26 conference is drawing to a close in Glasgow, but back in Rhiwbina campaigners are carrying on their fight to make their area more sustainable.
One activist group, Rhiwbina Eco Team, is a step closer to becoming an official registered charity, thanks to a £2,000 donation from Juboraj, a local restaurant.
The group, which started with just eight members, today includes 40 volunteers. Initially a collection of Rhiwbina residents concerned about the climate crisis, the movement really kicked off when Eco-Team member Pamela Ireland noticed a Twitter post complaining about the spread of invasive plants around Rhiwbina Brook.
She rallied a group of volunteers, and they managed to clear the entire brook of the invasive weeds.
“It really showed us what was possible,” explained Ms Ireland, 61. “It’s what we aim to do, promote activities within the community that people can join in and really contribute to.”
Since then, the group has installed a community noticeboard, organised clothes swaps and co-ordinated with local councillors to set up a future community orchard.
Their most recent event, an Eco-Day in Parc y Pentre Park, attracted over 240 people, and included the opportunity for attendees to write messages to COP 26 on origami boats which were sent to Glasgow.
Member Naomi England, 43, was part of a wave of activists inspired by David Attenborough’s Blue Planet 2. Frustrated at the lack of action over climate change, she began the Rhiwbina Against Plastic Facebook Page in 2017.
“I wanted to feel like I could turn round to my children at a later date in my life and say that I tried to do something,” she said.
Since then, the page has amassed over a thousand followers. Rhiwbina Against Plastic has also organised regular recycling drives, the most recent of which collected 60kg worth of material.
Changing the habits of a lifetime
One of the most difficult challenges the Rhiwbina campaigners face is encouraging people to make the lifestyle changes needed to protect the environment.
“You can’t turn around to the coffee shops and say ‘stop using plastic take-away cups’ because they’ll go out of business,” said Ms England.
It’s a common problem. One recent survey found that despite increasing awareness of the climate crisis, few people were willing to change their lifestyles to save the planet.
Siop Sero, a zero-waste shop on Beulah Road, aims to change that. Since it opened six months ago, it has attempted to make Rhiwbina a “plastic-free village” by selling plastic-free goods alongside a range of environmentally-friendly products.
“Some people find it a bit overwhelming and think they have to change their whole pantry,” said owner Catherine Richards, 41. “People are changing habits of a lifetime, so it’s about changing them slowly, and that makes it more likely that you’ll keep it going.”
Her attempts to make Rhiwbina a plastic-free zone have seen some success. Local businesses are increasingly becoming more sustainable, with Snail’s deli ditching plastic packaging and Calon Boutique stocking “thought clothing” made from natural organic materials.
“People think that if you get environmentally friendly products, it’s a lot more expensive,” said Eco-Team member John Isaacson, 59.
I think that’s one of the messages we need to get across, that it doesn’t cost any more to make those changes.”
Dealing with climate anxiety
Over the past few years, “climate anxiety” has become an increasingly prominent issue among both activists and young people.
It’s a problem that activists in Rhiwbina are well aware of, and one which Rhiwbina against Plastic and the Eco-Team want to combat by collaborating on an Eco-Kids initiative.
This initiative would see activists run session at local schools to raise awareness among children and parents while also combatting negativity.
“We want it to be a positive thing for them so that people feel like they are actually doing something and making a difference,” said Ms England.
“It’s so easy for people to always think that climate change is too big and feel helpless.”
Ms Ireland said: “Like everyone else I suffer from a bit of climate anxiety and a bit of doom and gloom. But I help myself by getting involved in things.
“I think a lot of little actions can build into something that has a big impact, and doing something to help the greater good is far better than doing nothing.”
Reaction to COP – A lot of talk, not much action
Despite all these groups have done to make Rhiwbina a more sustainable place, there is widespread acceptance that the fight against the climate crisis now hinges on the COP 26 conference in Glasgow.
The conference has had a mixed reception from climate activists, with Great Thunberg blasting it as a “failure.”
Activists in Rhiwbina also remain unconvinced, with Ms England describing it as “a lot of talk and not much action”.
“I think they could do more,” said Ms Ireland. “They need to put their money where their mouth is and actually get on with it.”
