Our story

Who are we

Like many good things, St Albans Greener Together was founded by individuals being concerned about climate change and wanting to find ways to make a difference. In 2020, St Albans City and District Council and the University of Hertfordshire came together to work on a project exploring how design can be used to support action on climate change. Through these project discussions they found that what people lack are a means to come together to learn and tackle local issues. People care about the environment but can feel that they can’t make a difference by themselves. They may feel overwhelmed by the many conflicting messages surrounding climate change and may not understand the facts and the benefits of individual action. They may think, “if others are not changing, why should I?”. It became clear that a community-focussed campaign could really help people to have conversations; to learn, to be inspired and to create solutions to local problems. It could get people working together, because group activities reduce anxiety, and embed social norms, support and belonging.

The idea for St Albans Greener Together was built with input from local experts such as Sustainable St Albans, The Green House and Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. St Albans Greener Together would highlight local issues and the part everyone can play in curbing climate change by making small, but incremental changes in our lives. It would raise awareness of all the wonderful initiatives and projects taking place in the District already. It would draw attention to the invisible impacts of everyday choices and address the real barriers that people face to taking action.

The Council were able to successfully win funding to deliver the project from Innovate UK’s Fast Followers programme, who saw the idea as innovative and potentially scalable across the UK.

St Albans Greener Together is a network of inspired individuals and organisations working to create a more sustainable and healthy District.