A carbon neutral Portsmouth would require more trees, green roofs, parks, wildlife corridors and locally grown food.
60% are on private land whilst only 10% can be found in residential streets. By comparison Southampton has 267,000 trees.
This is to meet the recommended level for a city with our population. That’s 91 football pitches worth.
This includes grey seals, kingfishers, hares, many types of bat and bottle-nosed dolphins. There are 3 SSIs and 7 protected wildlife areas.
Greening Portsmouth can help it reach net zero, as well as become healthier, more scenic, and prosperous. Here’s a few ways to do so:
UK cities are getting hotter every decade due to climate change. In addition heavy rainfall events are increasing: with February 2020 the wettest on record. Read more
In densely populated cities like Portsmouth, space for new green areas is hard to find. One way around this is to have roofs that are covered in vegetation or even gardens. Read more
Particularly in summer closely mown parks, lawns, and amenity spaces can emit carbon due to drying and exposure of soil. The best way to stop this is to relax mowing at these times, and allow more flowering. Read more
Greening schools can lead to much better air quality in the playground, as well as offering children important contact with nature. It can go beyond just the planting of greenery to incorporate new projects for lessons,… Read more
Green oases offer people a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of life to relax, improve health, learn about nature and spend time together. Not all communities in Portsmouth enjoy easy access to such usable… Read more
Growing food is a win-win for urban communities: it can provide employment, education, health benefits and much fresher food, whilst helping creatures like bees. Read more
Certain plants capture air pollution particles and gases: this Phyto-Sensor toolkit provides resources for learning which ones and how to arrange them in a garden.
in your home or garden. This means less packaging, transportation emissions and food waste. Join the Incredible Edible Portsmouth Facebook group for advice and support. And/or download the free RHS app.
or use window boxes to provide a sanctuary for insects, bees, songbirds, and other wildlife. The Ark project and Hampshire & IOW Wildlife Trust both offer advice about how to go about this.
at least part of your forecourt and/or back garden – see the Grey to Green Guide.
The Wildlife Trust is looking for spaces that are underused and devoid of wildlife and colour. We'd love to work together with you, the community and council to breathe new life into them.
Register with Lets Go Zero to get a climate action advisor come to your school (for free!) and advise how to green everything from the playground to the lessons. Also see this RHS guide and website which details how to get planting stuff at school. Join with other parents or young people to get the climate emergency on the curriculum.
Pocket parks are green sanctuaries, that help people connect with nature in a city. If you'd like to find out more about pocket parks and how you can create one where you live, then get in touch.
A Tiny Forest is made by planting a wide variety of species very close together to recreate the layers of a natural forest. These forests can be as small as a tennis court so are ideal for cities with little space. Email us for more details.
Get in touch and follow this link and this for more information.