If you’re increasingly concerned about climate issues and the lack of urgent action being taken, it can be comforting and empowering to meet people who feel the same and are trying to do something about it. Southampton is lucky to have a number of active environmental groups, all with a different focus and approach so why not head along to some of their meetings and events to see if there’s something you fancy getting involved with?
Airport Expansion Opposition Southampton – AXO formed to campaign against Southampton Airport’s plans to expand. Contact them via their website to get involved.
Extinction Rebellion Southampton – XR have done an incredible job of putting the Climate Emergency on the agenda. The Southampton group is thriving and buzzing with activity. They hold regular public meetings – that include a great induction session for newbies – and have a multitude of active working groups so there’s loads to get involved in, from planning actions to singing and marketing groups. The best place to start is the XRS website or Facebook page.
Friends of the Earth Southampton – FoE Southampton are one of Southampton’s longest running environmental campaign groups. They’re currently campaigning on a range of issues. The best way to get in touch is to join their mailing list (by emailing foesoton<at>gmail.com) or by visiting their Facebook page.
Greenpeace Southampton – Visit the group’s website or Facebook Page to find out how to join in. The group have monthly Zoom meetings and are out and about in action! We also meet socially at vegan/vegetarian cafes like Happy Bean and Black Phoenix.
Southampton Cycling Campaign do a fantastic job of raising awareness around all things cycling related and run lots of educational sessions. They meet on the second Monday of every month at St. Denys Community Centre. The best place to get in touch is via their website. Sign up here to join their monthly Zoom meetings, monthly socials or monthly bike rides. Keep updated on their Facebook Page. Also visit their linked groups, Southampton Cargo Bicycles and Southampton Street Space to find out about other projects.
Southampton National Park City – The Southampton National Park City project wants to create more spaces that are safe to play in and where nature can flourish – a city where people, culture and nature work together. Visit their Website or Facebook Page to find out how.
Transition Southampton – You found us! We’re part of the Transition Network. We’re less of a campaign group and focus on grass roots initiatives and re-skilling so that we can help our community transition to a lower energy, more local future that isn’t reliant on cheap carbon intensive energy. We meet a few times a year and focus on individual projects like the Repair Cafe and Transition Talks. We aim to help people get their project ideas off of the ground so if there’s something you’d like to do but don’t have the means to do it, get in touch or come along to our next meeting.
See something missing?
There are so many amazing groups around the city. Let us know if we’re missing any in the comments below. Thanks!