Services A-Z
Great Big Green Week is the UK’s biggest ever celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature.
Every year, people come together to unleash a wave of support for action to protect the planet. Tens of thousands of people in every corner of the country celebrate the everyday actions being taken to stand up for nature and fight climate change.
In 2023, Great Big Green Week will take place between 10th and 18th June. The Sustainable Tring Thing (see below) together with Tring Town Council, are coordinating a week of events and actions.
It’s not too late to get involved, or organise an event!
Email Polly Eaton at sustainabletringthing@gmail.com to find out more.
Groups Supporting Sustainability in Tring
On this page, you will find groups, organisations and resources working towards sustainability and addressing climate change in Tring from the Council-run Climate Change Working Party to local organisations like Tring in Transition and Bee Friendly Tring, as well as resources for sustainable actions with Refill and Liftshare.
If you would like to add your group, please contact admin@tring.gov.uk
Climate Change Working Party
The Climate Change Working Party is a group of Councillors and community members who want to carry out local actions and campaigns that can make a difference, given the climate crisis. As a group we are conscious of not only the joys of nature, but to the necessity of protecting the health of the planet.
Ongoing projects include reducing car use by encouraging walking and cycling, taking forward plans for EV chargers on Town Council property, looking into a bottle-refilling stations for the public, leaflets on cycle paths in Tring, publicising green grants to the community, as well as supporting initiatives from Tring in Transition and other local community groups. The working party also has an interest in local bus routes, proposing that we support the design and development of an East-West Hertfordshire link (414).
The Council wishes to express its thanks to everyone for their efforts in making Tring such a pleasant place to be. Our situation in the Chiltern Hills makes our town special and with unique opportunities to protect local biodiversity, as well as promoting enjoyment and appreciation of the ‘great outdoors’. The Town Council want to do all in its power to retain Tring’s unique character and protect its environment.
Tring in Transition
Tring in Transition is a community-led group of volunteers that exists to strengthen the local economy, reduce our environmental impact, and build our resilience for a future with less cheap energy and a changing climate. Tring is the world’s fifty-first transition town where communities get together and take the first steps from a wasteful, oil dependent consumer society to a safer, more responsible and happier one. Tring in Transition has a number of on-going projects including: Tring Repair Café, A Community Garden, Thermal Imaging Project. Read more tringintransition.org.uk/aboutus
Bee Friendly Tring
Tring’s Justice & Peace Group began the ‘Make Tring a Bee Town’ campaign back in 2020 and, through lots of hard work from members of the Group, Tring Town Council and Dacorum Borough Council, new pollinator friendly areas have been established in and around the town and brought about changes in mowing practice of road-side verges. The group has also encouraged Tring residents to grow pollinator friendly plants in their own gardens by handing out free seeds and plants as well as encouraging people to leave areas of unmown grass to allow wild flowers to grow and seed thus supporting better habitats for pollinators. The work of the group continues as they campaign to stop pesticide use locally and nationally. Read more http://www.justiceandpeacetring.org/
Tring Farmers' Market
Our amazing Tring Farmers Market takes place twice a month in The Market Place, Brook Street. Stallholders all come from the local area around Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire and grow, make or produce much of what they sell. Local independent produce and eco products are vitally important to a sustainable way of life and local economy therefore an important part of our market. The market also supports Fair Trade products, and fresh local produce to reduce your carbon footprint.
Read more tringfarmersmarket.co.uk/
Fairtrade Town
Tring is proud to be a Fairtrade Community, and was first awarded this status in 2007. Fairtrade is rooted in sustainability and makes a huge difference to the lives of growers and producers around the world. Tea and coffee were some of the first products launched by the Fairtrade movement and today there is a tremendous range of products to choose from including chocolate, gifts and clothing. One third of the Fairtrade standards (which producers need to meet to be certified Fairtrade) are concerned with protecting our environment. Look for the Fairtrade Mark to ensure you are supporting producers and doing your bit for the environment. Tring is proud to have a fantastic range of independent cafes, restaurants and businesses many of which support Fairtrade.
Read more about Fairtrade fairtrade.org.uk/
The Sustainable Tring Thing
The Sustainable Tring Thing is a local grassroots movement supporting the development of projects, campaigns and initiatives to further the sustainable development and enhancement of the community of Tring and the surrounding area. The Sustainable Tring Thing is not a single group or organisation, but rather a collective of local people, organisations and independent businesses united through the ethos of sustainability. The Sustainable Tring Thing believe that development can look different. We have looked to other towns and communities to draw on their experience and have explored alternative models of democracy to integrate into our own setting. Through ideas from within the community we hope that the future of our historic market town can be driven creatively for a sustainable future. We want to think bigger and think together.
If you would like to know more about the Sustainable Tring Thing email: sustainabletringthing@gmail.com
Tring's Own Apple Fayre
Tring’s Own Apple Fayre has been held annually each October since 2006. A month long programme of activity starting with an Apple Parade and concluding with an Apple Day held in Jeacock’s Orchard, Dunsley, Tring. Other apple fayre events include an apple-themed farmers’ market, talks and demonstrations.
As well as promoting local apples and orchards, the aims of the Apple Fayre are to enhance local awareness of local food growers and producers, and their local outlets; to encourage people to both grow their own food and consume local food; to promote an understanding of the seasons and seasonal produce; and more generally to help people connect their own lifestyles to impacts on climate, biodiversity and landscapes. The first Apple Day was organised by Martin Hicks and he continues to play a central role in organising the Apple Fayre along with the support of Tring Together.
Tring’s Own Apple Fayre was the winner of the ‘Made in Herts’ category of CPRE The Countryside Charity’s 2022 awards. The award recognises excellence in sustainable farming and local foods, products using local materials or traditional craftspeople and artists, in particular working in rural areas or with rural themes.
Find out more tringtogether.org.uk/apple-fayre
Refill
Refill is an award-winning campaign from City to Sea to help people live with less plastic. Anyone can download the free app to tap into a global network of places to reduce, reuse and refill. From a coffee on your commute to drinking water on the go, or even shopping with less plastic. Refill puts the power to go packaging free at your fingertips. Look out for the Refill sticker in cafés around town where you can refill your water bottle, or find a Refill station on the app https://www.refill.org.uk/
Station Liftshare
A Helping hand to Tring Station
Save money and reduce CO2 emissions by liftsharing.
Liftshare is the easy, fun way to cut the cost of travelling.
For further information liftshare
Other local groups
Dacorum CAN dacorum.gov.uk/home/environment-street-care/climate-change/climate-action-network
Dacorum Climate Action Network events and initiatives can be found here https://www.dacorum.gov.uk/home/environment-street-care/climate-change/climate-action-network/dacorum-climate-action-network-events-and-initiatives
If you know of a local community group taking action for the environment and climate please let us know so we can share the link here.
The Mayors’ Covenant
In the spring of 2020 Town Mayor, Councillor Roxanne Ransley, announced that Tring Town Council had signed up to the Mayor’s Covenant, a Europe-wide initiative to acknowledge the global climate crisis and to take local action to address it.
Other organisations working hard to make Tring an even deeper green:
Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust
Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty