As the news cycle churns out reports of climate disasters, and nature documentaries herald catastrophe, it is our children that will bear the brunt of the climate crisis. Consequently, the younger generations are becoming the ones most worried about the climate crisis, and it’s damaging their mental health. A study by Save the Children shows 70 per cent of children in the UK are worried about the world they will inherit and 60 per cent of children say they think climate change is affecting their generation’s mental health. With the scale of the problem only likely to increase, it is clear more ..read more

Name: Aneeta Patel Age: 48 Borough: Tower Hamlets Occupation: communications, fundraising and operations manager at Action Village India; WasteEnders; and Knitting SOS Top Tip: “Do what you can and if today wasn’t a good decision day, then maybe tomorrow will be.” Tell us about the sustainability challenge you’re working on? Climate anxiety is a thing for so many of us and for me, it came to a head when I was having cancer treatment in 2019. I became very aware of all the plastic waste that was being used in my treatment – which obviously had to be done for safety – and then, be ..read more

Kate Balding · Episode 1 The Hotline Welcome to The Hotline, the 3-part mini-series answering environmental questions coming out of Lewisham, Croydon, Tower Hamlets and Hackney. Show notes: In section one of the podcast we took a look at local options for electrical recycling. CeX provides a great option to trade-in your old electricals while getting a discount on upgrades but for a borough-by-borough breakdown of where to recycle your electricals we recommend the following: In Lewisham, check out the Lewisham Donations Hub In Croydon and Tower Hamlets, the British Heart Foundation shops acc ..read more

Want to learn more about local responses to the climate crisis? See the rest of the Climate Refresh series here ..read more

Earth Day should be a celebration, an opportunity to marvel at our extraordinary world and all its complexity, colour and variety. Yet, for as long as we can remember the media, educators and corporate narratives have been rolling out worn tropes such as “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”, blaming individuals, and bombarding us with tales of disaster and doom. It’s like the climate conversation is in its teenage phase. It’s tired, it’s bored, and it’s anxious. This series aims to guide environmental reactions away from fatigue and fear, and coaxes the narrative out of its sulky bedroom, to think about b ..read more

In a small Hackney cinema, a woman takes a roll call from a platform covered in leaves. Except this register is not for any human attendees: “Fassett Square E8, Horse chestnut, Damage in wall, Fell and grind; Parkholme Road E8, Replace sweet chestnut in front garden with a magnolia tree, Fell; Osbaldeston Road N16, London plane tree and small self-seeded sycamore sapling, Fell and replant once the garden has been landscaped…” The names correspond with trees due to be felled by the council and removed from Hackney’s streets. For the #NoticeThisTree campaign, the list doubles as a eulogy, a smal ..read more

Name: Daniel Pope Age: 28 Borough: Hackney Occupation: architect and ceramic materials researcher Top Tip: “Stop looking for sustainability problems to fix randomly and think first about the places and activities you love.” Pic: Jae w v Kim Tell us about the sustainability challenge you’re working on: I’m currently looking at a huge problem we have in the UK related to how we insulate our existing housing stock. In London, brick makes up most of the residential buildings we see all around us, which means solid wall terraces with no cavity space. These types of structures, while ..read more

In previous seasons, the London-based Netflix drama Top Boy would end with a characteristically tense question mark of a cliffhanger – but last September, an abrupt full stop followed the fifth and seemingly, final instalment. The BAFTA award-winning series follows the escapades of gang members Dushane (Ashley Walters) and Sully (Kane Robinson), and the notorious drug-selling gangs they’re entangled with. Set in Hackney, the borough is more than just a backdrop to the action – it is more like another character, a vital element in understanding the two protagonists’ crime-fuelled lives.&nb ..read more

On March 27 this year, the David Lean Cinema celebrated its 10th anniversary, despite originally opening in 1995 — clearly, the maths doesn’t quite add up. After funding cuts from the council the cinema was closed for three years until Adrian Winchester led a successful community run campaign in 2014 to open the red curtains once again. Winchester organised around 70 film screenings at the local pub, the Spread Eagle to raise money to bring the community-run cinema back to life. Despite there being a Vue cinema a mere three-minute walk away from the David Lean Cinema, punters and cinema buffs ..read more

Ever since The London Independent Film Festival’s debut in 2004, eager cinema fanatics and filmmakers flock to Genesis Cinema in Tower Hamlets every Spring to soak up the selection of on-screen talent from around the globe.  The 21st edition of one of the UK’s top indie film festivals returns this April, aiming to spotlight and support emerging filmmakers, screening close to 100 short and feature films over ten days.  While the finished festival may be the final act, showcasing a shortlist of cinematic gems, Eastlondonlines have investigated what happens behind the screen to ensure t ..read more