Neil Bellingham

Singer, #mathstutor, digital stuff - a portfolio career. Increasingly green: policy advocacy @love_plants; volunteer @surreywt –

[Neil Bellingham @BellinghamNeil]

@yourcroydon

[Give A Shit About Nature @giveashitnature]

13 years ago, Rotherham, England turned 8 miles of mowed roadside grass into a "river of flowers." In 2021, they added even more miles.

The original scheme was commissioned by Rotherham Council in 2013, designed by Professor Nigel Dunnett at the University of Sheffield, and seeded with a 180-species wildflower mix along the central reservations of the town's main ring road. It replaced mowing that had been costing the council around £80,000 a year.

Since then: the wildflower verges have saved roughly £23,000 to £25,000 per two-year mowing cycle, increased pollinator abundance, and inspired similar programs in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Birmingham, Newcastle, and Sheffield.

In 2021, Rotherham added 3.5 more miles across 12 new sites including Herringthorpe, Swinton, Harthill, and Maltby. They just keep expanding it.

The UK has lost 97% of its wildflower meadows in the last 100 years. Most of what was lost was paved, plowed, or mowed. The verges nobody was using anyway turned out to be one of the largest untapped habitats in the country.

[Feargal Sharkey @Feargal_Sharkey]

I need 100,000 signatures to win a parliamentary debate about the ownership of the water industry.

Do your thing internet.

https://t.co/kZz1cXBtz3

[Wojciech Pawelczyk @WojPawelczyk]

You can actually make cities beautiful again.

This is the city of Poznań in Poland:

[Simon Kuestenmacher @simongerman600]

This chart might look political, but it’s really about data science. The UK can rank great or poorly depending on the KPIs you choose. Our choice of data decides how we view reality.

[St Bride's Church, Fleet Street @stbrideschurch]

WE'RE NEARLY THERE!
Our target is within reach as we raise money to help replant our #QuietGarden. So grateful to all who have donated so far.

If you can help, please donate at Justgiving → https://t.co/VPy6lgW5dS
quietgardens

[Neil Bellingham @BellinghamNeil]

Amid all the negative shouting online it's easy to think that people concerned about nature are few and far between. Then you read this ⤵️

#ilovecroydon #bringbackbeavers

https://t.co/kJLThw6BaO

[Tony Juniper @TonyJuniper]

Ever wondered what @NaturalEngland does?

I was pleased to record this podcast with the Civil Service Climate & Environment Network, answering questions about our work, why we do it & the context.

https://t.co/nlP59Wkwse

[St Bride's Church, Fleet Street @stbrideschurch]

Hello @StPaulsLondon! Great drone footage during our on-going restoration work. Thanks to @HeritageFundUK, the City Churches Grants Committee and our congregation for their support.

[Jon Burke 🌍 @jonburkeUK]

A two-megawatt turbine pays back its build energy and emissions in 6-12 months, then runs clean for the next 25+ years.

The fossil fuel industry doesn’t own the sun and the air.

That’s why they’ve spent billions electing puppets to attack and delay the renewable revolution.

[Liz Webster @LizWebsterSBF]

🔥 Farage roasted again by 🇺🇸 Rep Jamie Raskin

“This is the guy that delivered Brexit to the UK. How he shows his face in public after that debacle is beyond …Isn’t that considered a disaster in the history of England?

I cannot imagine a society that produced some of the greatest writers, poets and musicians… falling for a free speech imposter and charlatan like that.”

Absolutely 💯

[Will Hutton @williamnhutton]

Ed Miliband gets relentless bile from the right for his ‘ideological’ commitment to clean, cheap renewable energy - just as Nye Bevan once did for creating the NHS. Yet on March 25 97.7 % of our electricity was from renewables. A revolution is unfolding. https://t.co/BdGG1gkHuD

[Chris Packham @ChrisGPackham]

This woman once described me as ‘reckless and irresponsible’ . . . errr . . .

[Carbon Brief @CarbonBrief]

NEW – Factcheck: Nine false or misleading myths about North Sea oil and gas | @daisydunnesci @Josh_Gabbatiss @MollyLempriere @DrSimEvans

Read here: https://t.co/Kb3W5K4cer

[Neil Bellingham @BellinghamNeil]

@SuellaBraverman Idiot.

[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero @energygovuk]

Sometimes there is too much wind for our outdated grid to handle, especially in Scotland and the East of England.

Rather than paying wind farms to switch off we’re trialling a new system where people who live near these constrained areas get cheaper - or even free - electricity.

[Tim Longhurst @tim_longhurst]

A drive into Croydon

[Robert Kwolek @RobertKwolek]

There's a pavement near me which the tree roots have seriously raised up. One has to step over it. Many councils would consider chopping the tree down.
Instead, why not fill the area with bountiful planting and create a pavement bypass. More function and more beauty.

[Resolution Foundation @resfoundation]

Brexit has likely done more economic damage than feared.

Recent evidence suggests the economic cost of Brexit may be approaching twice the 4% impact assumed by the OBR.

The Chancellor has signalled a shift in approach to EU trade, but the effect will depend on how far the govt goes on alignement.

[Jan Rosenow @janrosenow]

Gas only sets Spain's electricity price 15% of the time. When gas costs spike it barely registers on the electricity bill. In countries like Italy and the UK gas sets the price 90% of the time. The difference is enormous.

I spoke to @politico about this.

https://t.co/B8jY4wOeCc

[St Bride's Church, Fleet Street @stbrideschurch]

📢CAMPAIGN LAUNCH – Help us restore the Quiet Garden at St Bride's🌿

After essential building works, parts of our #quietgarden sanctuary need replanting. Every gift helps this green City oasis flourish again for all who visit.

https://t.co/FnNrqCT8tk