The 30by30 Delivery Plan isn’t a plan, and it won’t deliver 30by30. In its dying days, Starmer’s government has just published a new plan for how it will protect and restore 30% of land for nature in England: its ‘30by30 Delivery Plan’. The problem is, it’s not a plan, and it won’t deliver 30by30. It […]
Like so many of our readers, we were horrified to hear of plans for a massive data centre in the North Devon countryside. Anyone who follows environmental and human rights campaigners in North America will know that data centres are responsible for appalling effects on the environment and people’s lives. But many will not. So […]
What are the issues that concern you most? For me, it is the climate and nature crisis. I am increasingly frustrated that this is not at the forefront of political debate in the UK, even now that the National Emergency Briefing on climate and nature has made it clear that climate breakdown is no longer […]
The UK experienced its wettest winter in over a century in 2023–24. Scientists described it as a stark reminder of the impacts of climate change, which continued in the wet winter of 2025-26. On Thursday 26 June, Extinction Rebellion Wimborne will be hosting a free public screening of ‘The People’s Emergency Briefing’ at the Allendale […]
There’s been a deluge of misinformation recently about ponies on Dartmoor. Dartmoor Nature Alliance’s Tony Whitehead looks at the origins and potential impacts of the current “pony campaigning”. He starts by looking at the origins of agri-environment schemes, which are central to this “debate”, and then how the campaigning in itself poses a threat to […]
“Ponies could be put to death” shrieked the Times, using language that conjures some barbaric, medieval ritual punishment. ‘Keir Starmer’s incompetence has allowed the Dartmoor ponies to be led to slaughter’ howled Victoria Atkins (Conservative MP from Horncastle, 190 miles away). Honest Bob Jenrick (Reform UK, MP for Newark, 260 miles away from Dartmoor), and […]
Dorset CPRE, the Dorset branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is celebrating CPRE’s centenary and plans to mark the milestone anniversary by planting hundreds of trees this autumn, including endangered species. Planting more trees is essential to offset climate change, restore wetlands, and replace trees in Dorset afflicted by disease, such as ash […]
With the recent heatwave in mind, and with summer ahead, many of us will be anticipating more time outdoors, perhaps in National Parks or on beaches. This might include eating outdoors or perhaps cooking ‘al fresco’ on a barbecue. Already ‘instant barbecues’ are on the shelves and although several large retailers such as Aldi, Lidl […]
Have you ever wondered why one American multinational brand needs to produce over 50 types of toothpaste? Plus who needs the stripey bit? Mind you, aren’t we blessed not to have lived centuries ago with no toothpaste; breath must have been a knockout … Every year, 300 million toothpaste tubes are disposed of – just […]
I’ve lived in the same part of the world in the south west of England for all of my life. I am rooted into this place, and its familiarity is comforting and has always sheltered me in tumultuous times. This little corner of Devon has always felt like a safe haven. And yet I am […]
Ladies! Here’s such a simple change you could make to your cleansing and make-up routines; swap from single-use, disposable face wipes (currently containing plastic in many cases) or cotton wool rounds, to those that are made from fabric and therefore reusable and washable. If you are clever with a needle, could you make your own? […]
I love my country. I love English Breakfast, tea and scones (cream on first). I love going to the pub with my friends, whether it be on a blustery winter day or in a summer beer garden. Which reminds me, I love all our quirky English customs, like how we talk about the weather, with […]
Residents gathered on the banks of the River Stour in Muscliffe, on the afternoon of Sunday March 22, 2026, to take part in a colourful and theatrical ‘World Water Wedding’, pledging their commitment to protect the river from pollution. The ceremony, organised by Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (XR BCP), was held on World […]
We are always delighted to publish pleas for help like this email from the Chardstock Eco Group! Do send them in! For those of you who have visited the Chardstock Shop or Community Hall recently, you may have noticed the hive of activity in the creation of the new Community Garden on the site of […]
No doubt we have all been looking out of our windows wishing wistfully that the rain would stop just long enough to do at least a couple of jobs in the garden! Hopefully by the time you read this, the sun will be shining. [And it is! Ed] Plastic pollution doesn’t just come from food […]
Dear Editor Last year, Church Beach in Lyme Regis was successfully re-designated as a bathing beach after a concerted effort by River Lim Action (RLA), Lyme Regis Bluetits and others. This case study is now being used by Surfers Against Sewage as part of a legal challenge to changes to government regulations on the designation […]
Ecoanxiety… the chronic fear of environmental breakdown. Sounds horrible, doesn’t it? It’s a word that’s been bandied around a lot recently, as the “strong” men (and it is largely men) of the world tear down the policies that science and reason that the human race needs to survive. What we’re really talking about here is fear… of the […]
In December, I submitted my Extended Project Qualification, a project I participated in alongside my A-Levels which is designed to teach students how to research effectively and write in an academic way, as well as develop their passions. I titled my project ‘To what extent can the fashion industry ever be considered sustainable in the […]
Extinction Rebellion (XR) Wimborne activists have been out and about raising awareness of a fast-approaching deadline that could decide the fate of the proposed Canford incinerator. They have been talking to residents about the six-mile toxic plume which could be heading their way and singing irreverent ‘incinerator songs’. MVV Environment has appealed BCP Council’s refusal […]
According to the UK Government website, the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is “a regulatory framework that places the responsibility and costs of managing a product’s end-of-life, including packaging and waste management, on manufacturers and brand owners rather than taxpayers.” In April 2022, a Plastic Packaging Tax was introduced, whereby all plastic packaging that did not […]
I loved living in New Zealand, but I missed the understated beauty of the West Country countryside. A lot of that landscape is man-made. Centuries-old agricultural practices created a patchwork of fields, hedges, heathland and forest, to which native wildlife adapted. Unlike countries such as the United States, where agricultural fields can stretch uninterrupted for […]
The Armada Way tree-felling fiasco has certainly put Plymouth on the map. It was a disaster, not just for Plymouth’s canopy cover, but for our city’s reputation and the relationship between the public and the local authority, which wasn’t great to begin with. It was described as “environmental vandalism” by many, resulting in the then […]
Most of us love the twinkle of lights among the branches of a Christmas tree, but the dilemma facing tree buyers is whether to go for a traditional tree and risk picking pine needles out of your socks in July or opt for one of the increasingly ‘real’ looking trees in the shops? Which option […]
We interviewed organiser Simon Oldridge ahead of this crucial event on 27 November, and now we want to share Simon’s post giving us some more insights into the scale of the operation and the help he was given to pull it off. We’ve had to unlink the many names, but you can google them easily […]
When we are being bombarded so early by big retailers, corner shops, charity shops etc, our thoughts cannot help but be pole vaulted to Christmas! With 227,000 miles of wrapping paper used at Christmas in the UK, plus 6 million rolls of sellotape, that’s an awful lot of waste generated. Sellotape is single-use plastic and […]
In freezing temperatures on Thursday 20 November 2025, and again in persistent rain on Sunday, members of Extinction Rebellion (XR) Wimborne gathered on the footbridge over the River Allen near Wimborne Library to mark COP30 by reading aloud real testimonies from people already living with the devastating impacts of climate breakdown. The group’s action aimed […]
We talked to organiser Simon Oldridge (SO) about what those involved hope will be a watershed event on November 27 in Central Hall, Westminster. WCV: This looks very timely, coming after yet another COP and as we read that richer nations are quietly (or noisily) abandoning or watering down their net zero targets. What do […]
The south-west of England is a hotbed of newly evolved tree species. There’s a sentence you probably thought you would never read, but it is true. In Britain, we have numerous tree species that are endemic to these isles; they are unique species found nowhere else on the planet, species that evolved here after the […]
Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (XR BCP) held a striking silent actionon the morning of Sunday, 9 November, on Bournemouth Pier Approach, calling out what they describe as the “failure and hypocrisy” of the international COP climate talks ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil. At 11:00, the group began with a two-minute silence. Participants […]
84 per cent of Cornish residents support a ban on bottom trawling in marine protected areas (MPAs) Bottom trawling, which destroys reefs, seagrass and marine life, remains legal in all Cornish MPAs in the consultation despite bans elsewhere in the UK Iconic fish stocks are collapsing: cod in the Celtic Sea is down 98 per cent since 2012 and mackerel is down 78 percent over the last decade A new Cornwall-wide […]