Sustainable Basingstoke

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Sustainable Basingstoke How our borough helps the environment is up to us. Together, we can go even more green. However there may be exceptions to this at times.

Aiming to create an even greener Basingstoke and Deane, the Sustainable Basingstoke page publishes and shares appropriate content. This includes but is not limited to content that:
- gives advice for communities to make more sustainable choices in how they live;
- signposts to grants and other support to help people live more sustainably;
- celebrates green action by communities and organisations and encourages people to get involved;
- informs communities about the latest news on ‘green’ issues to prompt discussions;
- encourages people to have their say on plans and policies; and,
- publicises other ways for people to stay up to date with news from Sustainable Basingstoke, for example encouraging people to sign up to its newsletter. In the interest of remaining apolitical, this page takes every effort to avoid publishing or sharing content that is or might be seen to be political in nature. This includes sharing content from individuals, groups or organisations with overt political ties. To avoid promoting one business over another, this page usually does not publish or share content that promotes the services or products offered by a single business in isolation. For example naming several refill shops together in a single post or series of posts, or focusing on how a specific business has taken steps to cut its carbon emissions as part of a case study. All the content published on our page, whether by us or others, must follow our social media house rules. These can be found at www.basingstoke.gov.uk/social-media

Welcome to this week’s Our rangers have recently completed their traditional scything training and have been busy putti...
14/10/2026

Welcome to this week’s

Our rangers have recently completed their traditional scything training and have been busy putting their skills to work managing local wildflower meadows.

Dating all the way back thousands of years, scything was the primary way to harvest crops before the mechanisation of farm machinery like tractors. Unlike modern machinery, scything is low impact and gentle on soils and fragile habitats. It also gives animals hiding in the grass a chance to safely crawl out of harm's way.

Did you know that scything has been turned into a bit of a sport? Competitive scything takes place across Europe, with individuals competing to see who can clear areas of grass in the least amount of time.

If you'd like to find out who won, there's a link in the comments.

Frozen fruit is fab and seasonal is sensational The carbon footprint of local, seasonal strawberries is almost half of f...
13/10/2026

Frozen fruit is fab and seasonal is sensational

The carbon footprint of local, seasonal strawberries is almost half of frozen strawberries and seven times smaller than out-of-season ones flown to the UK. It’s best to wait until fruit is in season. Or, if you can’t wait, go for frozen fruit. What’s your favourite seasonal fruit?

13/10/2026

One of the effects of climate change could be more frequent and intense flooding, which is why being prepared matters.

No one wants to think about their home flooding, but taking a few simple steps now could give you one less thing to worry about if it does happen. It’s estimated that around 1,200 properties in the borough are at risk of flooding. As it’s , now is a good time to prepare by:

✅ planning where to move your valuables
✅ knowing how to turn of gas, electricity and water
✅ packing a bag of essentials in advance

Take action to protect yourself, your family and your home now.

“ is back! It is that time of the year again, fungi is starting to appear in all kinds of forms and habitats! To kick u...
09/10/2026

“ is back! It is that time of the year again, fungi is starting to appear in all kinds of forms and habitats! To kick us off, we thought we’d share some fungi that Natural Basingstoke volunteer Alan found at Popley Ponds local Nature Reserve.
Popley Ponds, a flooded former chalk quarry on the northern edge of Basingstoke, is now a vital wildlife site. It forms part of a growing green corridor between Popley and Basing Woods, supporting diverse wildlife, including wonderful fungi!

Why not have a go at identifying the fungi yourself, via our clues? The answer will be provided next week, along with our next puzzle!

Clue 1: Unlike most mushrooms, these digest themselves as it ages, turning into a black liquid that helps disperse its spores.
Clue 2: The name is 1. A word that describes long, rugged fur. 2. A liquid that goes inside a pen. 3. Something you wear on your head, or another word for ‘lid’.

Good luck!

If you are interested in supporting our wildlife, you can sign up to a local conservation group such as Popley Ponds Nature Reserve or find one near you by clicking the link in the comments.

Happy 🦡 Yesterday was National Badger Day, a day dedicated to our beloved badgers and their conservation.We have a goo...
07/10/2026

Happy 🦡

Yesterday was National Badger Day, a day dedicated to our beloved badgers and their conservation.

We have a good population of badgers in the borough and you may even have seen one yourself.

Badgers are noisy foragers, with their favourite snack being juicy earthworms. At this time of year they forage around wooded areas and hedgerow for fallen sweet chestnuts, acorns and berries, to store up fat reserves ready for the colder months ahead.

They are very clean animals, even taking their bedding of grass, moss and leaves outside to air and dry in the sun, which helps to stop fungi and bacteria growing.

If you have managed to take any photos of these majestic animals, please share in the comments below. Better still, if you want to support badgers in other ways, check out the local badger group’s link in the comments.

Using a refill shop to refill things like dried goods, herbs and spices, and cleaning products can save you money and cu...
06/10/2026

Using a refill shop to refill things like dried goods, herbs and spices, and cleaning products can save you money and cut unnecessary packaging. Bring your empty containers along and the refill shop will fill them up for you. Find a link to local refill shops in the comments.

Book a free one-hour garden survey with the borough council's Green Team and get tailored advice on how you can help nat...
01/10/2026

Book a free one-hour garden survey with the borough council's Green Team and get tailored advice on how you can help nature flourish in your own green space this autumn

Whether you're willing to dedicate just a corner of your garden or you're happy to let it all go wild, you’ll be supporting our borough’s native wildlife from the comfort of your own home. Simple things like leaving a small pile of fallen leaves for hedgehogs and insects to shelter in, or making your own compost, can make a big difference.

This we have some exciting news to share to wrap up Loddon Rivers' WeekBasingstoke and Deane Borough Council's rangers...
30/09/2026

This we have some exciting news to share to wrap up Loddon Rivers' Week

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's rangers and natural environment team have found potential signs of water vole activity at Crabtree Nature Reserve, while surveying the stream from the culvert to the area where the wet woodland lies. As you can see from the images, they found footprints and feeding signs that look remarkably like that of water vole.

Protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, water voles are a UK Priority Species and are listed as endangered on both the Great Britain and England Red Lists for Mammals. They munch up to 80% of their own body weight in leaves and reeds every day, leaving neat 45-degree angled cuts, like in the image. They could be easily mistaken for a rat, being the inspiration for ‘Ratty’ in Wind in the Willows, but have rounder faces, and furry tails.

We are thrilled at the possibility that they could be thriving a within our borough. Let us know via the email below if you think you have seen one or heard the distinctive characteristic ‘plop’ as they dive into the water.

Did you know that the food we choose can have an impact on our carbon footprint? Compared to other food, beef, milk a...
29/09/2026



Did you know that the food we choose can have an impact on our carbon footprint? Compared to other food, beef, milk and eggs are particularly bad for the climate. This week, why not try swapping these ingredients for a plant-based alternative?

Lentils, beans, oat milk, and other plant-based ingredients can be a delicious way to vary your diet while helping to reduce the environmental impact associated with food production. Starting with just one meal a week can make a difference.

What’s your go-to plant-based meal?

Welcome to this week’s . With this week being Loddon Rivers Week, we’re looking forward to the event at Eastrop Park th...
23/09/2026

Welcome to this week’s .

With this week being Loddon Rivers Week, we’re looking forward to the event at Eastrop Park this Saturday. Come along to discover more about our fantastic local rivers, meet organisations working to protect them, and enjoy a range of fun activities for all ages - find the link in the comments.

Speaking of getting involved. South East Rivers Trust is also running an amateur photography competition celebrating our rivers and wildlife. If you'd like to enter, please follow the link below.

Did you know? The River Loddon is a tributary of the River Thames, rising near West Ham Farm in Basingstoke and flowing for around 28 miles before joining the Thames at Wargrave, Berkshire. Rich in wildlife, the river supports species such as kingfishers, otters, water voles, brown trout and a variety of dragonflies.

Over the years, the River Loddon and its tributaries have benefited from a range of conservation and habitat restoration projects. These include improvements to waterways such as Monk’s Brook in Basingstoke, helping to reconnect habitats, improve water quality, and create better conditions for wildlife to thrive. Healthy rivers not only support biodiversity but also help reduce flood risk and improve resilience to a changing climate.

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