I am a keen environmentalist. That’s a common phrase these days, but in many cases it just means being happy to fill in online forms, sign petitions or sort your rubbish into the right bins. I’m not content to leave it at that.
My green commitment is firmly based in trying to make a difference at a grassroots level. I am a trustee/Committee member of the Friends of Halsey Field, a local wildlife site in Hemel Hempstead that is managed with careful ‘neglect’.
As much as we need woodland (the UK has the lowest percentage of woodland in Europe, and among the worst in the world), we have to conserve scrubland and other habitats. Halsey Field is one of those sites. It has seen the return of species that have been extinct in Hertfordshire, and others that are protected, on the red list, or heading that way. It takes work, but the results are appreciated by local walkers and nature lovers alike.
I was invited to to join the Boxmoor Trust in 2021 as a co-opted committee member to help with their communications, arts and outreach. The Boxmoor Trust holds large areas of land in Hemel Hempstead, and have been managing the land to support wilding projects, sustainable and regenerative farming and cultural events for the people of the town. I am very flattered to be asked to help these initiatives, and proud to be helping them in their future work.
I have joined Ethos VO as a partner in their rewilding division. This is a commercial initiative that aims to rewild with land owners, stakeholders, corporate partners and academic institutions. What made me doubly interested in Ethos and it’s work, is that it gives young people a chance to work in challenging real projects that can in turn help them into a real career path that plays to their talents and strengths – it’s their future and we have to involve them and enhance their influence. This is in the early stages, but the opportunities for employment in rewilding and regenerative projects is very exciting.
I am extremely proud to have represented Dacorum Green Party as Parliamentary Candidate for Hemel Hempstead in 2017, and was re-selected when the Government’s action in leaving the EU threatened an immediate General Election.
I won’t pretend that Greens have an easy fight ahead, but it is a fight worth facing.
My Personal Green Party Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sheriefgreenparty/
Visit Dacorum Greens website: https://dacorum.greenparty.org.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dacorumgreenparty/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DacorumGreens