Kent

Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west. The county also shares borders with Essex along the estuary of the River Thames (connected by land via High Speed 1 and the Dartford Crossing), and with the French department of Pas-de-Calais through the Channel Tunnel. The county town is Maidstone.

Kent was one of the first British territories to be settled by Germanic tribes, most notably the Jutes, following the withdrawal of the Romans. Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, the oldest cathedral in England, has been the seat of the Archbishops of Canterbury since the conversion of England to Christianity that began in the 6th century with Saint Augustine. Rochester Cathedral in Medway is England's second-oldest cathedral. Located between London and the Strait of Dover, which separates England from mainland Europe, Kent has been the setting for both conflict and diplomacy, including the Battle of Britain in World War II and the Leeds Castle peace talks of 1978 and 2004.

England relied on the county's ports to provide warships through much of its history; the Cinque Ports in the 12th–14th centuries and Chatham Dockyard in the 16th–20th centuries were of particular importance. France can be seen clearly in fine weather from Folkestone and the White Cliffs of Dover. Hills in the form of the North Downs and the Greensand Ridge span the length of the county and in the series of valleys in between and to the south are most of the county's 26 castles.

Because of its relative abundance of fruit-growing and hop gardens, Kent is known as "The Garden of England".

Kent's economy is greatly diversified: haulage, logistics and tourism are major industries. In northwest Kent, industries include extraction of aggregate building materials, printing and scientific research. Coal mining has also played its part in Kent's industrial heritage. Large parts of Kent are within the London commuter belt and its strong transport connections to the capital and the nearby continent make Kent a high-income county. Twenty-eight per cent of the county forms part of two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty: the North Downs and The High Weald.

— From Wikipedia:Kent

Kent Community action

Sustainability initiatives

Local sustainability initiatives

Please see our Local communities in Kent pages, where of course you can share any more information you may have about local sustainability initiatives.

♥ Climate action

  • Extinction Rebellion Kent, public group on facebook
  • Low Carbon Kent, network of businesses tackling and adapting to climate change

Citizens data initiative

♥ Biodiversity

The Fifth Continent, Kent Wildlife Trust, projects across Romney Marsh. "Lots of fun community activities to get involved with." added 17:24, 18 December 2020 (UTC)

Kent Bee-keepers' Association - Kent Field Club - Kent Reptile & Amphibian Group - Kent Wildlife Trust

Kent Wildlife Trust (KWT) is a conservation charity in the United Kingdom that was founded in 1958, previously known as the Kent Trust for Nature Conservation. It aims to "work with people to restore, save and improve our natural spaces" and to "ensure that 30% of Kent and Medway – land and sea – is managed to create a healthy place for wildlife to flourish". In 2016 it had thirty-one thousand members and an annual income of £4 million. KWT manages fifty-four nature reserves, of which twenty-four are Sites of Special Scientific Interest, two are National Nature Reserves, nine are Nature Conservation Review sites, seven are Special Areas of Conservation, three are Special Protection Areas, seven are Local Nature Reserves, one is a Geological Conservation Review site, thirteen are in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and one is a Scheduled Monument.

Kent is a county in the southeastern corner of England. It is bounded to the north by Greater London and the Thames Estuary, to the west by Sussex and Surrey, and to the south and east by the English channel and the North Sea. The county town is Maidstone. It is governed by Kent County Council, with twelve district councils: Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Folkestone and Hythe, Gravesham, Maidstone, Thanet, Tonbridge and Malling and Tunbridge Wells. Medway is geographically part of Kent but is a separate unitary authority. The chalk hills of the North Downs run from east to west through the county, with the wooded Weald to the south. The coastline is alternately flat and cliff-lined.

— From Wikipedia:Kent Wildlife Trust

Coasts

Kent Coastal Network - Medway Swale Estuary Partnership - Thanet Coast Project

Community and voluntary action

Community Action South and East Kent has been working with and for the voluntary and community sector for over 20 years

Community energy

Orchard Community Energy - Sustainability Connections (Folkestone), About

Community safety

Kent County Neighbourhood Watch Association - West Kent Watch

Cycling activism

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Maidstone Cycle Campaign Forum, charity representing the cycling community in Maidstone, aiming to improve the cycling conditions in Maidstone and encourage people to take up cycling as part of a healthy lifestyle, and also as a practical and environmentally friendly alternative to cars for short journeys to shops, schools, etc. - San Fairy Ann Cycling Club - West Kent CTC

Education for sustainability

The Bay Trust - World Education Development Group - (WEDG)

Environment quality

Canterbury Clean Air, community action on air quality in Canterbury; Canterbury pollution levels, map added 16:01, 14 August 2020 (UTC)

Dartford Litterpickers, tidying up Dartford's public spaces - Landscape Matters, group based in Kent formed in response to concerns about the impact on the landscape of the increasing use of polytunnels. - Strawberry Fields Forever, site maintained by 'Landscape Matters' a group of people who live in and around the village of West Peckham in Kent and beyond who have become increasingly concerned about the spread of polytunnels in the area - Tonbridge Litter Catchers, on facebook

Ethical consumerism

Pemburyrecycle

Food activism

Aylesford Farmers Market - Kent Farmers' Market Association - My Farmers Market - Tonbridge Food Swap - ‘Let’s Grow’ allotment project westkentmind.org.uk - Wye Community Farm - Wye Farmers Market - Wye Food

Health and wellbeing

  • Dementia Friendly Kent, dementia resource developed with Kent’s communities added 16:23, 4 April 2020 (UTC)
  • Blackthorn Trust Medical care, rehabilitation and social welfare of people suffering any serious or long term illness W
  • Live It Well, Wellbeing Kent and Medway

Localism

Produced in Kent

Open spaces

Friends of Calverley Grounds on facebook, community group looking after the park in the centre of Tunbridge Wells

Road safety

Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle

Maidstone Freerecycle, Public Group with 25568 members - Sevenoaks Freegle - Tonbridge Freegle - ReCYCLE, operated by Cycle Community CIC a Kent based Community Interest Company, a Bicycle Recycling Programme

Rural sustainability

Action with Communities in Rural Kent - CPRE Protect Kent - Kentish Stour Countryside Project - Kent Downs - Medway Valley Countryside Partnership - Valley of Visions, Landscape Partnership Scheme centred around the Medway Gap. Heritage Lottery funded (for three years) project

The White Cliffs Countryside Partnership was established in 1989, to help landowners care for the special coast and countryside of Dover and Folkestone and Hythe districts. This includes the only two stretches of Heritage Coast in Kent; the Dover-Folkestone Heritage Coast and the South Foreland Heritage Coast between Dover and Kingsdown near Deal.

— From Wikipedia:White Cliffs Countryside Partnership

Social inclusion

  • wHoo cares, community interest company supporting people on the Hoo peninsula, added 10:19, 16 January 2021 (UTC)

Donate Tonbridge Vouchers, Tonbridge Town Team, added 15:14, 3 October 2020 (UTC)

Kenward Trust - Maidstone Day Centre, Homeless Care - Kent Sheds, initiative looking to establish a number of (Men's) Shed projects across Kent - Stream Walk Community Garden, Whitstable on Facebook

Sustainable transport activism

  • Active travel fund schemes, kent.gov.uk, encouraging the residents of Kent to walk and cycle more, added 16:48, 25 August 2020 (UTC)
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Kent Connected, journey planner

Kent Community Rail Partnership

Walking: Kent Ramblers - Recreational walks in Kent W, Footpaths in Kent (category) W

Waterways: Kent and East Sussex Canal Restoration Group - Wikipedia: Canals in Kent (category)

Resources: Setting up a communtiy transport scheme in Kent and Medway, kentruralnetwork.org.uk

Trees, woodland and forest

Ashford Community Woodland Local Nature Reserve - Bedgebury National Pinetum

Urban sustainability

Pedestrian Action for Tonbridge High Street (PATHS) on facebook

Resources

Apps for sustainability

Recycle for Ashford - Recycle for Maidstone

Citizens data initiative

Google environmental insights explorer, Kent, insights.sustainability.google, shows building & transport emissions and rooftop solar potential

Open Kent, public sector agencies in Kent share opendata with members of the public.

Overview of health and wellbeing in Kent, LG inform

Funding

Networks

Other resources

Research

University of Greenwich Centre for Sustainability

News and comment

see separate article: Kent news

Events

Regular events

Farmers' markets: see Kent Farmers’ Market Association Markets Calendar

2014

August 25 Kent Festival of Bees, near Bridge, Canterbury

May 17 - 18 West Kent Green Open Homes

Campaigns

  • Enough is enough - Maidstone's Housing & Infrastructure, petition against housebuilding levels in Maidstone via cprekent.org.uk, added 17:17, 18 February 2020 (UTC)
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Local communities in Kent

See also


Kent W

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