Ryedale Environment Week gets underway this weekend with a series of talks and information.

This year’s event, run by Ryedale Environmental Group, coincides with The Great Big Green Week, which runs from Saturday, September 18 to the 26.

The Ryedale Ecofair is on Saturday 10am – 3pm at the Pickering Memorial Hall. Local environmental groups from around Ryedale will present, together with stalls from over 20 other environmental organisations, local, regional and national

Environment Week will also feature a series of live virtual events and talks on Zoom, providing inspiration and practical advice on steps we can all take to live greener lives.

Diet, sustainable transport, energy and wildlife-friendly gardening will be among the topics covered, as well as an update on progress with tackling the climate emergency.

One of the highlights of the week will be a talk by Jen Gale, at 7pm on Monday on “green parenting”.

Jen describes herself as “an ordinary, knackered mum of two whose life changed when she dragged her family into a year of buying nothing new.”

Jen is the author of The Sustainable(ish) Living Guide, and The Sustainable(ish) Guide to Green Parenting, and runs the Sustainable(ish) blog, podcast and online community. She lives in Wiltshire with her family and is also the founder of The Knackered Mums Eco Club.

Jen recognises that as a parent, getting out of the house with everyone wearing shoes, on a good day, can feel like you're winning, so adding 'being green' to the never-ending ‘to-do list’ might feel like the thing to bring all your spinning plates crashing to the ground.

Paul Norrington from Ryedale Environmental Group, said: “In this year’s series of talks we have something for everyone from keen gardeners to eco-foodies, all of which can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own armchair at home.

“The talks and the in-person Ecofair are very much aimed at those people who are starting to feel they should do more on improving the environment and tackling the climate emergency – as well as those further ahead on that journey.

Paul added: "We are delighted to have popular author and blogger Jen Gale join us to talk about green parenting, which promises to be a highlight of the week."

Other talks for 2021 include The Climate Emergency and How You Can Help - a Beginner’s Guide (September 17, 7pm), a Household Energy Surgery by Kate Urwin aka The Yorkshire Energy Doctor (Tuesday September 21, 7pm) and a Wildlife Gardeners Question Time (Wednesday September 22, 7pm)

Details of all Zoom talks and how to register can be found on the Ryedale Environmental Group website: www.ryedaleenvirogroup.co.uk