Collective wisdom: The grassroots London projects transforming local neighbourhoods

It is hard work, but it is good to do because it gives you something to get your teeth into against that feeling of helplessness in front of the enormity of the challenge of climate change,” says Daniel Edelstyn. With his partner, fellow artist Hilary Powell, and a band of neighbours, he has been working to get subsidised solar panels installed on their street in Walthamstow. The couple made a film, Power Station, to document the process and inspire others to try something similar. Their local MP has backed the project and is working with them to expand it across 130 streets in Waltham Forest.

It is an impressive feat of tenacity and community spirit and shows that individuals really can change things for the better in the face of what can feel like inertia or active opposition at state and corporate level.

Edelstyn is one of many community activists who will be offering their advice at Camden Inspire, a festival on September 26 and 27 at the Camden Collective. It aims to show people how they can make a significant difference in their own neighbourhood. There will be demonstrations of how to make homewares from plastic waste, a workshop on fixing electrical items and tips on applying for funding for green projects and a panel on grassroots action, which Edelstyn will be speaking on.

Power Station, about solar panels

Daniel Edelstyn

Nicole Van den Eijnde will be on the same panel to discuss her work with Global Generation, which co-creates gardens with communities in inner London. Its projects include the New Story Garden in King’s Cross and the Paper Garden in Canada Water. “What all our gardens have in common is that they are not very easy growing spaces,” says Van den Eijnde. “A lot of them have had to be container gardens, which is relevant for so many people living in London without the luxury of a garden.”

She says anyone can start with even a window box: “It can bring a lot of joy to our lives living in the middle of cities and can play a big role in improving the biodiversity in London if everybody is doing their little bit.” There are also opportunities to club together with neighbours to transform unloved patches of ground into productive land. “Often there are neglected spaces that you may or may not need permission to start working on,” she says. “So it’s sometimes worth just starting.”

“Often there are neglected spaces that you may or may not need permission to start working on”

Nicole Van den Eijnde

Architect Owen Pearce agrees. He will be running a guerilla shading workshop at the festival, which involves building a shade structure from a collectively made sail. “At a certain point, you just need to start doing it and ask for permission afterwards,” he says. His guide explains how to make and install a simple sail. It can be as simple as tying it between your house and a lamp post or between two trees in a playground. “You can clip it up at the start of the day and take it down in the evening,” he says.

Many councils are dragging their feet over adding shading structures because of fears over anti-social behaviour. “There has to be a tipping point. We can wait for another 10 horrible summers in London before anything happens, or people can start it themselves and hopefully that can lead to change at the top.”