The last month has been another of planning and action across the Partnership.

In late April came the very welcome news that the UK government would be supporting Bristol's European Green Capital year with funding of £7M - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-27150357. 

The funds will be managed by the Bristol 2015 Company, and include provision for a Grass Roots Catalyst fund, which the Partnership is helping to shape. The details of the fund will be announced shortly, and we will make sure you all hear about it!

Following hot on the heels of the funding announcement was the second Partnership Gathering of 2014 at the Trinity Centre.  Again more than 200 people - including representatives from all of the Action Groups - came to contribute and share ideas and contacts.  The Partnership is becoming a thriving ecosystem where members support and add value to each other's work, and we welcome your involvement.

Now is the time to gather - in one place and one format - all of the superb ideas for the 2015 year and beyond. The Green Capital Partnership and Bristol 2015 Company have worked together to develop a short survey to capture these and we will be sharing the results across the two organisations. The survey outputs will give an idea of what is already happening, what needs support and investment, and where the action groups can drive and embed long term change across the city. Please complete it here - https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/greencapitalproject

The Water Action Group is investigating the possibility of drinking-water fountains being installed around the city. The group is currently consulting with Green Capital Partnership members to establish where drinking-fountains could be installed in order to maximise their benefit to the city.

Patric Bulmer, chair of the Water Action Group said, "The carbon cost of transporting the millions of water bottles that Bristol uses annually is staggering, let alone the fossil fuel consumption used to produce the bottles in the first place. Bristol has fantastic quality drinking water and we need to make it more convenient for people to get access to it when they are out and about, without having to pay the environmental price of bottled water."

The Water Action Group would welcome suggestions from Partnership members as to where in their local communities these fountains could go and what benefits they think they would bring.

On Thursday 12th June, Voscur will be running an event at the St. Werburgh’s Centre showcasing the fantastic work of voluntary and community organisations involved in sustainability. The event will focus on themes such as food poverty and production, reduce, reuse and recycle, community energy solutions to fuel poverty, and parks and green spaces.

The event is free for both attendees and exhibitors, and lunch will be provided by Fareshare South West. If you are interested in taking part, you can book a stall at www.voscur.org/content/painting-town-green-stall-booking-form or register to attend at www.voscur.org/civicrm/event/register?id=3226&reset=1.

The event was organised through the Inclusion Action Group by Voscur with support from Bristol2015.

Following the wildly successful Bristol Food Connections, the Food Action Group are preparing for this year’s Get Growing Garden Trail – the biggest in the city’s history – coming this June as part of Big Green Week.

From small beginnings only four years ago, this event has turned into one of Bristol’s most beloved annual events. This year the trail has expanded to cover 34 sites across (and just outside) the city.

The sites are open at various times over the weekend, showcasing a diverse range of growing projects and social enterprises. Each group taking part has a different way of organising the work, cultivating the land, and sharing the harvest.

The trail opens on the weekend of the 7th and 8th of June. For more details please see: http://biggreenweek.com/session/get-growing-garden-trail-2014

Business Green Week is a brand new city wide initiative that will allow businesses in the Bristol area to join in with Bristol’s BIG Green Week 2014 14-22 June!

Internal green weeks are a great way to drive forward behavior change in your business and are a chance for you to show your commitment to green values.

Having run internal green weeks for the past few years, Business West, Stride Treglown and others have collaborated to share their experiences in advance of Bristol Green Capital 2015. The result? A pack full of inspiration, ideas and resources for you to join in and run your own Green Week in June 2014!

For more information click here.

Sign up to the Big Commuting Challenge this summer, help improve the health and productivity of your staff and compete against other workplaces. Businesses across the West of England are invited to join in. Business West has signed up!

For more information click here.

Net Impact is a global community of more than 50,000 student and professional leaders creating positive social and environmental change in the workplace and the world.

We are delighted to be launching a brand new Bristol Professional Chapter of this global network!

For more information on this click here.

Festival of Nature 2014 is bigger, better and wilder!

This year, there are adult talks, 13 Bristol community events, plus two new events at Bath and Chew Valley Lake as well as the main Festival of Nature Wild Weekend on 14 & 15 June.

We've listed a few of the many events in the upcoming events section of the newsletter and in the events calendar on our website, however to find out more and to see the whole programme please visit http://www.bnhc.org.uk/festival-of-nature-type/events/