ZERO is BACK!

Oh how we've missed you Guildford! We've been gone too long! But to make it up to you we’ll be hosting some great activities from organisations we work with, including:

• teaming up with the fixers from Guildford Repair Cafe in honour of Mend In Public Day
• workshops with Rosamund Community Garden and Surrey County Council to build upcycled nature-friendly garden installations,
• and excellent talks from experts in resilient gardening and microplastics!

Pop in any time from midday to check out the new space and see what's on, or sign up for one of the events below...

2pm - 5pm - Upcycled plant hangers and bird feeder workshops - just show up

3pm Dr Ben Parker - Microplastics in Our Local Environment 

Microplastics, that is plastic particles which are less than 5 mm, contaminate freshwater bodies across the entire globe. Nearly all plastic is made from fossil fuel sources, and the scale of the problem highlights another clear reason that climate change is a health crisis, with microplastics entering the human body not just from our water sources, but now being found in our lungs to breast milk to our blood!

Particles have been recovered from a range of organisms where they have a varying level of effect, but freshwater fish are simultaneously exposed to additional stressors such as parasites and other pollutants for which the interactive effects are unknown.

Focusing on freshwater species, this talk will discuss the incidence and impacts of microplastics and their interactions with other stressors to evaluate the relative risks and implications. This is particularly topical given the recent announcements about sewage discharge into our rivers, and the results of our River Water Test Lab which launches on the 27th April.

4pm Workshop - Build A Bug Hotel 

Come along to ZERO’s opening day and build yourself a bug hotel! A fun family activity which you can take home to support nature in your garden.  We’ll provide the materials and the shell fo the house for you, and you can decorate it however you think will be most attractive to your local wildlife! Help the pollinators in your area find a safe place to call home.

5pm Andre Tranquilini - Resilent Gardening Talk

Your own garden can help restore nature in Surrey – and with over 20,000 hectares of garden in the county, collaboratively, we can reverse the loss of wildlife Surrey is currently experiencing and prepare our gardens for unpredictable conditions.

Andre Tranquilini, Estate Manager at Waltham Place and founding member of Living Seeds - will delve into the fascinating world of biodynamic gardening practices. Discover how to select and nurture resilient plant species, design your garden for maximum climate adaptation, crop cultivation, and implement strategies for building healthy soils. He'll also explore the importance of biodiversity and how to attract beneficial wildlife to your garden, helping support local species.

Whether you're a seasoned gardener looking to enhance your sustainability efforts or a beginner eager to make a positive impact, you’ll gain valuable insights from Andre, and learn that one garden at a time we can collaboratively build resilience and ensure Surrey’s nature and wildlife can thrive.