We were lucky to partner with CPRE Sussex and support the Tree Festival that took place for the first time across the geography of the Biosphere.

The symposium was very well attended in Shoreham, with about 150 people online and 70 people in the room.

“Pay attention, be astonished; Tell about it” is what Mary Oliver encourages us to do.

Again, we were poised with a very inspiring branch of speakers with Susan Raikes, Iain Parkinson, Tony Whitbread, Paul Wood, Juliet Sargeant, Olivia Sprinkel and Isabel Losada.

We were reminded of all the benefits and ecosystem services that trees do for us: Carbon lockup, Hydrology benefits braking the rain before it trickles downs in the soil, Human health and wellbeing fighting urban heat islands effects in cities, etc

Among many memorable trees in the country presented at the festival, one stood out, the The Preston twins – and then there was one…. | Ancient Tree Forum: the Preston Twin Elms at Preston Park in Brighton!

Key messages from the panel included:

“Being activists is far better than being inactivists”!

• Regenerate
• Slow down and reflect where to best take action
• Name your trees and tree hunt, to relate to them and care for them
• Be careful if you plant new trees in terms of soils and climate change impacts, choose endemic trees when you can

At Kew and Wakehurst, science the biggest area of funding and research is around fungi

All the local solutions and actions you can take to tackle climate change at your own level

Isabella Losada shared with us many tips to focus on action

Author of the Joyful Environmentalist The Joyful Environmentalist: How to Practise without Preaching by Isabel Losada – Watkins Publishing, she did a 1 hour talk / with an interesting way to engage the audience at the Shoreham Centre about what they can do at their level about climate change, solutions oriented, with the motto of how to be better off while also doing good things for the planet – so here are the TIPS:

1. Fashion: try and buy and keep the thing you need only, try second hand shops, Vinted.
2. Energy: lookout for a “better” energy provided such as Octopus or local energy coops, Ecotricity, etc and if you can, install solar panel, insulate your home, install a heatpump. If you are on a budget and want to make savings, look at subsidies you can access to insulate your home, and always only put the water you need before you put the kettle on, the impact on your bill can be massive!
3. Plants (that captures our Co2): Prefer native plants and trees at home, install a water butt, a lot of councils and water companies offer schemes.
4. Food: Try and buy local food, look at where you can buy cheaper food that would have been wasted otherwise, supermarkets, too goo to go, try and limit your meat consumption especially the beef
5. Transport: try and think how you could travel differently if you did not have a car / try and explore local travelling rather than flying
6. Engage with local communities, give money or time if you can to support local groups
7. Digital: delete the thousands of emails and photos you are not using, they are consuming energy and water in data centers even in the UK, limit your use of AI

The Tree Festival Symposium reminded us that climate action is not just about grand gestures, but about everyday choices that connect us more deeply with nature and with each other. From the trees that inspire us, to the simple steps we can take in how we eat, travel, dress, and even use the internet, each action matters. As the Preston Twins remind us of resilience and continuity, so too can we become guardians of the living world around us. The challenge is vast, but the message is clear: joy and hope are powerful tools for change, and the time to act is now.