Renewable London Stadium, Serious Sewage Spills, and Saving Water at Home!

Monday 21st July 2025

Sustainability in 3-2-1!

With the Ukraine war and the genocide taking place in Gaza, anything related to the climate or environment very much takes a backseat in the daily news cycle. What does break through is often negative and gives cause for concern. However, there are some good news stories out there!

Here are 3 positive changes, 2 steps backwards, and one thing we can all do!

3 Positive Changes

Solar on the London Stadium

The Olympic Stadium in London, currently home to West Ham United and previously host of the London 2012 Olympic Games has undergone a £4.35million renewable transformation. 65,000 square metres of solar panels now cover the roof top and will generate 850,000kWh of electricity – more than enough to power the stadium on matchdays and the number of events it hosts through the year.

The Diamond League Novuna London Athletics Meet over last weekend was the first event to be run entirely on renewables at the stadium but as the new Premier League season draws closer it certainly won’t be the last!

Butterfly Numbers on the Rise

After a poor 2024, butterfly numbers seem to have have rapidly improved. More butterflies are being seen across the country and some varieties not typically seen in the North of the country have been spotted. Between the 18th July and the 10th August, we can all get out into local natural areas for 15-minutes and count the number of butterflies we see and log that with the Butterfly Conservation. By logging what we see, we can really track numbers for this year and, hopefully, have data to back up the positive sightings we’ve had so far in 2025!

English Gardens Adapting to Climate Change

Climate change adaptation is key for the future of many of the UK’s national and historic gardens. Traditional plants and flowers will not thrive as they usually have in the UK’s historic climate, suffering over recent hot years and likely to suffer further in the near future as these hotter summers become increasingly likely, and even hotter than many in the past. To adapt to the future warmer climate, head gardeners are now trying new plants that grow better in the heat and are more drought-resistant, and have had very positive results so far!

2 Steps Backwards

Increase in Serious Sewage Spills

There is no doubt that water companies in the UK have been getting away with the dumping huge amounts of raw sewage and allowing for spills for the last few years. Years of under-investment and a lack of accountability has given water companies little reason to make improvements, allowing shareholders to continue polluting the environment. Compared to 2023, the number of serious pollution incidents increased by 60% in 2024 with 75 recorded. 81% of these were caused by just 3 water companies – Thames Water (33), Southern Water (15) and Yorkshire Water (13).

Emissions from Gas Flaring

Flaring is a way of burning of methane and other gases that are produced in the extraction and refining of oil, pumping it into towers and burning it as it is emitted. Growing up near to an oil refinery and seeing a these burning towers, sometimes huge flames rising from the top, they have always been described as necessary to control pressure and protect workers, but there are rarely any attempts to capture that gas and find a use for it that would reduce the amount that is burned off.

In the last year, 389 million tonnes of carbon dioxide were emitted from flaring around the world, needlessly in many cases, and wasting a lot of potential fuel we could be using. Few attempts are made to capture and store that methane, choosing instead to burn it as the easiest and cheapest way of managing pressure build-ups. Tighter regulation and stricter requirements on flaring would push companies in the right direction, but so much more could, and should, be done.

1 Thing We Can All Do

Saving Water in the Home

As hosepipe bans come into place for millions of people across different parts of the UK, and may do for more of us before the end of the summer, managing water resources is going to be important for all of us – watering the garden in particular. There’s a lot to be said to how the privatised water companies manage regional resources and how it’s the customers that have to deal with their mismanagement – whether that’s reducing water usage, higher water bills, or not being able to swim in rivers and seas – but there are still things we can all do to reduce the amount of water we consume.

Water butts in gardens are a great idea. Whilst there has been a shortage of rain this year, drawing water from gutters and rooftops and storing it can be a great way to reduce water consumption and avoid using hosepipes quite so regularly. Recycling water from inside the home is another, albeit a more difficult, way of saving water in the home and garden. Reusing it from baths, showers, and sinks can all have a reduction in the amount we need for the garden from hosepipes.