Great Big Green Week is a chance to show local politicians what communities care about
Great Big Green Week is full of moments that show what climate and nature action looks like in real life.
Every year, something powerful happens during Great Big Green Week.
Politicians show up to community events, meet their constituents face to face, and see first-hand what people in their area are already doing for climate and nature. Not in a committee room or a debate chamber — but at a repair café, a school wildlife day, a community growing project, or a local eco fair.
And it matters. Not just for the conversation on the day, but for what comes after.
Kate Copeland, Founder and Managing Director of The Globe Group CIC, has seen it first-hand. By inviting local politicians to Great Big Green Week events, she has turned one-off community moments into ongoing relationships — keeping climate and nature on the local agenda long after the week itself is over.
Why inviting your local politicians matters
Politicians respond to what they can see. When they attend a community event and meet the people behind it — neighbours, volunteers, teachers, local business owners — it shows them something that a letter or a petition can't: that people from all walks of life, in their own constituency, care about this.
Last year, more than a million people took part in Great Big Green Week events across the UK. Two million people are expected to take part this year. When politicians are part of that - when they're in the room, not just reading about it - it builds the public mandate for the action communities need.
Image: © Mark Chilvers; Eastbrookend Eco Fair
Building local support for climate and nature action
Your politician can play whatever role works for your event - from a brief conversation to a panel discussion
It doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes it’s simply:
- inviting them to visit a repair café
- asking them to open a local eco fair
- encouraging them to attend a school sustainability project
- involving them in a panel discussion or film screening
- or just creating opportunities for them to listen and meet local people
The most important thing is giving them a real role - something meaningful to contribute. Politicians are more likely to come, and more likely to remember it, when they're genuinely part of what's happening rather than just passing through.
How to make impact last beyond Great Big Green Week
The conversations that start during Great Big Green Week can continue long after it. A warm follow-up email, a shared photo, a reminder of what your community asked for - these are the things that keep climate and nature on a politician's agenda.
This is how we can turn local action into national influence.
Get started: Your guide to engaging politicians
We’ve put together a practical guide - created with support from Hope for the Future - with everything you need to get started, including inviting politicians to events, planning conversations and following up after.
And if you’re planning an event for Great Big Green Week, don’t forget to register it on the website so others in your community can get involved too.
You can also find out more about Great Big Green Week and what’s happening near you.