Join Sterts Arts & Environmental Centre on Saturday 28th June to celebrate Our Joyful Environment and the official launch of Sterts Environmental!

Sterts is proud to be an Environmental Centre. We are ambitious about being a catalyst for conversation and action around environmental and creative practice — and this event is just the beginning.

🎉 From 4pm: FREE entry to an afternoon bursting with stalls and activities — live music, delicious local produce, and hands-on art inspired by Art and Energy's Mossy Carpet. Plus, soak up the rich harmonies of Kaleido’s a cappella music.

🌍 Then at 6pm – don’t miss The Joyful Environmentalist talk by best-selling author Isabel Losada. An uplifting, entertaining look at how we can all help the planet — joyfully! 🎤

🎟 Tickets for Isabel's talk are £10 – book now: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/sterts/t-qjoeovz

Art and Energy will be taking part in this year’s Big Green Trail event in Plymouth, you’ll find us on the Barbican near the Mayflower Steps.

Join us on Saturday 21 June 2025, 10am-4pm, for the Big Green Trail with fun, free and inclusive activities taking place across Plymouth!

From sock puppetry, wildflower planting, and bookmark making, to foraging walks, scrap sculpture crafting, and 360° camera nature filming, there’s plenty on offer to entertain, inspire and connect people with nature and local green projects.

There are over 40 different organisations and local community groups involved in the trail, coming together to celebrate their projects and put on engaging activities for everyone to get involved with.

Visit our six trail stops to join in with these activities and make sure to collect a stamp booklet from one of the locations so you can collect your stamps as you visit each place on the trail and complete the booklet!

There are travel offers to accompany your day on the Big Green Trail - catch the Trail Bus for FREE and unlock 15 minutes FREE on the Beryl e-bikes!

WHERE

- The Box

- Barbican, Mayflower Steps

- Union Street at The Plot

- Royal William Yard

- Devonport Park

- Central Park

TRAIL STOP ACTIVITIES- The Box

Visit The Box where you can make your own sock puppets or even a bookmark from recycled materials or hop on the Chatterbus and join their guessing games to win prizes. There’s more arts and crafts to get involved in and free energy advice for anyone interested in learning how they can save on their energy bills and make your home more efficient.

Barbican, Mayflower Steps

Journey over to the Barbican where you can get involved with Mossy carpet activities and learn about environmental information through interactive map and marker activities. Identify everyday items which can be borrowed or re-used through an interactive inventory. In addition, for a mindful pause from fun, busy activities, there will be singing performances to listen to and enjoy!

Union Street at The Plot

Visit the Plot where there are many fun activities to get involved with such as: felt making workshops, repurposing materials into pin badges, jar cleaning, clothes fixing, a crochet session and clothes swap and fabric repurposing. As well as these activities, there will be scrap sculpture making to take part in!

Royal William Yard

Drop in to the Royal William Yard where you can go on a scavenger hunt across the yard or get creative with arts & crafts, a photography exhibition as well as a giant jigsaw puzzle to take part in! Join a led cycle ride or perhaps a bike confidence session, information about walking and cycling in Plymouth will be provided with a fun ‘Hook – a – bus’ activity or give the smoothie bike a go and make your own drink by pedalling!

Devonport Park

Head over to Devonport Park where there will be nature-based activities as well as the opportunity to join litter picks throughout the day. Learn more about places, spaces and marine life in Plymouth through heritage and ocean related games like fossil hunting and artefact exploring. To capture the green space in Devonport Park, why not have a go at using a 360 camera to film nature on the day!

Central Park

Travel over to Central Park where you can try out adapted e-cycles round an assault course or take part in free led rides including bike and baby. Get involved with foraging walks through Central Park as well as a butterfly or tree identifying walk! Try out an active travel walk through Central Park and spot the markers along the way to identify your route. Remember to bring your bike down for a Dr Bike session and get your bike serviced for free and learn tips on maintenance.

As part of Carers Awareness week and in partnership with Devon Carers, the National Trust will be running a Mossy Carpet pompom making session at A la Ronde on Saturday 14th June, 10:30am - 3.30pm.

Everyone is welcome at this free activity.

Normal admission prices apply (free entry for carers registered with Devon Carers).

For more information please contact the National Trust at A la Ronde.

The volunteers with Plastic Free Okehampton are encouraging visitors to the Eco Fair to Tell the Tardigrade their short uplifting message for a brighter greener future. These audio messages will be added to The Mossy Carpet artwork. You can prepare a message in advance or be inspired by others on the day.

Head along to the Eco Fair on Saturday 14th June, 9.30am - 1.30pm at the Charter Hall, Okehampton.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN DELAYED UNTIL THE AUTUMN, KEEP AN EYE ON OUR WEBSITE FOR UPDATES.

The Mossy Story

Join Jay as he travels with his Nana on an unforgettable journey, venturing into tiny mossy worlds in search of big answers. A story reading with added magic, featuring a dancing tardigrade and a sleeping giant… A celebration of the small things we can all do to build a brighter, greener future!

The Mossy Story is an illustrated story book written by Exeter-based author Micha Colombo. The story has been inspired by the Art and Energy Collective’s project ‘How to Bury the Giant’, with themes of mosses, climate action, giants, all helping to share and celebrate tiny actions for the environment.

FarFlung CIC have choreographed a beautiful performance of The Mossy Story, using the Mossy Carpet artwork as their stage. This will be a specially adapted solo version by FarFlung's Charlotte Eaton. Costumes by the Sewcial Guild.

Please wear socks so that you can join Charlotte to take a celebratory walk at the end of the story telling!

Mossy Make

The Mossy Carpet is an epic interactive multi-sensory textile artwork made by thousands of people. It shares and celebrates the small actions we’re all taking towards a better world… and you’re invited to join in too!

Look closely and learn about the amazing role that mosses play in the environment… get creative and make your own textile tuft to add to the artwork… then tell the tardigrade about the small actions you’re taking to #BeMoreMoss

Come along to Bridging the Tamar Visitor and Learning Centre and make a mossy pompon to add to The Mossy Carpet.

Mosses play an essential role in reducing flooding. As rain falls on the moor the mosses absorb the water like a sponge, releasing it slowly down to the rivers and out to sea. Did you know… Sphagnum moss can absorb an incredible twenty times it's body weight in water!

Join Art and Energy to explore the amazing miniature world of mosses, discover the tiny creatures that live within, make a moss-inspired pompom to add to the artwork, and share the tiny moss-like actions you’re taking for a brighter,
greener future!

This is a free drop in event, no booking required.

Monday 14th and Tuesday 15th April, 10am - 3.30pm each day.

Come along to Bridging the Tamar Visitor and Learning Centre and make a mossy pompon to add to The Mossy Carpet.

Mosses play an essential role in reducing flooding. As rain falls on the moor the mosses absorb the water like a sponge, releasing it slowly down to the rivers and out to sea. Did you know… Sphagnum moss can absorb an incredible twenty times it's body weight in water!

Join Art and Energy to explore the amazing miniature world of mosses, discover the tiny creatures that live within, make a moss-inspired pompom to add to the artwork, and share the tiny moss-like actions you’re taking for a brighter,
greener future!

This is a free drop in event, no booking required.

Monday 14th and Tuesday 15th April, 10am - 3.30pm each day.

Art and Energy will be running The Mossy Carpet creative workshops at The Pioneers Project’s Café Connect Community Café on four Wednesdays this year.

Drop in any time (10am - 2pm) for these free creative workshops, everyone is welcome (children must be accompanied by an adult).

Café Connect meets at The Barn Children’s Centre in Plymouth and all are welcome each week.

Our workshops will run on the following dates:

Wednesdays: 5th February, 26th February, 19th March and 9th April.

Thanks to North Yard Community Trust for their funding to allow us to offer The Mossy Carpet creative workshops free of charge to the local community.

Art and Energy are delighted to be joining this prestigious event with our solar artwork We are All Connected.

Join us in person for Regen’s first ‘In conversation with series’ of events, featuring Chris Stark CBE, one of the leading voices in clean energy and a key figure driving the UK’s transition to renewable electricity generation and storage.

The event will explore the plans to deliver the government’s radical blueprint for our power system, the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, a cornerstone of the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change and growth ambitions. Regen chief executive Merlin Hyman will lead the conversation with Chris and together they will dive into what will be needed to deliver £40 billion a year of investment to accelerate renewable energy generation and to develop the storage and flexibility required to operate a clean power system in just five years.

The discussion will examine plans to deliver radical changes to grid connections, ambitious measures to speed clean energy projects through the planning system, reforms to Contracts for Difference and far-reaching proposals to reform energy markets – discussing the implications for the energy sector and sharing insights on how industry leaders and stakeholders can contribute to achieving these vital goals.

This is an opportunity to engage directly with the head of Mission Control to discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead as we move into a key delivery stage of the government’s mission to accelerate the transition to clean power.

Price

£95 +vat members

£195 +vat non-members

Art and Energy are delighted to be joining this event with The Mossy Carpet artwork, sharing creative conversations, growing the artwork and recording messages of hope on our Tardigrade Telephone.

Our inspiring women - Chloe and Jenny will be on hand to share our work and be part of the conversation.

———

Join us for an inspiring discussion that celebrates the incredible women shaping the future of clean energy. Sponsored by OWC and Turley and kindly hosted by Burges Salmon, this ReWiRE event brings together women working across all aspects of the offshore value chain, fostering connections and collaborations.

The offshore renewables sector is driving significant economic and environmental progress in the UK. The Crown Estate’s ongoing Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5 highlights this momentum, with plans to unlock up to 4.5 gigawatts (GW) of new floating wind capacity in the Celtic Sea – enough to power over 4 million homes. This milestone reflects the promising trajectory of the offshore sector and its vital role in shaping the UK’s renewable energy future.

These projects represent more than clean energy – they promise new jobs, economic growth and social value opportunities for coastal communities. However, the offshore renewables sector must reflect the diversity of the society it serves to achieve its full potential.

Despite progress, the industry still urgently needs greater representation, particularly in achieving gender balance. This session will explore how an ambitious and collaborative approach can help unlock the potential of the south west. Together, we’ll discuss practical steps to build a more diverse workforce, with a special focus on increasing opportunities for women. As part of this, we’ll host a dedicated “How I Got Here” session, where women in the industry will share their personal journeys into the offshore sector and provide insight into their roles.

What to expect:

• An inspiring conversation: Hear directly from women leading the charge in offshore renewables as they share their skills, strategies and stories.

• Actionable insights: Explore what it takes to attract and empower a diverse workforce, while driving jobs and social value in clean energy.

• New connections all around: Meet and mingle with like-minded, friendly and supportive women in the industry.

Art and Energy will be running The Mossy Carpet creative workshops at Keyham Krafties on Tuesday 25th February and Tuesday 25th March 2025.

The group meet weekly 7-9pm at Keyham Green Places, everyone is welcome but these sessions are aimed at adults rather than children.

This is a group for people who enjoy crafting, does not matter what the craft is, who would like to join other crafters once a week.

Your first Keyham Krafties session is free otherwise they ask for a £2 voluntary fee .

Thanks to North Yard Community Trust for their funding to allow us to offer The Mossy Carpet creative workshops free of charge to the local community.

Celebrating the launch event of Soleil·s Solar Biennale at mudac, Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Art and Energy have a solar artwork included in the Solar Biennale 2 exhibition. Dawn Breaks by Chloe Uden of The Art and Energy Collective has been purchased by the museum for this exhibition and to form part of their permanent collection.

3:30-4:45 p.m. – Roundtable discussion "How to power a Solar Movement" (in English)

• Pauline van Dongen and Marjan van Aubel, Founders of the Solar Biennale

• Scott Longfellow, Commissioner

• Pallas Agterberg, Creative lead Embassy of Digital Futures

• Alex Nathanson, Engineer and author of "A History of Solar Power Art and Design"

5 p.m. – Inaugural conference (in French)

• Marilyne Andersen, Professor at EPFL and Director of the LIPID laboratory

• Christophe Ballif, Professor at EPFL and CSEM, Neuchâtel

• Rocio Berenguer, Artist

• The Solar Lab, Juliette Bibasse and Joanie Lemercier

6 p.m. – Opening of Soleil·s

6:46 p.m. – Speeches

• Patrick Gyger, Managing Director of Plateforme 10

• Marco Costantini, Director of mudac

• Scott Longfellow and Rafael Santianez, Curators

• Xavier Company, Municipal Council and Director of Industrial Services of Lausanne

7 p.m. – Solar appetizers

Dress code : Bright, radiant, or vibrant with color? Adopt your sunny outfit!

Open to all - free entry.

More details.

Art and Energy will be running The Mossy Carpet creative workshops at The Pioneers Project’s Café Connect Community Café on four Wednesdays this year.

Drop in any time (10am - 2pm) for these free creative workshops, everyone is welcome (children must be accompanied by an adult).

Café Connect meets at The Barn Children’s Centre in Plymouth and all are welcome each week.

Our workshops will run on the following dates:

Wednesdays: 5th February, 26th February, 19th March and 9th April.

Thanks to North Yard Community Trust for their funding to allow us to offer The Mossy Carpet creative workshops free of charge to the local community.

Art and Energy will be running The Mossy Carpet creative workshops at The Pioneers Project’s Café Connect Community Café on four Wednesdays this year.

Drop in any time (10am - 2pm) for these free creative workshops, everyone is welcome (children must be accompanied by an adult).

Café Connect meets at The Barn Children’s Centre in Plymouth and all are welcome each week.

Our workshops will run on the following dates:

Wednesdays: 5th February, 26th February, 19th March and 9th April.

Thanks to North Yard Community Trust for their funding to allow us to offer The Mossy Carpet creative workshops free of charge to the local community.

Art and Energy will be running The Mossy Carpet creative workshops at Keyham Krafties on Tuesday 25th February and Tuesday 25th March 2025.

The group meet weekly 7-9pm at Keyham Green Places, everyone is welcome but these sessions are aimed at adults rather than children.

This is a group for people who enjoy crafting, does not matter what the craft is, who would like to join other crafters once a week.

Your first Keyham Krafties session is free otherwise they ask for a £2 voluntary fee .

Thanks to North Yard Community Trust for their funding to allow us to offer The Mossy Carpet creative workshops free of charge to the local community.

Join Micha Colombo at Exeter Library as she reads our new story book - The Mossy Story.

Storytime starts at 11am and everyone is welcome to come along to this free event. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Find out more about The Mossy Story.

More details can be found on the Exeter Library website.

Please Note! This event takes place in our temporary Pop-up Children's Library.

The Children’s Library at Exeter Library will be closed for a little while for essential roof works—but don’t dismay! This January, we’re popping up in Princesshay with a temporary space that's packed full of all the usual fun and activities you & your little ones love.

The Pop-up Children’s Library offers the full range of services from our regular Children’s Library, including borrowing, browsing, and returning books, along with a treasure hunt, colouring sheets, and our friendly library staff on hand to help.

Okehampton Community Garden are hosting a coffee morning on Saturday 15th February 2025 at All Saint’s Church Hall.

Their team of volunteers have a section of The Mossy Carpet and are encouraging everyone to come along and help make a big green pompom heart to add to the artwork.

Everyone welcome to come along and join in.

Art and Energy will be running The Mossy Carpet creative workshops at The Pioneers Project’s Café Connect Community Café on four Wednesdays this year.

Drop in any time (10am - 2pm) for these free creative workshops, everyone is welcome (children must be accompanied by an adult).

Café Connect meets at The Barn Children’s Centre in Plymouth and all are welcome each week.

Our workshops will run on the following dates:

Wednesdays: 5th February, 26th February, 19th March and 9th April.

Thanks to North Yard Community Trust for their funding to allow us to offer The Mossy Carpet creative workshops free of charge to the local community.

Art and Energy will be at St Budeaux Library on Tuesday 4th February, 10am - 4pm for a free Mossy Carpet creative workshop.

No need to book for this free event, just drop in any time. All welcome, children must be accompanied by an adult.

Thanks to North Yard Community Trust for their funding to allow us to offer The Mossy Carpet creative workshops free of charge to the local community.

Art and Energy are bringing The Mossy Carpet to St Budeaux Library’s Community event day to celebrate their 5th birthday!

Everyone is welcome to come along during the day (10am - 4pm) for a tea party, rhyme time and story telling.

The Mossy Carpet will be on display and we’ll be offering a free creative workshop to all.

No need to book for this free event, just drop in any time. All welcome, children must be accompanied by an adult. More details can be found here.

Thanks to North Yard Community Trust for their funding to allow us to offer The Mossy Carpet creative workshops free of charge to the local community.

Plymouth Culture and Art and Energy are partnering for a second year to bring creative practitioners and arts organisations together to explore how culture can take action for a brighter greener future.

This time we will create the “Let’s Change Culture Group” that will meet for five co-designed, facilitated sessions to explore collective and individual actions for change. Art & Energy and local experts will engage the group in a chosen topic which will evolve session by session.

All sessions will be held from 10:30-12:30 at The Sustainable Earth Institute at The University of Plymouth. Please see below the dates and themes

• 13th September - Creating environmental action plans and policies

• 18th October - Environmentally engaged creative practice - some best practices

• 22nd November - What is eco-anxiety and crisis fatigue and how does it impact your work?

• 24th January - Sharing how you report on and tell environmental stories

• 14th February - Considering how we can embed climate awareness and action in our teams and audiences

All sessions will be an opportunity to learn from each other and best practices. If you/your organisation is in an advanced stage of the themes above, you’re very welcome to bring and share your experience with the group.

If you are interested in joining these sessions, sign up here https://bit.ly/3MlTYax

POSTPONED: Solar Powered Creativity: a 5 week course with Art and Energy

Solar Powered Creativity: 5 week course with Art and Energy CIC: This hands-on course empowers participants to integrate the magic (and science!) of solar-powered elements into their creative projects.

Course Overview:

Course Overview: This hands-on course empowers participants to integrate the magic (and science!) of solar-powered elements into their creative projects. Students will gain skills, knowledge and confidence in sustainable design, practical low voltage electronics, creative crafting and renewable energy. You will each take home your own beautiful solar-powered nightlight, plus lots of ideas for future creations!

This short series of workshops is suitable for all, including beginners, hobbyists and those with a curious mind excited to explore renewable energy through creativity.

Course dates: (5 weeks) To be confirmed

Location: To be confirmed

Course times: To be confirmed

Price Range: £175

(Please note that we will cancel the course a fortnight ahead if we don’t have sufficient numbers of participants - Participants will receive a full refund.)

Features: Live talks, personalised feedback, extensive materials, and project-based learning.

Enrolment: Open to people of all backgrounds and who enjoy crafting.

Prerequisites: None, but a passion for creativity and environmental sustainability is encouraged.

Art and Energy are teaming up with Far Flung CIC and Sewcial Guild to bring two moss inspired creative performances to Theatre Royal Plymouth on Thursday 31st October 2024.

Featuring performers from Far Flung CIC and costumes made by Sewcial Guild and inspired by Art and Energy’s The Mossy Carpet and A Mossy Story.

The event will be open 12.30 - 4pm and performances will be at 1pm and 3pm.

Find us in The Nook, a pop up library space upstairs in Theatre Royal Plymouth.

This event is free of charge but booking is essential.

Please note that children under the age of 14 must be always accompanied by an adult.

Further details and the booking link.

Find out more about the wider week of activities at Theatre Royal Plymouth.

Plymouth Culture and Art and Energy are partnering for a second year to bring creative practitioners and arts organisations together to explore how culture can take action for a brighter greener future.

This time we will create the “Let’s Change Culture Group” that will meet for five co-designed, facilitated sessions to explore collective and individual actions for change. Art & Energy and local experts will engage the group in a chosen topic which will evolve session by session.

All sessions will be held from 10:30-12:30 at The Sustainable Earth Institute at The University of Plymouth. Please see below the dates and themes

• 13th September - Creating environmental action plans and policies

• 18th October - Environmentally engaged creative practice - some best practices

• 22nd November - What is eco-anxiety and crisis fatigue and how does it impact your work?

• 24th January - Sharing how you report on and tell environmental stories

• 14th February - Considering how we can embed climate awareness and action in our teams and audiences

All sessions will be an opportunity to learn from each other and best practices. If you/your organisation is in an advanced stage of the themes above, you’re very welcome to bring and share your experience with the group.

If you are interested in joining these sessions, sign up here https://bit.ly/3MlTYax

Finding Common Cause: collaborative approaches to delivery on common land.

As well as sustaining a thousand years of living cultural heritage, commons have a vital role to play in addressing biodiversity and climate crisis. But commons are complex, contested, multi-interest spaces, where typical approaches to conservation can falter.

Through the Our Upland Commons project, the Foundation for Common Land and others have been developing people-centred, collaborative approaches to unlock commons’ potential for nature recovery, flood management and carbon sequestration.

This conference brings together key voices from commoning and conservation, to look towards an uncertain future, to share and explore collective approaches to the challenges we face. The conference will help shape the future work of FCL and others working on commons, as well as giving you practical insights that will help your organisation, common or farm business.

The day will comprise off a mix of panel talks, short lectures and workshops. The day will be start from 9:30am, opening speeches will be at 10am. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Art and Energy’s Naomi Wright will host a Mossy Carpet workshop:

Creative collaborations on Dartmoor commons with The Art and Energy Collective.

A workshop to explore how creative engagement can help tell the story of the commons.

Naomi Wright describes ‘How to Bury the Giant in Moss and Moor’, a project with its origins on the commons of Dartmoor. She will include stories from collaborations, events and activities on Dartmoor including The Mossy Carpet mass participation artwork and small moss-scale restoration and repair with local schools and community groups.

There will be an opportunity to get hands-on with fleece and sphagnum, and make some small restorative mossy blankets, as well as add your voice to the Mossy Carpet.

This event has been made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The Mossy Carpet – Discover and Make!

Saturday 12 October, 10.00 a.m.–12.00 p.m. and 1.00 p.m.–3.00 p.m., Wells Cathedral Education Room

Did you know that mosses are climate superheroes? Join us on a mossy adventure when we’ll learn about this tiny but hugely important plant.

Watch a short film, look at mosses under the lens and get creative with wool to help us make a mossy carpet! Suitable for all ages and abilities.

Admission; Free with adult entry to the Cathedral; Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Only assistance dogs are allowed at this activity.

More details can be found here.

Art and Energy and The Mossy Carpet will be part of the Futures: A Festival of Discovery, pop-up Curiousity Shop of Science & Culture on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th September.

Drop in any time for free family friendly creative activities, 10am - 2.30pm.

Find us in Princesshay as part of the wider University of Exeter event.

More details can be found here - https://www.exeter.ac.uk/research/publicengagement/eventsandfestivals/futures/popupshops/

The event is suitable for all ages, and accessible for neurodivergent families with a quiet space available – for any questions about accessibility and to preregister for an accessibility guide please get in touch.