Energy Garden: Bringing Community Energy to the London Overground

With transport covering 14% of London’s landscape, we’ll be helping you to think differently about how simple changes to the way we travel can make our city a greener place to live, and, inspired by the great engineering ingenuity of London’s past, we’ll be asking what innovations, skills and jobs we need to build a more sustainable future.

Transportation is the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide in the UK 

Energy Garden helps tackle this issue as well as a lack of accessible green space in urban environments by creating community-owned renewable energy and garden initiatives on transport infrastructure. By developing and maintaining these ‘energy gardens’ across the London Overground, we create green transport corridors that engage local communities, provide opportunities for young people and promote health and well-being. The gardens are collectively maintained by the communities that live, work and travel around each station.

We fund the gardens with the revenue generated by solar panels; these assets are paid for by a Community Benefit Society where everyone, no matter how much they contribute, has an equal say in decision making. Energy Garden supports resilient community action by embedding the core principles of ownership, control over decision making and visible community benefit.

The future of transport is green and community-powered

A city-wide average of 7 minutes wait time on the Overground offers plenty of time to enjoy, interact with, or learn about our gardens in 28 stations. 61 community groups are connected across London’s transport network and they are empowered to create local solutions to greening the spaces, improve biodiversity, reduce carbon emissions, and tackle climate change. Energy Garden’s Youth Training Programme of mentoring, training and work experience teaches tomorrow’s community leaders how to advocate for a sustainable future. With transport covering 14% of London’s landscape, there is enormous potential to scale this programme of social and environmental benefit.

Come get involved in the future of green transport

We believe the path to a resilient city lies in the shared responsibility of our wellbeing. We are proud to announce that we hit the target raise in our first Community Renewable Energy Share Offer. We successfully raised £160,000 with 133 community investors in 27 days. We will use the money to install a 231 kWp solar array on GTR’s Streatham Hill Southern Railway Depot. The revenue generated by the sale of clean energy will help fund our gardens and youth training and provide all members with a 4% financial return. And while we’ve hit our target raise, we are now overfunding! You can still invest from £50 and become a member at our Ethex page. The share offer is designed to give all Londoners the opportunity to participate in:

• a London-wide energy and gardening Community Benefit Society;
• acquiring and owning renewable energy assets;
• greening London’s transportation infrastructure;
• empowering communities to take positive action;
• educating and training young people in food growing, healthy living and energy;
• improving air quality and biodiversity; and
• earning a projected 4% per annum return.

You can invest and become a member from £50, or join a community garden at a station near you.

About Energy Garden

Energy Garden is a Community Benefit Society that invests in renewable energy infrastructure to support community development. Its mission is to empower communities and young people to take climate action into their own hands by owning renewable energy and greening London’s transport infrastructure. The initiative was founded by Agamemnon Otero MBE, installing its first garden at Brondesbury Park station in 2012. It now has 28 gardens across London’s railways and has worked with 61 community groups in 2021 alone to implement resiliency in their local areas.

Get in touch via email or social media @energygardenldn.