Transition Cambridge Environmental Reading Group 2026

You are welcome to join us for an evening of conversation around environmental and sustainability topics. There is no requirement to have read or finished the book as our conversations often pull in many related ideas and life experiences.

Our schedule for 2026 is as follows. We meet quarterly on the third Thursday of the month at 7pm.

Jan 20 - In the Company of Owls by Polly Atkin

The Company Of Owls is a love song to these incredible creatures, and a reflection on what makes them, and us, unique. It’s a call to find joy in unexpected places and times. It is a lesson in learning to listen – to really listen – when all around us seems clamour and noise.

Mar 24 - The Lie of the Land by Guy Shrubsole

A trenchant critique of land stewardship in the UK and how large landowners are responsible for the destruction and degradation of huge swathes of the countryside, Shrubsole's urgent volume also shines a spotlight on the farmers and community groups fighting against such rank injustice.

Jun 16 - Is a River Alive by Robert McFarlane

At its heart is a single, transformative idea: that rivers are not mere matter for human use, but living beings – who should be recognized as such in both imagination and law. Inspired by the activists, artists and lawmakers of the young ‘Rights of Nature’ movement, Macfarlane takes the reader on an exhilarating exploration of the past, present and futures of this ancient, urgent concept.

Oct 20 - The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer

As Indigenous scientist and author of _Braiding Sweetgrass_ Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most?