Emily Langston is based in Coulsdon, Croydon. She has been a Ranger since March 2020. Emily’s focuses are podcasting, walking, bird watching, and community action in Croydon and around the city. By day she works at a company which is making batteries for EVs and energy storage.
Q1
what inspired you to become a ranger?
When I first moved to London after university, I found myself craving green spaces and would spend weekends seeking out walking routes around the capital. I started getting involved in hands-on volunteer greening projects, such as wildlife habitat restoration at Walthamstow Wetlands before it officially opened. I love engaging with nature in London, and have a particular passion for bird watching. When I first heard about London National Park City and the Ranger programme, I knew I wanted to be part of a movement that not only sought to make London greener, but also connected city dwellers to nature. Nature is critical for mental health, and I believe everyone should have access to green spaces, every day.
Q2
How are you making London greener, healthier, and wilder?
Something that I love about being a Ranger is that you can get involved in a lot of different initiatives, whether leading or participating, and you can learn a huge amount. You don’t have to be an expert in a specific area – what does help is passion and energy. When I first became a Ranger, I was working at Facebook and was able to bring my social media skills to help my local greening group in Merton get more of an online presence, which led to more volunteers for activities such as tree planting and litter picking. Alongside local volunteering projects, I hosted a three-part podcast series together with Facebook as part of Earth Week. I’m now planning our next podcast series which will showcase some of the amazing Ranger work taking place across the capital. I also co-host walks in South London with Rangers Ingrina Sheih and Dipa Patel, helping people to discover new areas and walking routes.
Q3
What do you think has the single most positive impact of the environmental initiatives you’ve been part of?
I think elevating the awareness of London National Park City in itself is huge. I love telling people about the movement, and helping friends connect with their local green spaces. When I tell people that London is nearly 50% green spaces, they can’t quite believe it! Social media and podcasting have both been a fantastic way to give Rangers and their projects a platform, and I’m excited to continue to celebrate Ranger successes.
Q4
What have you gained from being part of the LNPC Community?
The community itself, and the wonderful people in it, is the best part of LNPC. There is so much passion and talent in the Ranger network and in the wider National Park City community. Being part of the LNPC gives me a huge amount of energy and enjoyment. I believe that you get out what you put into the movement.
Q5
Describe your proudest moment as a ranger
Every project and event that I’ve been involved in has filled me with joy. Doing the first three podcast episodes – you can listen to the Regrowth project here – was of course incredible, and I couldn’t have done it without fellow Rangers and Ranger Coordinators. The Ranger get-together in November 2023 was hugely inspiring, especially seeing how much we’ve grown and all the amazing work Rangers have been doing. More recently, my sister has started to get involved with greening activities where she lives in Utrecht, Netherlands having had intros from the NPC team and been inspired by LNPC. We have ties with a number of cities in the Netherlands and seeing the movement grow around the world is so inspiring. I think we may also be the first siblings in National Park City! Although I’ve not done a thorough survey on that so I could be wrong…
Q6
Describe your most challenging moment as a Ranger and how you overcame it
Starting any project as a Ranger (and generally in life!) can be daunting, as I have found with podcasting in the past. My advice is to use the Ranger network! Work with the core LNPC team to get a shout out in the newsletter, leverage Mighty Networks and WhatsApp, and contact people directly. Once you bring a team together you can start sharing ideas and working out where everyone’s strengths and passions are. Trying to plan an initiative solo can be challenging – bringing together diverse perspectives will help evolve your ideas. Be clear on what you want to achieve and when you want to achieve it by, and try to have someone in the team who will keep the initiative on track.
Q7
What’s next for you as a ranger?
Podcasting! We’ve just had the green light so I’m excited to plan our podcasting schedule and get into interviewing our Rangers.
Q8
What continues to motivate you on your Ranger journey?
Climate anxiety is snowballing for many of us. Often we feel completely helpless and world events are totally out of our control. Being a Ranger has helped me to feel that in a small way, I’m able to give something back and help others be more engaged with nature on their doorstep. Climate action often starts with very small steps – noticing birds, appreciating seasonal changes, being aware of the positive impact of nature on your mental health. With that awareness can come more care for the environment, and in turn this can escalate to wanting to do something about protecting it, such as becoming more actively involved in climate initiatives.
Q9
What has been your most memorable encounter with nature in London?
Every bird encounter is special and memorable to me, but top of mind is the cormorant. I recently went on a walk to explore the beginnings of the River Wandle in Croydon with Croydon Climate Action and there was one sitting there sunning itself after a dive. There is (or was, I haven’t been in a while) a colony of cormorants at Walthamstow Wetlands and when they’re all sitting there with their dark wings outstretched it’s a fantastic sight. I find cormorants fascinating – I won’t regale you with cormorant facts right now but I do have a few!
Q10
How can we encourage more people to ‘Do London Differently’?
I really do encourage people to connect with their local climate group. I’m sure many don’t know that their local park likely has a ‘Friends Of’ group, for example. I joined one when I lived in Colliers Wood. Once you start to see all the small but vital activities happening on your doorstep I can guarantee you’ll want to be involved. It definitely helped me to see a different side of my neighbourhood, in a very positive way.
Q11
It’s 2029…as a community, what do you hope LNPC would have achieved by our 10th anniversary? And what might London look like as a result?
I would like us to be as renowned as other climate action groups – like Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, for example. Every neighbourhood will have a local Ranger who is actively engaged in the community and inspires others to get involved with green initiatives.
Learn more about the work that Emily is doing at @gingeylang
Read more Ranger Stories here.
Find out more about London National Park City and how you can get involved by visiting our About Us page
Together, we can make London greener, healthier, and wilder..
