128 - Meet Skylar 👋
Meet Skylar 👋
As Executive Director of the London Environmental Network, Coves resident and Vice President of the Urban League of London Board, localist (and patron!) Skylar Franke can most often be found right in the middle of conversations overlapping the environment, the community and politics in this city.
1. What’s one of London’s best-kept secrets? 🚂
All the little trails around the Coves, there's so much nature action to watch along these disconnected oxbows. Watching the train trundle by on the berm from either side of the train tracks is a delight.
2. What’s your favourite way to spend a Saturday in London? 📚
I like to pack my weekends with fun so these are probably my top three choices. Start off with Elyse's Barre class (virtual or in person) from Hi-Ignition Fit Lab. Walk or bike over to Covent Garden Outdoor Market and pick up some flowers from The Wandering Bee (local & no pesticides!). Then curl up on a couch with a cat and read a book from the Library’s Libby app or a secondhand score from City Lights Bookstore.
3. Tell us about the last London thing you recommended to friends. 🍽
Ordering takeout food from Grace Restaurant because they are literally giving you really nice plates when you order special meals from them—which you can keep or return!
4. What are you looking forward to in London this year? 🛶
Paddling down Deshkan Ziibi (the Thames) in spring with a few friends. I tried it out two years ago...with only two overboards and a sliced Achilles tendon—not mine—but it was an adventure! Being on a canoe on the river is a beautiful way to see the city pass by.
5. Who should Londoners be paying attention to? 🐝
This is like asking someone to pick their favourite cat. I'm going to shout out to Becky Ellis. You can find her at Entangled Roots, and follow along her farming, beekeeping and the pollinator gardens she’s building across the city. Becky is wicked smart, and has great tattoos and even cooler politics.
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