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William Morris may be best remembered for his wallpaper, but Merton environmentalists are saluting the pioneering eco-socialist values of the 19th century designer, artist and poet.

While producing works ranging from tapestry to painted glass windows at his Merton Abbey factory, Morris was among the first proponents of a move towards a greener and more sustainable society.

In addition to insisting his factory workers tended to the orchard and vegetable garden in the Merton Abbey site, the pioneer of the arts and crafts movement was one of the first campaigners against the impact of capitalism and urbanisation on the environment.

To celebrate his legacy, Merton Friends of the Earth is organising an evening in his honour at the William Morris Riverside Pub in Merton Abbey Mills tomorrow.

"I'm sure that if he were alive today he would be at the front of the environmental movement," said event organiser Auriel Glanville.

"People remember him as a designer or even a writer but he was such an important figure for so many reasons.

"He was very much about keeping things sustainable and very conscious with his work at the mill. Even a century after his death there are so many lessons to be learned from his concern for the environment that are applicable today.

"As such a platform person himself, more than a century on he gives a platform for us to voice are concerns about the way we treat people and the environment."

Speakers at Saturday's event from Sustainable Merton, Merton Friends of the Earth and even the borough's tree wardens will debate contemporary green issues from the expansion of Heathrow to the creation of a sustainable economy.

Musicians, poets and singers will also perform into the night as environmentalists pay tribute to the man hailed as the founder of eco-socialism.

The evening at the William Morris Riverside Pub starts at 7pm with admission £5 or £3 concessions.

For more information call Auriel Glanville on 020 8540 6154.

11:10am Friday 28th March 2008

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