Blog

Rachel Lewis, staff member at Manchester’s Carbon Coop, provides an overview of the work undertaken asking people in Greater Manchester what their thoughts and views are on the Local Energy Market project and involving them in decision-making on the project…

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Carbon Coop at The Boiler House
community
Energy
Home & Workplaces
Published: 12/07/2022
News
GM Local Energy Market: What the people think

Rachel Lewis, staff member at Manchester’s Carbon Coop, provides an overview of the work asking people in GM their thoughts and views are on the Local Energy Market project and involving them in decision-making on the project…

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Close up of a bulb
Energy
Innovation
Published: 27/06/2022
News
Energy Innovation Agency Launch & Challenge Event Review

Read more about the Greater Manchester Energy Innovation Agency April launch event and the first in a series of decarbonisation of heat challenge events.

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Notepad on desk
Energy Saving
Energy
Housing
Buildings
Skills
Published: 30/05/2022
Blog
Boosting the Skills and Talent Pipeline – RetrofitGM Blog #2

Attracting the right people with the right skills to manage and install retrofitting is crucial to delivering energy and carbon emissions reductions from our homes and public buildings.

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White Stork
Natural Environment
Published: 25/04/2022
Blog
The White Stork – An International Symbol of Peace?

James Walsh, aka @MancunianBirder, writes about his research on the White Stork and why he thinks it should be an international symbol of peace.

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Natural Environment
Published: 20/04/2022
Blog
Learning from the Living Lab – five key benefits

Exploring the impact of nature-based solutions at the University of Salford’s Living Lab.

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woman using calculator
GM Green City
Energy
Housing
Energy Saving
Published: 11/04/2022
Blog
Financial advice and energy efficiency tips to keep the heat on at home

Energy efficiency measures in homes can reduce carbon emissions and lower energy bills.

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Terraced houses
Energy
Housing
Buildings
Energy Saving
Published: 15/03/2022
Blog
The Retrofit Task Force #RetrofitGM

The Greater Manchester Retrofit Task Force is leading on a three-year programme aiming to tackle the climate crisis through innovative finance and building supply and demand for skills and jobs.

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Energy
Housing
Buildings
Published: 29/03/2022
Blog
It’s not just hot air

Tina Gandhi, Principal Environmental Strategy Officer GMCA, discusses why we should all start thinking about Air Source Heat Pumps

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Greenery by Manchester's waterways, credit: Alan Wright
Natural Environment
Published: 10/03/2022
Blog
Delivering a Natural Capital Approach in Greater Manchester

Krista Patrick, Natural Capital Coordinator at GMCA, offers an overview of findings from Greater Manchester’s time as an Urban Pioneer City Region.

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Image of a bird box on a living wall
Natural Environment
Published: 09/03/2022
Blog
Engaging communities on nature-based solutions: five lessons from the IGNITION project

With IGNITION coming to a close in the Spring, what have we learnt about the opportunities and challenges of communicating climate adaptation and nature-based solutions to a citizen audience? 

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Energy
Published: 07/02/2022
News
Go Neutral Smart Energy

Greater Manchester ‘Go Neutral Smart Energy’ is a GMCA-led ‘smart’ energy programme aiming to deliver impact against our city region’s carbon neutral 2038 target, build our local green economy and make our energy supply more affordable.

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Schools Climate Action Planner logo
Schools
Published: 24/01/2022
News
Schools Climate Action Planner

NEW Schools Climate Action Planner, providing a free, online and easy-to-use action planning tool for teachers and students to help schools reduce their climate impact through practical steps.

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Take action…

To make a big change, we must all take small actions. Becoming greener and making an impact is easier than you might think. We have put together a range of blogs, articles, toolkits and checklists to help you make a start.

Explore resources

Although we set out with a simple mission to reduce plastic waste, we’ve quickly realised that it’s just one piece in the sustainability puzzle. One of the biggest, but most easily attainable actions we can achieve is to look at where our goods come from and reduce the carbon footprint needed to get a product from manufacturer to consumer. Many of the products we stock are made by local, independent manufactures, who provide us with a wide range of things from reusable face wipes, wax food wraps, face coverings, soap bars, plant pots, kitchen cloths/sponges and butty bags.

Carl from Lentils and Lather

Our aim is to start changing the habits of families in Greater Manchester by getting them to ‘borrow’ rather than ‘buy’ brand new toys. We’re making sure that toys can be reused again and again by children who need and want them – and they are not just sitting in a cupboard or under someone’s bed.

Kim from That Toy Thing

The best part of upcycling is that old furniture is often better made than the equivalent flat-packed furniture we get today and with a little bit of time, love and care, you can create a completely unique piece of furniture for your home that no one else will have. I also love that these pieces of furniture have a history of their own and through transforming and updating them we can breathe a new lease of life into them.

Hannah from Tread Softly

The Green Recovery Challenge Fund is providing a further boost to the ambitions of the Great Manchester Wetlands Partnership to create a thriving, inspirational and connected landscape. It supports the recovery of wildlife through habitat creation and improvement as well as community recovery through providing opportunities for local people to develop skills, knowledge and beneficial connections to their local natural environment.

Jo Kennedy, Coordinator of the Great Manchester Wetlands Partnership

The reason I signed up to the Green Homes Grant scheme was two-fold, selfishly the measures will add value to the properties and make them more valuable in the future. But more importantly it benefits the tenants, keeping them warmer and prevents problems like damp and condensation. Ultimately measures like external wall insulations should keep tenants happier and ensure they remain in the house for longer.

Neil, Rochdale property owner

We used to think we didn’t have enough time to shop on our local market because we were working; how wrong we were?  We discovered it is an amazing place to shop for plastic free. We swapped tea bags for tea leaves and coffee jars for beans which we buy from The Market Grounds on Ashton Market – well worth a visit as the homemade cakes are delicious. All the stall holders have been amazing, not one of them minds us taking our containers to be filled with meat from the butchers. We get our bread, cheese, fruit and veg from the market too.

Julie from Ashton-under-Lyne

Kat Mulhall, Events Manager at Victoria Baths Trust in Manchester

Although becoming carbon neutral is important to our organisation, it’s a lot of work for a small team to put the measures into place. The Journey to Net Zero course has given me practical, step-by-step advice that has made it easy for me to lay the foundations for our organisation to be able to take action and achieve our goal of becoming carbon neutral.

Kat Mulhall, Events Manager at Victoria Baths Trust in Manchester

Kat Mulhall, Events Manager at Victoria Baths Trust in Manchester

The Business Growth Hub has given us focus and extra knowledge. They’ve helped us form the base to grow sustainably and work efficiently as a team while making us conscious of our environmental impact as a business.

 

Ollie Birchall, Founder of Nutri Bar

I’ve not really been a cyclist throughout my life, more of a runner to be honest. And certainly not commuted. But I just thought if I’m going to change, surely now is the moment to change. I’m feeling the personal benefits of doing it. You just feel better when you come into work. It clears your head. There are benefits of cutting congestion, cleaning up the air. Everyone benefits when people cycle.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester

We think our water fountain is INCREDIBLE, it’s the perfect place for people to ‘refill’ and help themselves to any of the free edibles we’ve got growing in Market Place. We’re so grateful to all the organisations that helped make this happen. Alongside the plastic free motion that was passed by council and helped us achieve our first Surfers Against Sewage objective and in turn our Plastic Free Community status, it shows real commitment in reducing plastic waste and supporting our community.

 

Pete Fillery, Plastic Free Rammy and Incredible Edible Ramsbottom

I guess I’ve always been what you would call a conscious consumer. I’ve always detested plastic bags, all of my skin care products at home are plastic-free, vegan, and sustainable. My toothbrush is made of bamboo, there’s no plastic anywhere in the house. Everything in the salon has to be vegan – that was the first rule for me. We started with one brand of haircare products that was vegan, organic, and Fairtrade, but the distributor in the UK was wrapping all of the deliveries in plastic, and it felt really needless, so we ditched them.

 

Rachael, Gronn eco-salon in Bury

Although becoming carbon neutral is important to our organisation, it’s a lot of work for a small team to put the measures into place. The Journey to Net Zero course has given me practical, step-by-step advice that has made it easy for me to lay the foundations for our organisation to be able to take action and achieve our goal of becoming carbon neutral.

 

Kat Mulhall, Victoria Baths Trust, Manchester

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