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Young people are helping the region become a leading refill destination

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School Eco Refill Shop
Reducing Waste
Schools
Refill
Published: 30/01/2024
News
Greater Manchester Schools to launch pupil-led Eco Refill Shops

Ten Greater Manchester schools will soon launch their pioneering, pupil-led, fully-stocked, Eco Refill Shops. Our series of articles will put the spotlight on the schools and report back on their progress as they undertake their Enterprise Training, launch their shops and measure their success.

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Young people seed bombs
Home & Workplaces
Published: 19/12/2023
News
North West Net Zero Youth Conference 2023

Youth Focus North West hosted the second North West Net Zero Youth Conference which took place on Saturday 25th November at the University of Salford. The event aimed to bring together young people aged 13-19 from across the Northwest to share their thoughts and ideas about a range of climate and net zero topics.

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Salix Homes customer Julie Pemberton
Buildings
Retrofit
Solar
Energy
Housing
Published: 29/11/2023
News
Solar panel project shines bright in Salford

Housing Association, Salix Homes has recently completed solar panel installations to 49 properties after securing funding through the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund

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Buildings
Retrofit
Skills
Energy
Housing
Published: 20/11/2023
Blog
Southway Housing Trust and Cara EPS: Delivering Home Energy Efficiency Measures in South Manchester

In this article, Manchester housing provider Southway Housing Trust and Cara EPS, a multi-disciplinary net zero and retrofit business from Salford, provide an update on their partnership delivering on the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund…

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Wigan Trainee
School
Skills
Published: 15/11/2023
Blog
Manchester Environment Education Network & Electricity North West:  connecting young learners with the green sector

Inviting young people to be part of the Green Summit has always offered a great opportunity to listen to how they feel about the climate crisis and provide inspiration and hope for the future.

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Nature
Nature recovery
Published: 01/11/2023
Blog
Local Nature Champions: Av Gurwicz, City of Trees

In our next Local Nature Champions interview, we speak to Av Gurwicz, Urban Forestry Assistant at City of Trees.

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IACS apprentices and partners
Skills
Published: 10/10/2023
News
Innovative Partnership Delivers Apprenticeship for the Green Energy Sector

Read more about an innovative collaboration between education, industry and specialist skills providers which has created a groundbreaking apprenticeship that will help to solve the skills challenges experienced by the green energy sector.

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Green Summit
Published: 25/09/2023
News
Green Summit 2023: Why green skills should be a top priority for UK employers

In this blog, Green Summit 2023 official partner Manchester Metropolitan University explores why tackling our green skills shortage should be a top priority for employers.

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Nature
Nature recovery
Published: 21/09/2023
Blog
Local Nature Champions: Kieron McGlasson, Sow The City

In our next Local Nature Champions interview, we speak to Kieron McGlasson, Director at Sow The City.

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Green Summit
Published: 19/09/2023
News
Green Summit 2023: How Manchester Metropolitan University is shaping our future green workforce

In this blog, official partner Manchester Metropolitan University explain why supporting green skills is key to a greener future.

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River Tonge, Bolton lined with greenery
Green Summit
Published: 19/09/2023
News
Green Summit 2023: Tackling the challenges of storm overflows

In this blog we hear from Shelina Begum, Stakeholder Engagement Lead (GM) at United Utilities, one of our Green Summit sponsors for 2023.

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Green Summit
Published: 19/09/2023
News
Green Summit 2023: Transforming how we manage water in Greater Manchester

In this blog, David Hodcroft, Infrastructure Lead for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Integrated Water Management Business Change Manager, introduces us to the Integrated Water Management Plan.

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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.

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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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