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Review of the 8th Greater Manchester Green Summit – 3rd March

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Outside Co-op Live Green Summit 2026
Green Summit
Published: 18/05/2026
News
Green Summit 2026 – It’s a Wrap!

The dust has now settled on the eighth Green Summit hosted by GMCA’s Environment Team at the Co-op Live on the 3rd March, here’s our review of the day…

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A small stream flows through grassy moorland beneath a simple wooden leaky dam made from stacked logs and posts. Tall reeds and rough vegetation line the banks, with shallow water pooling in the foreground on a bright day.
Natural Environment
Published: 13/05/2026
News
Local Nature Champions: Bob Kenworthy and Marian Herod

As part of our Local Nature Champions series, we’re celebrating the people helping nature thrive across Greater Manchester.

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GM Technology Fund team with banner
Reducing Waste
Published: 13/04/2026
News
What happens to old tech? Help cut e-waste and end digital poverty in GM

The Greater Manchester Technology Fund helps organisations securely repurpose end‑of‑life IT equipment, reducing e‑waste while supporting residents across Greater Manchester to get online.

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School
Farming
Food
Published: 26/03/2026
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Welcome to Peckingham Palace

Pupils at Parochial C of E Primary School in Ashton are taking big steps to help the planet.

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Construction site with a crane in the background
Energy Saving
Published: 19/03/2026
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Green Summit 2026: What does decarbonisation in construction look like?

earth4Earth discuss using low-carbon materials, and adopting innovations that cut or even store emissions, enabling a more sustainable built environment.

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Solar Panel farm
Energy Saving
Published: 19/03/2026
News
Green Summit 2026: The way we use energy is changing

SP Electricity North West discuss a new training programme helping North West local authorities plan and deliver Local Area Energy Plans.

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buildings in Manchester
Innovation
Energy Saving
Published: 19/03/2026
News
Green Summit 2026: Why sustainable growth is essential to building a diverse city region

John Cooper, Real Estate and Infrastructure Partner at Deloitte discusses sustainable growth in Greater Manchester

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Solar panels in a row
Energy Saving
Published: 19/03/2026
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Green Summit 2026: Transitioning to a cleaner electricity future is something we can all play a part in

SP Electricity North West discuss their fund and how it supports communities and organisations across the North West.

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Buses in Chinatown in Manchester city centre
Active Travel
Published: 19/03/2026
Blog
Green Summit 2026: Connecting Manchester: becoming a world-class city for transport

Adam Leslie, Director at Deloitte discusses Manchester’s vision for becoming a world-class transport city centre.

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Beech Hill PS Enterprise Team Wigan
School
Reducing Waste
Published: 16/03/2026
News
New Cohort of 19 School Eco Refill Shops Across the Region

Announcing a new wave of schools taking part in the GM School Eco Refill Shop programme. We are very pleased announce an amazing 19 schools have opened their doors to customers selling lovely refill products.

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Awards on a table with certificates behind
Energy Saving
Awards
Published: 10/03/2026
News
Low Carbon Team’s double success at the Regional Energy Efficiency Awards

GMCA’s ECO4 Flex scheme was named “Regional Large-Scale Project of the Year”.

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A person holding a home energy monitor in a kitchen. The screen shows the day’s electricity usage and cost, with £1.26 displayed.
Energy Saving
bills
Published: 09/03/2026
News
Greater Manchester residents invited to Feel the Benefit of improving their homes

The refreshed Feel the Benefit portal is here, helping Greater Manchester residents explore ways to make their homes warmer, healthier and cheaper to run.

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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 manufacturers, 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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