In Our Nature

A partnership between Manchester Climate Change Agency, Hubbub, Groundwork Greater Manchester, Amity CIC, the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and Manchester City Council.

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In Our Nature is a partnership programme funded by The National Lottery’s Climate Action Fund with match funding from The Wates Family Enterprise Trust.  The programme supports climate action across six broad themes: food, energy, green and blue spaces, homes and buildings, the things we buy and throw away and transport.   Manchester Climate Change Agency’s Ellie Sherlock tells us more about their work…

Working with communities across Manchester the team at In Our Nature are helping to connect the climate crisis to practical actions we can all take to make a difference, reduce our carbon emissions, save money, and learn something new too. 

There are so many ways that we’ve been working with and supporting Manchester’s communities over the past few months to help them make a real difference. Here’s a quick round-up of what’s been happening recently:

  • We supported FungAll to deliver mushroom growing workshops.
  • We helped to deliver a series of sewing workshops in Cheetham Hill alongside the Wai Yin Centre and Stitched Up.
  • Local residents celebrated the opening of a new bike shelter at St Margarets Community Centre in Chorlton, made possible with support from In Our Nature.
  • We teamed up with gwafuvegan to share plant-based West African dishes with young people and their families in Gorton.
  • We’re working with residents to improve green spaces for food growing and composting in Harpurhey, Gorton and Abbey Hey.
  • We helped Manchester Bike Kitchen to setup their bike hub in Wythenshawe.
  • We provided The Den in Chorlton Park with a community fridge in their café and are supporting them to create a new compost system in their community garden to reduce food waste.
  • We supported Flavours from Manchester to begin their group outings with people in north Manchester to help them become more confident using public transport.
  • The Carlton Club in Whalley Range celebrated their new low-carbon ventilation system, made possible with our support.
  • We’re working with residents in Whalley Range to help them to garden in their alleyways.
  • With our support, the Walking Mum’s Club began their walk and talk sessions, discussing climate action.
  • Community growing sessions began at Crumpsall and Cheetham Hill Allotments following our work to make the space more accessible.
  • We supported Future Directions CIC to begin a series of workshops to help people with learning disabilities and complex needs save energy and money at home.
  • We helped NEPHRA to set up their recycling hub to help reduce plastic waste going to landfill.

You can find more about all of the projects listed above, alongside a load of practical tips, guides and stories from all over Manchester on our website.

On top of all that, we’re also sharing local carbon footprints, online courses and personal coaching to help people unlock their full potential and identify where they can have the biggest impact.

Want to help make Manchester a greener, healthier and more connected city? Sign up to our newsletter to get actions, tips and inspiration straight to your inbox every month: In Our Nature_Newsletter (mailchi.mp).

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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