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Energy Saving
Published: 20/05/2024
News
Your Home Better: Retrofitting for the community

In this guest interview, we learn all about Your Home Better and its founder, Charlie Baker.

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Platt Fields Bike Hub Sign
Reducing Waste
Home & Workplaces
Skills
Published: 08/05/2024
Blog
R4GM Success Story: Platt Fields Bike Hub

From community groups and charities to businesses and schools, we believe that everyone has a role to play in helping Greater Manchester become carbon neutral by 2038. We are shining a spotlight on the passionate individuals who are already leading the way – our Sustainability Champions. We caught up with Zym, long-term volunteer at the Platt Fields Bike Hub to find out how the R4GM Community Fund has made a difference to their project…

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Foundation Building, Altrincham
Innovation
Natural Environment
Home & Workplaces
Published: 08/05/2024
Blog
The Altrincham Living Wall – Progressive, Science-led Green Infrastructure

Reducing the heat demand from existing commercial and public buildings and increasing engagement with our natural environment are just two Five Year Environment Plan priorities addressed by introducing nature based solutions such as living walls to buildings, inside and out. Living walls also provide essential climate adaptation measures, helping to keep the buildings warm and cool, increasing biodiversity, acoustic dampening and improved psychological wellbeing.

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First Choice Homes Oldham resident Mary Clancy
Home & Workplaces
Retrofit
Published: 09/04/2024
News
Hundreds of Oldham homes given green makeovers

Around 200 homes across Oldham have been given major green makeovers to slash bills and make them more energy efficient as part of a trailblazing multi-million-pound retrofit programme to transform 3,800 properties across Greater Manchester.

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Your Home Better Community Engagement Advisor
Home & Workplaces
community
Published: 11/03/2024
Blog
Feel The Benefit of Making Your Home Better

Fresh after the launch of GMCA’s ‘Feel The Benefit’ campaign, Hellena Mason-Smith, Community Engagement Assistant from Your Home Better, takes a look at you can reduce your home’s carbon emissions when making home improvements through this programme…

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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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Retrofit home with solar PV
Home & Workplaces
Retrofit
Energy Saving
Published: 31/01/2023
News
Greater Manchester’s Social Homes Going Green  

Michael Ramsey, GMCA Environment Project Manager, provides an overview of the social housing decarbonisation work taking place across the region…

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Carbon Coop at The Boiler House
Energy
Home & Workplaces
community
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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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 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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