Natural Environment

You are here: Natural Environment
Natural Environment
Published: 29/06/2022
Urban Green Infrastructure target setting

Target setting is an important element of green infrastructure (GI) planning for cities. This report presents the findings of a review of GI target setting in 43 international cities.

Read
Natural Environment
IGNITION
Published: 03/05/2022
IGNITION Project Investor Confidence Report

Understanding investor confidence in the green infrastructure and nature-based solutions sectors

Read
Natural Environment
IGNITION
Published: 27/04/2022
Investing In Nature: Lessons from Greater Manchester event webinars

Watch webinar sessions from the IGNITION project’s final stakeholder event, held on 30 March 2022

Read
Natural Environment
IGNITION
Published: 27/04/2022
Investing in SuDS toolkit

IGNITION project guide to investing in sustainable drainage systems (SuDS)

Read
Natural Environment
IGNITION
Published: 27/04/2022
Creating green educational spaces at schools toolkit

IGNITION project guide to support and resources that can help you create green educational spaces at your school

Read
Natural Environment
IGNITION
Published: 27/04/2022
Investing in parks toolkit

IGNITION project guide to ways in which we can accelerate investing in our parks.

Read
Natural Environment
IGNITION
Published: 27/04/2022
Investing in Green Roofs toolkit

IGNITION project guide to transforming roof space to support nature and climate adaptation.

Read
Natural Environment
IGNITION
Published: 27/04/2022
Business-led green regeneration toolkit

IGNITION project guide to incorporating nature-based solutions in the regeneration of high-streets, retail centres and other urban retail areas.

Read
Nature
Natural Environment
Green Spaces
Published: 26/08/2021
My Wild City Report

My Wild City is a four-year collaboration between The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside and Manchester City Council which was launched at the beginning of 2019. This report details the responses to a 6 months consultation in 2019.

Read
Natural Environment
Published: 11/08/2021
IGNITION Evidence Bases and associated resources

The IGNITION Nature-based solutions evidence base brings together this evidence to help policy officers, planners, developers, land-owners, charities and local residents to promote and install green solutions across GM.

Read
Natural Environment
Published: 11/08/2021
IGNITION business report

The IGNITION project is a ground breaking programme that aims to develop innovative financing solutions for investment in Greater Manchester’s natural environment.

Read
Natural Environment
Published: 11/08/2021
All Our Trees: Greater Manchester’s Tree & Woodland Strategy

All Our Trees will collectively guide us to improve the way in which we plant and manage our trees and direct us to where new tree planting will provide the most benefits for generations to come.

Read

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

GM Green City Logo