Take action

Making a change is all about taking action. Below, we have put together the key ways you can make an impact on your local community and your life. Filter by who you are, or browse the key ways you can take action right now.

You are here: Take action
Energy
Burn Better GM

With the temperature starting to drop, people in Greater Manchester with log burners and stoves are being urged to take steps to reduce the harm and pollution from burning solid fuels.

Read
Retrofit
savings
Energy
Home & Workplaces
Top tips for consumers: Buying green heating and insulation products
Consumer advice

Top tips for consumers looking to buy low carbon ‘green’ heating and insulation products, from the Competition & Markets Authority

Read
Terraced houses
Energy
Home & Workplaces
Upgrade your home in a greener and more affordable way

Find out more about Your Home, Better, a new service providing advice on how you can make your home greener.

Read
Individual
Home & Workplaces
Reduce your plastic waste

Small changes make a big difference. Take a look at some simple changes you could make to reduce plastic waste in Greater Manchester.

Read
Individual
Home & Workplaces
Use less and choose to re-use and re-home

Could you swap to a re-usable cup and help to stop the millions of single use coffee cups or water bottles that are thrown away everyday in the UK?

Read
Energy
Individual
Change the way you light and heat your home

You could save on your energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint too.

Read
Individual
Travel & Transport
Let’s go for a walk or ride a bike!

Have fun, get fitter and discover some amazing places. It’ll make you feel good too!

Read
Bee within white flower
Individual
Natural Environment
Make your garden, balcony or back yard a nature and climate friendly space

If everyone does one thing for nature, we can make a real difference and you’ll feel happier and healthier too.

Read
Travel & Transport
Individual
Reduce your car journeys and switch to walking, cycling or public transport

It reduces air pollution, it’s better for our environment and helps to make our streets greener and safer for our children.

Read
People planting flowers
Natural Environment
Individual
Volunteer in a nature project near you

It’s good for your health, it’s fun and you can get the whole family involved too.

Read
Little boy watering plants
Individual
Food
Get gardening and grow your own food

Whether you go it alone or help out at a community garden, there’s lots of ways to get involved.

Read
Green living wall on modern building
Energy
Business
Commit to reducing your energy demand for heating and cooling

Sign the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment today!

Read

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