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.

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Green living wall at train station
Business
Nature
Make your premises and buildings a nature friendly and relaxing space

Rain gardens, trees, green roofs and walls to the development of green spaces can all help to tackle the impacts of climate change and improve the health and wellbeing of your employees too

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Large ventilation pipes in roof space
Energy
Business
Get smarter with how you heat your premises

There are lots of simple, straightforward actions you can take that won’t cost you anything and will start saving you money straight away

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Lightbulbs hanging from ceiling
Energy
Business
Upgrade your lighting and equipment

It’ll cut your energy bills and reduce your environmental impact.

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Blue sky with white clouds
Business
Travel & Transport
Upgrade your vehicles to be cleaner and greener

Greater Manchester is taking action to improve air quality on local roads, now and for future generations…

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Female cyclists going uphill
Business
Travel & Transport
Encourage your employees to walk and cycle to work

You’ll have a happier, healthier and more productive workforce!

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Charging point on electric car
Individual
Travel & Transport
Change your car to electric

It could make sense financially as well as environmentally.

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Chef picking fresh vegetables from garden
Natural Environment
Business
Encourage your staff to volunteer in local nature projects

Greater Manchester has many different ways you can get involved and make a real difference to our environment.

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Vegetables growing in field
Natural Environment
Business
Make your green space available to help people and communities grow food

Could you make any of your land available for allotments or community gardens to help and encourage communities to grow their own food.

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Manchester waterway
Individual
Natural Environment
Support a local nature project

and help to improve Greater Manchester’s amazing spaces.

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People laughing sat at table
Business
savings
Create an environmentally aware workforce

You staff will feel more involved in your business and you can achieve some quick and easy cost savings.

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Cooking vegetables in large pan
Food
Business
Support a local food project

Could you provide cooking demonstrations or run a cooking club? You’ll be helping to tackle food waste and more.

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Picking fresh vegetables
Business
Food
Can you provide funding or free spaces for food clubs?

Social investment could be used to support new enterprises such as the Good Food Bag.

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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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