IIN News / Green Healthy City

Less Grey, More Green: Green Healthy Nottingham

We’re a busy growing city and that’s going to mean lots of shops being lit and vehicles getting about, as well as buildings and construction. So what’s good and green about Nottingham? Lots as it turns out, plus ways for you to get involved in our green, healthy journey…

Posted: Jul 2023

Firstly though, the Why? Nottingham aims to be carbon neutral* by 2028, this means the city needs to reduce its emissions as close to zero as possible, then offset any remaining emissions.

*Carbon neutral: Having a balance of how much carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere Vs the amount that is absorbed through carbon capture

With everyone’s help our city can become the first city in the UK to achieve this and only the second in Europe to do so, but we know that working out what we can each do to create a better, greener future can seem overwhelming.

We have the same thoughts as you, but there are lots of little steps we can each take (and some bigger ones too).

Changes start at home (and at work)

If you want to make the switch to household products which help the planet and don’t harm it, check out Shop Zero who are all about making sustainable choices as easy as possible, and helping you save money at the same time. Try meat free Mondays, just reducing meat and dairy can have a big impact on emissions.

Keep it clean - keep your showers to under five minutes (try playing two of your favourite songs and use those as a timer...so Bohemian Rhapsody is out, sorry.

Reuse items and sell unwanted goods, instead of throwing them away. Switch off lights and electrical items that aren’t in use.

Go paperless at home and/or at the office, or ask about the sustainability policy where you work and encourage more action to be taken.

Use food waste fighting apps like Too Good To Go to rescue surplus food from your local restaurants and shops that would otherwise end up being thrown away.

Change your routine, and go greener

Nottingham is blessed with an excellent public transport system, with many of the buses (and all the trams) you could travel on being powered by renewable fuels like BioGas and electricity.

Getting to work, or into town with the bus and tram is easy and practical, and there are options for shorter journeys too, like when you’re heading into town for a working lunch, or a spot of shopping. Ride green with Lime https://www.li.me/en-gb or beat the streets with low-cost scooter hire - https://www.transportnottingham.com/projects/escooters/.

Make fast fashion work harder for you

Changing your wardrobe might seem like an unusual way to help the planet but it really is. We’d suggest buying second hand where you can, at places like Cow but if you just need to grab the latest trends and want to go fast fashion, make it last; buy just what you need, look after it so it has as long a life as possible, and if you need a change, why not donate it to resellers like White Rose?

What businesses across the city are doing

Creators of pioneering beauty products such as the fizzing bath bomb, shower jellies and solid shampoo bars, Lush Cosmetics on Clumber Street place emphasis on fresh ingredients like organic fruits and vegetables, fight against animal testing and combat over-packaging by developing products that can be sold ‘naked’ without any packaging.