With the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) getting underway this weekend, local businesses and community projects in our village are joining forces with others across Nottinghamshire to offer discounts, vouchers and prizes for playing our part in combatting climate change and achieving ‘net zero’.
Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) is among the nine authorities in the county who have joined forces with Nottingham Trent University and The University of Nottingham with a new ‘Green Rewards’ app and web platform. By using it, Ruddington residents can accumulate points and earn prizes for many activities we do every day at home, or out and about, that help lower our carbon footprint.
It is part of the ‘Universities for Nottingham’ civic collaboration which aims to improve the way the universities work with each other and their local partners to help change the lives of local people for the better.
In similar fashion to getting rewards points at retailers, all we need to do is log our day to day activities that highlight how we are decreasing the amount of carbon we create, such as….
• Walking to work or school instead of taking the car
• Cycling or using public transport
• Putting your recycling bin out with all the correct recyclables
• Switching off a light or switch at home
• Taking a shower of four minutes or less
….and many, many more!
You can sign up for FREE at https://notts.greenrewards.co.uk or download the ‘Green Rewards’ app in the Apple Store or Google Play Store. When you accumulate sufficient points you can then earn the discounts, vouchers and prizes at participating retailers. There’s also £20 worth of vouchers for the top two residents in Rushcliffe who earn the most points each month, to claim at local businesses or donate to worthwhile causes or projects.
Traders participating from our village so far are The Bottle Top, Ruddington Fish Bar, Phoenix Flowers, Chic Hair, Ruby Rae Boutique, Zing Interiors and Pet Pantry – with more expected to get on board soon.
They and RBC have followed the lead of Nottingham Trent University and the University of Nottingham who already use the app to encourage their staff and students to log their everyday activities. Through the Universities for Nottingham initiative partners have pledged to tackle sustainable travel and transport and develop joint programmes to change behaviour, ensuring the lessons learnt are passed on to the whole region.
The first collaborative sustainability engagement programme of its kind in the UK, it features the simple carbon-reduction activities that residents can complete. Nottinghamshire is the first County in the country to see all its major local authority and education partners collaborate on a climate change reduction project in this way ahead of COP26 – providing an easy to use platform and incentives for all.
Speaking on behalf of the nine council partners, RBC’s Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Communities and Climate Change Cllr Abby Brennan says: “We are excited to launch Green Rewards to our residents and provide them with the tools and motivation to join the fight against climate change. Register or download the app today! Small actions really can make a difference, and we’re confident of this scheme’s ability to show how much of an impact our residents can have. This scheme has already been a huge hit with University students and staff so we’re delighted many residents can now join them to be rewarded for everything they do to help lower carbon levels.”
She adds: “Every time you go for a walk, cycle or use green public transport instead of using a car, recycle responsibly or just turn a light switch or plug off at home, you can earn points and enjoy the rewards. The environment and climate change are at the forefront of all of our priorities as partners and this project is a unique opportunity for Councils across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire to work together and achieve something extraordinary.”
In March 2020, Rushcliffe Borough Councillors voted “…to make a commitment to work towards becoming carbon neutral by 2030 for its own operations”. They also pledged RBC would support local residents and businesses to reduce their own carbon footprint – with ‘Green Rewards’ being such an initiative.
Nottingham Trent University’s Head of Sustainability Charmaine Morrell says: “We launched Green Rewards at Nottingham Trent University in February 2019, so I’m delighted that the app is being rolled out across the whole of Nottinghamshire. This is a huge achievement given that all the local authorities within Nottinghamshire have come together, united in their desire to get everyone involved to combat climate change. At NTU alone 360,000 kilograms of carbon has already been saved, the same weight as 90 elephants.”
Andy Nolan, Director of Sustainability at the University of Nottingham adds: “We’ve been delighted with the way our staff and students have used the Green Rewards App to log the positive actions they are taking to help achieve our sustainability goals and it’s great to see how commitments made through the Universities for Nottingham initiative are expanding across the county. We’ve already seen 23,000 positive actions, saving over 25,000kg of CO2.”
All eyes are now on the COP26 summit – to see how successfully it can bring nations together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
