Hundreds sign-up for collective action on Greener Together

Hundreds of individual co-operative members across the country are signing up each week and putting their support behind Greener Together – the co-operative way – a major project which encourages and supports individuals to overcome the barriers of lifestyle change and live in a more sustainable way.

Greener Together – the co-operative way - with its dedicated website www.greenertogether.coop, is an ambitious and dynamic project to help co-operative members make a significant impact on climate change.

Ed Mayo, Secretary General of Co-operatives UK, said: “It is fantastic to see so many co-operatives from all sections of the co-operative movement signing up to the project and individual members pledging to reduce their environmental impact in the three key areas of energy, waste and personal transport. “A total of 44 co-operatives including consumer, worker and housing have already signed up to the project and the numbers are growing!” Organisations signed up so far include: worker co-operatives, Unicorn Grocery (www.unicorn-grocery.co.uk) in Manchester and account3 (www.account3.org.uk) in London; consumer co-operative Midcounties Co-operative (www.midcounties.coop) in Oxford; housing co-operative, Bushbury Hill (www.bushburyhill.co.uk) in Wolverhampton; Seavington Community Shop (www.theseavingtons.org) in Somerset and Community Renewable Energy (www.core.coop) in Northumberland.

Co-operatives UK is looking for 50 co-operatives and community owned enterprises across England - a total of 3,600 people – to take part in the project – and will support them all in their quest to become greener and reduce their carbon footprint.

“We will assist everyone involved in their pledge to reduce their CO2 by 10 to 20 per cent in two out of three of the key areas,” Ed Mayo added.

Part of the Greener Living Fund, sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the dynamic project aims to help people to live in a more sustainable way, by focusing on the small actions every individual can take in their daily lives and enables member organisations of Co-operatives UK, the Confederation of Co-operative Housing (CCH) and the Plunkett Foundation to work with their members and customers in achieving greener behaviour.

All members of Co-operatives UK, CCH and the Plunkett Foundation will have access to supporting Greener Together information, including promotional materials, a dedicated website and forum, financial support of up to £2,000 per organisation and a dedicated support officer.