Congleton Sustainability Group

24/01/2026

We should be restoring nature like our lives depend on it — because they do 🌱

Nature is our life support and reversing its decline is crucial, not least to our collective future resilience, security and prosperity. The UK Government’s new National Security Assessment makes for stark reading: ‘every critical ecosystem is on a pathway to collapse’.

If we are to address this challenge head on, we must be willing to take big, bold, radical steps towards systems change that delivers rewilding to 30% of Britain’s land and seas. With a new Land Use Framework looming, the UK Government has the opportunity to take these steps for England.

We’ve called for rewilding to be at the heart of this framework. You can read our response via the link in the comments.

23/10/2025

🚫 Not everything belongs in your silver recycling bin!
If an item doesn’t belong, it contaminates your recycling — and that can spoil an entire load.
❌ Please don’t put these in your silver bin:
• Tied bags
• Food waste
• Nappies & personal care items
• Textiles (like clothes or shoes)
• Polystyrene & hard plastics
• Batteries & electricals
• Medical waste & hazardous aerosols
✅ Always recycle the correct items — and make sure your recycling is clean, dry, and loose inside the bin. ♻️

21/10/2025

Don't bin it - bring it!

We need your help - the museum is working on a kids craft project and we need -

- small white plastic bottles, e.g. Benecol
- Tetra pak tops (the whole plastic section not just the lid),
- screw top wine bottle lids.

If you use any of these items please collect, rinse and bring to the museum by the end of November.

Thanks so much for your support!

15/10/2025

♻️ Upcycle your way to less waste!
There are so many fun ways to transform unwanted textiles into something new and useful.
Try turning:
🧸 An old fluffy dressing gown → a cute handmade teddy bear
👕 A damaged shirt → a reusable tote bag
🎄 Fabric scraps → festive decorations like bunting or ornaments
✨ Get inspired — there are loads of tutorials and ideas online to help you get started.
🌏

13/10/2025

🥦 Concerned about food waste?
You're not alone — millions of tonnes of good food go to waste every year. But small changes can make a big difference.
Visit the Hubbub website for practical tips and clever ideas to help reduce food waste at home.
👉 https://monkeylink.co/d55851
Let’s waste less and make more of what we have! 💚

09/10/2025

Did you know your recycling must be clean, dry, and loose inside your bin to be properly processed?
🚫 Wet paper and cardboard are difficult to recycle — moisture breaks down the fibres and leads to contamination
🚫 Dirty items (like food-covered packaging) can spoil whole loads of recycling
🚫 Bagged recycling can’t be sorted easily and often hides contaminated waste
✅ Help reduce recycling contamination:
Make sure everything you put in your recycling bin is clean, dry, and loose.
Thanks for recycling in Cheshire East.

08/09/2025

🌱 Congleton Hydro and Solar Community Grants are back! 🌞
Applications open 1st September – 1st October.

We’re a non-profit project with one big aim: to give back to our community. Each year, we generate funds from our hydro and solar schemes and put them straight into local projects that help our environment, promote sustainability, and inspire learning.

Are you a green champion, a curious engineer or scientist, a passionate environmentalist, or simply someone with a clever idea to solve a local “green” or educational challenge? 💡 This could be your chance to bring it to life!

Every year, we set aside a pot of funding to support projects just like yours—so why not apply? Fill in the simple application form - https://form.jotform.com/252311738640049

07/09/2025

Thoughts?

7 proven strategies cities are using to clean the air.

With the right mix of planning, policy, and investment, they can make a real dent in emissions — and a lot of them already are.

Here’s how:

1. Plan smarter, build better

Cities that focus on compact, mixed-use neighbourhoods (where homes, shops, and services are all close together) make it easier for people to walk, cycle, or use public transport. It’s a simple shift with huge impact — fewer cars, cleaner air.

2. Invest in clean, reliable public transport

Electric buses, metro systems, and well-connected transit networks don’t just reduce pollution — they make cities more liveable. Add in transit-oriented development (where new housing is built near transit stops), and it’s a win-win.

3. Bring in more green and blue spaces

Parks, trees, green roofs, wetlands — all of these help filter air pollutants and cool down cities. They're also just great places to be. Nature-based solutions aren’t just pretty; they’re practical.

4. Make buildings and energy systems cleaner

Tightening building codes and switching to renewable energy in urban infrastructure cuts emissions at the source. Energy-efficient buildings aren’t just good for the climate — they save money and improve health.

5. Fix waste systems

Open burning of waste is still a major issue in many places. Improving collection, boosting recycling, and shifting towards a circular economy can dramatically reduce harmful emissions.

6. Regulate industrial pollution

Tougher standards and better zoning can keep heavy industry from polluting residential areas. It's not just about moving factories — it’s about cleaner tech, smarter planning, and better enforcement.

7. Include air quality in climate action plans

Many cities are now tying clean air goals into their broader climate strategies. Amman, for example, has made air pollution a key part of its Climate Action Plan.

Bonus tip: use policy to make it stick

Legal tools matter. From congestion pricing and low-emission zones to regulating high-pollution vehicles, cities can use governance to lock in cleaner air for the long haul.

What has worked particularly well (or not!) in your city?

03/09/2025

Fyi

🗺️

02/09/2025

🌱 Congleton Hydro and Solar Community Grants are back! 🌞

Applications open 1st September – 1st October.

"We’re a non-profit project with one big aim: to give back to our community. Each year, we generate funds from our hydro and solar schemes and put them straight into local projects that help our environment, promote sustainability, and inspire learning.

Are you a green champion, a curious engineer or scientist, a passionate environmentalist, or simply someone with a clever idea to solve a local “green” or educational challenge? 💡 This could be your chance to bring it to life!"

Every year, they set aside a pot of funding to support local projects —so why not apply?

Visit - https://zurl.co/5Sv2l

28/08/2025

We are at Jodrell Bank this weekend!

Join us for a weekend packed with hands-on activities, engaging talks, and captivating short films – all celebrating the wonders of science at the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition at Jodrell Bank August 30th and 31st.

🌟 Science Comes to Life at Jodrell Bank! 🌟
📅 This Weekend: 30–31 August
📍 Jodrell Bank, Cheshire
🎟️ Free with standard admission, Family-friendly, with activities suitable for children and adults.

Our stand at the exhibition will showcase our Royal Society funded project 'Our Disappearing Nature' - which has surveyed local plant species, contrasting modern findings with Rev G. Cartlidge's 1915 observations in History of Newbold Astbury. The project explores if changes in landscape and climate have impacted local plant growth in the last century. The museum is working with local community groups, schools, and the public to deliver the project.

This weekend at Jodrell Bank you can get interactive with three games exploring plant change over time, the factors that have shaped biodiversity over the past century, and how we can help! Each activity invites hands-on thinking about local nature, past and future – from teaming up with real plant species, to exploring the impact of scenarios like warmer weather or the loss of a meadow.

We hope to see you there!

https://www.jodrellbank.net/events/royal-society-summer-science-exhibition/

https://royalsociety.org/grants/places-of-science/places-of-science-2024/