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Water

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What Can I Do?

Connect with Others

See below for ideas on how to get involved in some great sustainable projects happening across Dorset. You can also search our directory to connect with existing local sustainable groups and organisations.

Become a Member

Support Sustainable Dorset by signing up as a member and become part of a global shift in the way we live.

Our members are integral to help us nurture sustainability and resilience across the county.

Live Sustainably

Take positive action to reduce your impact on the planet and make a difference.

For practical advice on what you can do yourself check out our sustainable living tips on food, travel, water and waste.

See below for more details on local and national initiatives like Repair Cafe, Community Soup, Food Assembly, Sustainability Champions, Fairtrade, Win on Waste, Green Drinks, Transition Network, Refill and Community Fridges.

Many of theses projects and the organisations featured on this website rely on the dedication of volunteers to continue with their good work, and need people like you. If there’s not already something in your area, we hope that we have inspired you and you may like to start something up yourself!

Get Involved

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8 February 2016

Community Soup

Dorset soup is a community based crowd-funding initiative for local people supporting local projects, DORSET SOUP IS: There have already been two successful SOUP events held in Bridport, and there will be a SOUP event in Bournemouth in April. The SOUP events are modelled on the DETROIT SOUP and more information can be found on their website, where you will find all the resources you need to host your own SOUP event in your community.

Sustainable Initiatives

8 February 2016

Repair Cafe

Repair Cafés are free meeting places and they’re all about repairing things (together). In the place where a Repair Café is located, you’ll find tools and materials to help you make any repairs you need. On clothes, furniture, electrical appliances, bicycles, crockery, appliances, toys, et cetera. You’ll also find expert volunteers, with repair skills in all kinds of fields. Visitors bring their broken items from home. Together with the specialists they start making their repairs in the Repair Café. It’s an ongoing learning process. If you have nothing to repair, you can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. Or you can lend a hand with someone else’s repair job. You can also get inspired at the reading table – by leafing through books on repairs and DIY. Bournemouth hosts its own Repair Café and there are over thousand Repair Cafés worldwide. Take a look at their website for more information. You could even start one yourself!

Sustainable Initiatives

10 February 2016

Sustainability Champions

Sustainability Champions are your link to all things Sustainable in Dorset. If you are looking for local sustainable food, or want to know about community renewable energy, maybe you need something repaired, or want to start a Green Drinks. Whatever it is you’re looking for, our Sustainability Champions will be a great place to start. Drop them an email to make that connection and begin your sustainability journey. They will either know the answers to your questions straight away or will certainly know someone who will, or where to find out. Our Sustainability Champions are your link to all things Sustainable in Dorset. We are recruiting volunteer Sustainability Champions in your area.

Sustainable Initiatives

12 February 2016

The Food Assembly

Let's get together to buy the best food available, directly from local farmers and foodmakers.

Sustainable Initiatives

9 February 2017

Fairtrade

Dorset now has ten Fairtrade towns since Poole was most recently added to the ever-growing move towards a fairer way of doing trade. The Fairtrade mark is the most widely-recognised ethical label globally and 90% of the UK public trust the Fairtrade mark. Fairtrade seeks to combat the injustices that can be present in conventional trade and put people first. Fairtrade works with agreed, international standards designed and audited to ensure that producers in developing countries get a better deal. Fairtrade enables people to work their way out of poverty and build a more sustainable future for themselves and their families. Bournemouth, Poole, Wimborne Minster, Ferndown, Christchurch, Purbeck (Swanage and Wareham), Gillingham, Shaftesbury, Weymouth and Portland have all achieved Fairtrade Town status. You can help to support Fairtrade by looking for the Fairtrade logo every time you shop. And if your town isn’t yet a Fairtrade town, now’s the time to join the campaign and you can learn from your neighbours in Dorset just how to go about it. Fairtrade is something every one of us can be a part of. For more information visit the Fairtrade South West website.

Sustainable Initiatives

9 February 2017

Win-On-Waste

If you love recycling, hate wasting things and are looking for a new way to do more for your local community, then Win-On-Waste is for you. Each month, save ordinary household items that would normally get thrown in the bin or the recycling, and donate them to local charities, community organisations, schools, faith groups and artists. Win On-Waste sessions are run by Ideas2Action, a small charity that runs community recycling projects across Bournemouth and Poole. They take place in Canford Heath, Creekmoor, Kinson and Southbourne. Once a month residents in these areas are asked to save specific items from their waste (e.g. milk bottle tops, biscuit wrappers, printer cartridges, deodorant cans) and donate them at a given venue. You can take part by saving up your waste to take along to the sessions and benefit some good causes. Or if you would like to see a Win-On-Waste event in your community then get in touch with Ideas2Action who can help you on your way.

Sustainable Initiatives

12 February 2017

Green Drinks

Across Dorset, and indeed across the globe, people who care about the planet meet up at monthly informal sessions known as Green Drinks. You’ll find a lively mixture of people from the community, NGOs, academia, government and business. Come along and you’ll be made welcome. Just say, “Are you green?” and you will be looked after you and introduced to whoever is there. It’s a great way of catching up with people you know and also for making new contacts. Everyone invites someone else along, so there’s always a different crowd, making Green Drinks an organic, self-organising network. These events are very simple and unstructured, but many people have found employment, made friends, developed new ideas, done deals and had moments of serendipity. Visit our events calendar to check out when the next one is on where you live, or if there is no Green Drinks near you, you might want to set up a Green Drinks in your town.

Sustainable Initiatives

20 February 2017

Transition Network

Transition is a movement of communities coming together to reimagine and rebuild our world. It brings people together to counter the effects of climate change and economic instability to create a more sustainable future. The Transition is an international movement that began in the UK and has been growing since 2005. It is about communities stepping up to address the big challenges they face by starting local. By coming together, they are able to crowd-source solutions. They seek to nurture a caring culture, one focused on supporting each other, both as groups or as wider communities. Dorset has six active Transition Towns and each one has it’s own unique way of building communities, forging strong local links, reclaiming the economy, sparking entrepreneurship and weaving webs of connection and support. Search our website for your local group to see how you can get involved.

Sustainable Initiatives

6 February 2018

Refill

Refill Schemes are now rolling out across the UK. Refill is a national, practical tap water campaign that aims to make refilling your bottle as easy, convenient and cheap as possible by introducing refill points on every street. How does it work? Participating cafes, bars, restaurants, banks, galleries, museums and other businesses simply put a sticker in their window – alerting passers-by to the fact they’re welcome to come on in and fill up their bottle – for free! Download the free Refill rewards app to see where you can Refill on the go, or add new places to Refill yourself! No Refill stations where you live? Start adding them to the map! The free Refill rewards app allows you to add Refill stations to the map. Just press and hold the point on the map you want to add a Refill point and follow the instructions! It’s super simple to populate your local village, town or city with Refill stations so you need never buy a plastic bottle again! City to Sea launched Refill Bristol in September 2015 and there are now over 1,600 Refill points around the UK. The app has been supported by LitterFree Coast & Sea and has been up and […]

Sustainable Initiatives

28 June 2018

Community Fridges in Dorset

Community Fridges – The new Sustainable way to Share Food Community fridges act exactly as the name suggests. They are fridges in the public domain, with food often nearing its end date that are donated to the local community. The food is given by households, or supermarkets, restaurants and shops. Community fridges are a novel idea and are a step away from the red tape involved in food banks. To secure food from food banks, you need to be referred to the service. Community fridges are open to anyone. The first community fridge was introduced by Hubbub in Swadlincote, South Derbyshire as part of its work with the Sainsbury’s ‘Waste less, Save more’ campaign. The fridge gives residents access to excess food that is shared through local businesses. It helps to connect the community, helps families save money and reduces waste. Some people donate food from their gardens and allotments; and fresh vegetables and fruit are always welcome. Since the first trailblazer community fridge in Swadlincote, Hubbub have set up a national campaign to get more community fridges on board. Locally, there are community fridges in Bridport, and Bournemouth and Poole have recently followed suit with Dorchester soon to get […]

Home Sustainable Initiatives

16 July 2019

Litter Picking

Litter picking – groups to join. More local businesses and organisations are asking us about litter picks – who they can join and where. Here’s a few to contact – let us know if there’s more in Dorset we should add! LitterFreeCoast Litter Free Purbeck dorsetdevils Poole Enviroteers Litter Free Dorset Leave Only Footprints (c/o BCP Council) Marine Conservation Society – mcsuk.org More information on waste on our Waste page

Featured News News Sustainable Initiatives

17 September 2019

Dorset Green Living Project

A Lottery win for Green Living. We have been awarded nearly £10,000 by the National Lottery Community Fund to support our exciting new Dorset Green Living Project. The aim of this one-year pilot project will engage groups of neighbours to work together to reduce their carbon footprint whilst saving money on their bills and building stronger local communities. The new funding from The National Lottery Community Fund has enabled us to set up the Project and recruit a coordinator, Rachel Lamb, who began work September 2019. Since the release of the IPCC report last September, when scientists warned that ‘the 1.5C goal will require a drastic cut in greenhouse emissions’ within 12 years to avoid runaway climate change, ‘eco-anxiety’ has been on the rise. In Dorset people are becoming increasingly worried that failure to act will result in more flooding or wildfires ruining our precious countryside and causing severe food shortages and price rises. With greater focus on climate change and its impacts along with a heightened awareness in plastic contaminating the plastic, people are looking at ways that they can reduce their own impact. The project is designed to help people regain hope via positive actions to […]

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20 November 2021

Tops Day Nurseries Thrilled to See Proposal to Ban Wet Wipes That Contain Plastic

A Bill aimed at banning wet wipes which contain plastic has cleared its first hurdle in the House of Commons on 2nd November after a Labour MP proposed the new law. This proposal came as world leaders met in Glasgow for the Climate Change Summit and is ‘about time’ according to Tops Day Nurseries. Dorset-based Tops Day Nurseries; a group of over 30-day nurseries across the South and South West, have been making their own baby wipes for years after finding out that the baby wipes available on the market at that time all contained one-use plastic. One of the biggest reasons Tops stopped buying baby wipes is down to the amount of pollution they cause. Around 93% of sewer pipe blockages in the UK are caused by baby wipes, which can ultimately cause widespread pollution. The eco-sustainable childcare provider also found several irritants and chemicals in the commercially bought baby wipes which can aggravate delicate skin, whereas more natural, organic products can do the same job without those factors, and without it costing as much. Cheryl Hadland, Managing Director at Tops Day Nurseries, said: “Our whole ethos at Tops is to be sustainable and we are always looking for […]

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20 November 2021

Blandford Community Fridge

Earlier this year in May, Blandford’s first-ever ‘Community Fridge’ opened, with the support of environmental charity Hubbub UK, in a growing effort to tackle food waste. Work started on the project in September 2020 and online meetings have been held since then with volunteers and representatives from Blandford Forum Town Council, the Blandford Group Practice, Blandford Youth & Community Centre and Public Health Dorset. Funding has been forthcoming from the Dorset Council and Blandford Forum Town Council, with a commitment to funding made by the Georgian Fayre, the Carnival Committee and Sandisons Ltd (Accountancy firm). The fridge, located at Blandford Youth & Community Centre (next to the Leisure Centre), will be open on Wednesday mornings between 9 am and 11 am, at first, for anyone to help themselves to quality food from Tesco that would otherwise be wasted. Everyone is welcome – the aim is to reduce food waste and empower communities. Food waste is a big issue in the UK. The average household throws away £700 worth of food every year and at the same time, four million people in the UK are living in food poverty. Most food waste in the UK is avoidable and could have been […]

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20 November 2021

November News from Dorset Sustainable Palm Oil Community

It has been a great few weeks for the Dorset Sustainable Palm Oil Community. We have had three new champions sign up in the last couple of weeks (the Prince of Wales First School in Dorchester, Arts University Bournemouth and Just 1 Swap, a zero-waste shop in Boscombe), joining Bournemouth University, St Osmund’s Middle School and others! We have also been very busy talking to more potential champions (so hopefully watch this space!). We were so delighted to see the Chester Sustainable Palm Oil City initiative as a finalist in the Earthshot Prize! What a phenomenal achievement for all involved. I hear on the grapevine that more communities are joining including Lichfield – all good news for getting the message out to as many people as possible that sustainable palm oil is a solution to protecting and restoring nature. We have a brilliant 3 page article in the Marshwood Vale, a community magazine covering West Dorset, East Devon and South Somerset. The article can be found here. Additionally, we have had a blog written about the initiative by the Dorchester BID (Business Improvement District) – read all about it here. We are hoping that this will be taken up by […]

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20 November 2021

Groundwork EFSA Community Training Grants

Funding remains available for the ESFA Community Training Grants programme in London North and East boroughs of the LEAP, Dorset, and Thames Valley Berkshire LEP. The programme aims to support projects which will move unemployed and economically inactive people closer to the labour market and can support a very diverse range of activities (both formal and informal training). The funding opportunities are also on Groundwork’s social media channels, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn. The next application deadline is 10am, 14th January 2022, with an opportunity to submit draft applications and have these reviewed in time for the final deadline by 10am, 4th January 2022. Ahead of this deadline, we will be hosting 2 online Zoom sessions to discuss the programme, provide application guidance and support, and explain how to apply (24/11 and 10/12), for which applicants can still register: You are invited to a Zoom meeting.When: Nov 24, 2021 02:00 PM LondonRegister in advance for this meeting:https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rcuGurTMiG9ZDsbCDQbFn5Bjut7EITP9J

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9 February 2022

Dorset Declares Launches for Businesses that want to Become More Sustainable

The Dorset Declares website can be found at: http://www.dorsetdeclares.com Dorset Declares is a not-for-profit initiative created by local charitable organisations Sustainable Dorset and Community Alliances. This was developed to encourage Dorset businesses to declare a climate emergency and provide a platform for positive change. In making a declaration, businesses will have access to free guides, tools and resources designed to help business leaders understand their environmental impact, create an action plan to reduce carbon emissions and form part of a growing community of local businesses doing the same.

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