You may be aware that I have been working with some local schools to help them achieve their Plastic Free Schools Award.  (Plastic Free Schools is part of  Plastic Free Communities run by Surfers Against Sewage.)

 I was delighted to be invited along to watch a debate in the Council Chamber at Moorlands House, home of the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.

However, this was no ordinary debate.  The chamber was full of 7- to 9-year-olds from Blackshaw Moor First School.  They were kept in order by Councillor Adam  Parkes, several other councillors and council officers.

Once all the children had had a go with their microphones, they settled down and Councillor Parkes explained about what goes on in the Chamber and the role of the council. Then the subject of the debate was introduced - Are you committed to being a Plastic Free School?

Blackshaw Moor have just started on their journey towards becoming a Plastic Free School but some of the remarks made during the debate showed that many of the pupils already have a good grasp of the problems that plastics pose to the Earth.

Read more: Blackshaw Moor First School – Plastic Free Debate

Recently, Moorlands Climate Action welcomed the incredibly talented New Mills Fashion Activistas to Leek where they put on a brilliant alternative fashion show.

You may already be aware that fast fashion has a huge impact on the environment, being responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions.   As well as that, it uses a phenomenal amount of water – it takes about 2000 gallons to produce a pair of jeans. It is very energy intensive and as lots of fabrics are man-made they have plastics in them which shed microplastics each time they are worn or washed.

The Activistas wanted to change people’s attitudes to fashion and how they source their clothes. So, they began to create beautiful clothes from charity shop / preloved finds.  All the clothes are embellished with messages about environmental issues, exploitation of garment workers, along with positive ideas for change.  Each outfit was modelled on the catwalk, accompanied by a commentary on its history that also explained the message it was showing.   The main message was to buy second hand whenever you can.  If you can’t, buy good quality, sustainable clothes- but buy fewer,  look after them well and make them last. 

Read more: And We Did Love Them Again...

Moorlands Climate Action are thrilled to be able to host a Fashion Show brought to us by the wonderful, talented New Mills Fashion Activistas.   

New Mills Fashion Activistas (a play on the word ‘fashionistas’) is a group of people worried about the cost of fashion for our planet.  As well as being able to repair and upcycle clothes, their main aim is to engage people in a conversation about how we can all do better as consumers when it comes to buying clothes - shedding light on the environmental and ethical issues associated with conventional fashion practices.

They hold talks and workshops as well as Fashion Shows, which started when they founded New Mills Fashion Week.   In their shows, they display outfits they have created from preloved clothes, often embellished with beautiful eye-catching embroidery and slogans with messages about fashion and our world, inspiring change and also promoting an eco-friendly approach to style.

Audience members are encouraged to come along wearing their own preloved outfits and, if they wish, to share their stories.  It promises to be a fun, informative evening. 

The Fashion Show will be taking place on Thursday 18 September.  It is a free event...  

Read more: Love it Again Fashion Show

The Refill Campaign has been running in Leek for several years now and we're proud to have signed up more than twenty businesses.  Following on from a meeting last year between SMDC and MCA, we understand that SMDC / High Peak Councils have now registered as a Refill partner for 2 years. We look forward to hearing more about their plans to develop the scheme that MCA originally registered for the Moorlands 5 years ago. Working with the councils should ensure greater publicity in items such as tourist information, as well as in places like leisure centres and food outlets. We hope the council will install water fountains in the market halls and other public areas.

We're now approaching World Refill Day on 16 June, a day that's not just about raising awareness but inspiring a reuse revolution around the world. Why not take part in the #5DayChallenge and share your experiences with others? 

You can download the free Refill app here - https://www.refill.org.uk/   Let's stop waste before it starts.

Leek First School were delighted to receive their Plastic Free School Award recently – the first in Leek!

Plastic Free Schools is a nationwide movement, part of the Surfers Against Sewage Plastic Free Communities. Plastic Free Schools sets out to eradicate single-use plastic from our environment. It helps pupils understand the issues with plastic in the environment and teaches them to spot single-use items, question whether we need them and replace them with something better.

I was delighted to help the children from Leek First, some as young as 5, who have put in months of hard work in order to win this award. Some of the things they have done are carrying out an audit of all the single use plastics in the school, taking part in litter picks (and discovering that most of what they found was plastic) and writing to the Prime Minister to tell him how concerned they are about plastic pollution and what the government are doing about it.

I have also been working with Beresford First School and am planning to work with St Edwards Middle School this year, teaching the adults of the future that there are alternatives to single-use plastics.

Well done Leek First!

Sally Perry

Over ten million tonnes of food are wasted every year in the UK and a lot goes to landfill or is incinerated with general waste.

Not wasting food would save people a lot of money but we still throw away tonnes every day when there are millions of people in the world who don’t have enough to eat; unsustainable food production and waste also contribute to climate change.

As a result, the Government is introducing changes around the collection and processing of food waste. All councils in England will have to provide weekly, separate household food waste collections by March 2026.

Separate collections of food waste will prevent contamination of other waste, some of which could then be recycled. Food waste will be sent to anaerobic digestion facilities which will in turn provide sustainable energy, cutting down the more than 18 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions associated with this waste, including methane, a greenhouse gas that has 27-30 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide.

The government believes that if people are more aware of how much food they are wasting, they will want to do something about it, so the scheme will hopefully reduce overall waste. There are many reasons people waste food, including simply forgetting they had bought it, buying / cooking too much, sticking to best before dates rigidly, not planning meals and writing shopping lists.

The most common wasted foods in the UK are bread, bagged salad, fresh fruit and vegetables, cooked leftovers, milk, eggs, cheese, meat and fish. Fizzy pop too!

There are lots of ways to reduce our food waste. Here are some ideas:

Read more: The Problem with Food Waste