Shop locally
26% of our grey bin waste is avoidable food waste.
Planning meals, buying less can help, or freezing leftovers. See lovefoodhatewaste.com for more information
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'Every time you spend money, you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want to live in.'
Anna Lappé
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As a village we're so proud of our vibrant array of high street shops and restaurants, they're the backbone of our economy, they are our friends and neighbours. But this is a difficult time to be a local independent business - many of our shops, cafes and restaurants have had to shut their doors. Those allowed to stay open, like food shops, have had to manage hugely increased demand while trying to stay safe for their customers and staff.
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So what can we do to help?
The good news is that we can help save our local businesses and be good for the planet at the same time. And if we all do a little, it will add up to a lot.
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Do you run a local Business?
Many other businesses from different sectors and of varying sizes are already working with Sustainable Overton to help us achieve our goals. In fact, with such significant changes needed for all businesses this year, there has never been a better time to stop and review ways of working and what could be more sustainable, from changing packaging to energy suppliers to transport used and much more.
There are a variety of ways we can support them, using our toolkit and other expertise.
Sustainable Overton Business Toolkit
We can offer:
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Sustainability Audit – helping you identify where improvements can be made in your business and putting together an action plan of your choosing
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Plastic Free Champion toolkit – a step by step guide to removing single use plastic from your business and how to gain recognition as a Plastic Free Champion
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Sustainable Business Allies Forum on Facebook- share ideas and challenges with other local businesses, learn from their mistakes.
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Packaging disposal flyer / poster to help educate your customers about what to do with your packaging
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Stickers to put in your window to advertise that you offer refills and use of customer containers.
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Local Sustainable business directory (launching soon) – promote what you do to make your business more sustainable to gain new customers
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As a customer, you can also help this process.
If you use a business, ask them about what they are doing, whether their packaging is recyclable, can you bring your own containers, where they source their products from and so on. If enough people ask these questions, even the most reluctant businesses will start to realise it is in their interests to make a change.
Remember to bring your own bag, own cup, own containers whenever you can – all the little actions add up to a big change.