Your local guide to all things sustainable…

To help with the environment, we will be encouraging all our clients to bring back unwanted used or unused inhalers for safe disposal. We are able to reduce carbon emissions by sending your inhalers to be thermally treated, saving 512.330 tonnes of CO2eq every year.

We are swapping to a full electric car and car sharing to make fewer journeys. As well as changing to more energy efficient lighting, appliances, and suppliers, we are printing less, recycling more, and not using any single use plastics.

Our ethos is to choose farmers and producers with integrity, those who treat the environment and the animals in their care with respect.

Our main aims are to walk and cycle to work, support eco-friendly brands and use reusable water bottles instead of single-use plastic. We are also changing from plastic to paper carrier bags and recycling all paper and cardboard.

Our usual 10p discount when you bring your own coffee cup was increased during the Great Big Green Week.

The farm hosted two very popular farm walks and a pop-up Farmers Market during GBGW. Woodoaks is an exciting new local project. The Soil Association is managing the farm's transition to being fully organic and has plans to make it a hub for the local community, with educational visits, organic produce on sale and a heritage barn for community events.

Local refill store The Green Stores set up a secondhand book and toy stall outside the shop during GBGW. Local residents brought items down and swapped them for something different -- a great way to shop and stay sustainable!

Co-op Croxley Green and many other Co-op stores in Three Rivers are now offering recycling for your soft plastics. These aren’t accepted in council recycling and contribute to 6% of our total packaging waste. Co-op Member PIoneer Sue Wonghen dressed in scrunchable plastic to highlight this service.

Waste management contractor Veolia UK hosted educational activities in local schools, with recycling talks and a Recycling Olympics, introducing sustainability to over 450 children across Watford. Supported by Herts WasteAware, Veolia ran a food waste webinar and young chefs from West Herts College ran a live cooking show in Watford Town Hall, making recipes from the Veolia Love Your Leftovers cookbook.

Staff and students from Croxley, Ricky and other local schools took part in litter picks across the area during GBGW. Green Croxley also launched a poster and poetry competition for local students called One Small Change. The deadline for entries is 15th October. For more details of how to enter, ask your Croxley school.

Rickmansworth-based renewable energy company TLS got into the spirit of GBGW and offered students in Three Rivers the chance to find out more about job opportunities in this fast growing sector. Four local secondary schools jumped at the chance, so a few lucky students from Rickmansworth school, Croxley Danes, The Reach Free and St Clement Danes now have the chance to visit TLS, talk to staff and start to plan for possible careers in this exciting industry. Thumbs up to TLS!