Make small changes for a big impact with Green Rewards

Newark and Sherwood District Council is committed to reducing our impact on the environment and wants to reward residents that help achieve those goals, and one of the ways it has done so is through the Green Rewards platform, which recognises positive actions and encourages residents to make more sustainable choices.

Members can log their green activities on Green Rewards via the app or website and for each activity logged they earn ‘Green Points’. There are a range of activities that can earn points, including walking or cycling instead of travelling by car, shopping locally, turning your phone off to enjoy nature, challenging yourself to a four-minute shower, and plenty more!

Every month two £20 vouchers are awarded; one for the resident who has logged the most Green Points, and another selected at random in a raffle of all resident users of the platform. Vouchers can be used in the local area, and residents will have the choice of the following:

• £20 National Garden Gift voucher - You can spend this locally in the district at Devon Croft Nurseries, Southwell Garden Centre, Pearsons Nursery, Reg Taylor’s Garden Centre and Hollybeck Garden Centre.
• £20 Love2Shop voucher
• £20 ASDA voucher
• £20 Tesco voucher
• £20 National Book Token - This can be spent in a selection of our local bookstores

A Green Rewards member from Newark and Sherwood said: “Together we can all improve our local area, being aware of how we travel, washing our clothes at low temperatures, shopping locally and looking after our wildlife. Sharing ideas and promoting good practices is the way forward.”

Matthew Finch, Director of Communities and Environment at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “We all know the effects of carbon emissions, and how we must all make a change. Reducing our carbon footprint is a vital step toward tackling climate change, but it can be overwhelming to know where to start and what changes can have an impact. The Green Rewards platform not only helps you kickstart your sustainable behaviour, but it also rewards you for it!

“This week we have been supporting the Great Big Green Week, which aims to raise awareness about all the sustainable changes we can make to be kinder to our planet, and what better tool to help residents achieve their sustainability goals than Green Rewards? We already have almost 600 residents signed up to the platform, and I can’t wait to see even more signed up making small changes for a big impact.”

Green Rewards is being used across Nottinghamshire and is the first collaborative sustainability behaviour change programme of its kind in the UK, involving six local councils in Nottinghamshire, universities and the platform creator Jump.

Sign up for Green Reward at: https://www.notts.greenrewards.co.uk/.  There’s also a free app for iOS and Android which can be downloaded by searching for ‘Notts; Green Rewards’ in a device’s app store.

For more information visit: https://www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/greenrewardsapp/