Mansfield, Ashfield and Newark and Sherwood residents are being encouraged to help reduce carbon emissions with a new trailblazing local programme that will reward them for taking action.
Green Rewards gives people a chance to win vouchers for themselves and donations for local projects and charities, such as Mansfield Play Forum and Sherwood Forest Food Bank or Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust, when taking actions that help reduce carbon emissions in the district.
For each action logged at the website notts.greenrewards.co.uk or Green Rewards app, participants will earn Green Points.
Each month two £20 vouchers will be awarded — one for the top points earner and another in a raffle of all residents taking part.
The actions can include:
λWalking to work or school instead of taking the car.
λCycling or using public transport.
λPutting a recycling bin out with all the correct recyclables.
λSwitching off a light at home.
λTaking a shower of four minutes or less.
There is a full list of how people can redeem points and earn discounts, vouchers and prizes at the website and app.
It is the first collaborative sustainability engagement programme of its kind in the UK, meaning Nottinghamshire is the first county in the country to see all its major local authority and education partners collaborate on a climate change reduction project in this way.
The Mayor of Mansfield, Andy Abrahams, said: “Community spirit has never been more so than it is now, in the midst of a global pandemic.
“We want to build on that momentum with the Green Rewards project. Not only can we tackle climate change in Mansfield, but we can get active, spend more time outdoors and learn about reusing and recycling everyday objects to help the environment, too.
“This is a fantastic opportunity and we hope you will join us on our journey of becoming a cleaner, greener, healthier Mansfield.”
People across Nottinghamshire can sign up to Green Rewards free at notts.greenrewards.co.uk.There is also a free app for iOS and Android that can be downloaded by searching for Notts Green Rewards in a device’s app store.
All nine local councils in Nottinghamshire have joined forces with local universities and creator Jump for the partnership, including Mansfield, Ashfield, and Newark and Sherwood district councils and Nottinghamshire County Council.
It is part of the Universities for Nottingham civic collaboration, which aims to improve the way the universities work with each other and their local partners to help change the lives of local people for the better.
They have followed the lead of Nottingham Trent University and the University of Nottingham, which use the app to encourage their staff and students to log their every-day activities.