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Taking care of our environment is a core part of Uppertunity. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to connect with and have an understanding of the natural world and our place in it. We build confidence in individuals to make a positive change through a supportive and non-judgmental environment.
Talking about the Environment
Through engaging projects and discussions we encourage our clients to think and talk about the human impact on the environment.
Through volunteering in our kitchen, we give people knowledge and skills about food waste, what foods are more environmentally damaging to produce and how to make sustainable choices where possible.
In our garden we encourage volunteers to learn about plants and creatures to build understanding about our local environment and the wider natural world.
Food Waste
We make use of surplus supermarket stock in our kitchen, using it in catering, takeaway food and our international lunches. By using it, we prevent it from going to landfill. Food in landfill decomposes to produce methane, which is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
Swap Shop and Community Cupboard.
We offer a swap shop in our space where unwanted items are available for people to take without cost. People are also welcome to leave items on the shelves to find new homes.
Our community cupboard offers surplus items of mostly non-perishable food at a very reduced rate for our members and other customers. This allows people to get basics at low cost, and prevents these items from being wasted. We also have a free to take display of fruit and veg at the front of the castle.
Recycling
We use recycled materials whenever we can in art groups, sewing and upcycling projects.
We use reclaimed wood and donated materials to build large structures four the garden and to create large art pieces. We also work with other groups such as Scrap Antics and Arborantics who are also dedicated to reducing waste.
Biodiversity
We are developing the gardens here at Dudhope Castle to be an accessible space for both people and nature.
We have areas dedicated to rewilding, where we have native wildflowers and places for insects to take shelter. We grow many plants that pollinators can feed on such as cornflowers, sunflowers, european black nightshade, lambs ear and wild poppies.