Hubbub

Can you solve a problem you can’t see? 🤯  Food waste is the ultimate invisible issue. Here’s why it’s so hard to tackle, and some tips for getting it right. Technically, it’s right under our noses, on our plates, even multiple times a day (!). So why does it feel so sticky to identify and change? Nobody wants to waste food. Food waste is usually unintentional, and most people agree it’s a bad thing. Plus, it can carry a whole lot of shame. It can feel personal, from what’s left on our plate to what’s hiding in our fridge! The mental shift. By the time it’s turned from food to waste in our eyes, it’s already too late! Whether that’s a visual change like bruised fruit, or an arbitrary label (best before!), it can make it feel ‘inedible’ rather than ‘wasted’. It’s spread out. It’s hard to visualise the total impact we could have as a whole, because it happens bit by bit, meal by meal, snack by snack, ingredient by ingredient.  But visible or not, it definitely exists – in fact, research from Wrap suggests the average family could save £730 a year by eating all their food.  So here are four techniques we’ve used to help bring food waste forward in people’s minds. Do you have any other examples you’ve seen work well?  

Is your office fridge where leftovers go to die? 💀🥗 Try these 5 ideas to tackle workplace food waste.  When we think of food in the workplace, we probably don’t think of food waste. It’s just a few meal deals and a coffees, right?  But with the UK producing the most food waste in Europe (WasteManaged, 2024) and many of us spending more hours at work than in our homes, the office is a space with big potential for change! Plus, work has the power to influence our daily routines, behaviours and systems – which means making changes at work has the potential to create impact at a much greater scale. So if you’re exploring sustainability initiatives for your team, or just curious to reduce #foodwaste – get a taste of these tips.

What’s an office clear out got to do with true love? 🤔 You might have a lot of ‘stuff’ around your office or workspace. In drawers, cupboards, storage units (don’t ask us about ours in Kings Cross...). It all has a value, and here are 3 tips to get the most out of it! Take this easel. Originally foraged from Facebook Marketplace for a Student Hackathon we were hosting, it hasn’t had an event to attend in many months, and was collecting dust behind our sofa.  But during our office clear out (which to be honest, did consist largely of finding and recycling paper...) this easel was the highlight! It finally found itself invited to its next event – greeting guests at Emily Watson Smith's wedding!  We celebrate a lot of sharing in the Hubbub team, from clothes and books to camping gear and shredders – anything that keeps items in use and out of landfill for longer is great. Is there potential for more borrowing, reusing and recycling in your workplace? If you fancy your own office clear out, here are 3 quick wins to try:  💻 Sort out valuable electronics that could be recycled or sold to staff at a discounted rate (or rehomed through Hubbub with Community Calling!) 📝 Collect and organise stationary supplies so they can be used better (and need replacing less often) 🪑 Share and donate things that aren’t needed anymore (via the team, Olio, charity shops)     Plus, it’s an excuse to log off early and spend the afternoon chatting and snacking while you tidy 😉 

10 innovative ideas to reduce electronic waste. Half a million pounds in funding to take them further. What happened next?  Find out in our two webinars, meeting some of the projects funded by the Time After Time Fund with Hubbub and Virgin Media O2.  The fund supported ideas that create a more circular economy for old tech. From a repair-café touring the local community on wheels to in-depth workshops providing life-long knowledge and skills. Join the webinars to hear: 💻 What their innovative ideas were   💻 How the projects engaged young people and local communities   💻 What was achieved one year on   💻 Challenges and learnings working in this space  Each of the webinars will focus on how a different audience was engaged in the topic. Sign up to each below:  📱Engaging young people in the circular economy https://lnkd.in/d6XR-rPK 📱Engaging local communities in the circular economy https://lnkd.in/dT4zEdpa If you’re interested in e-waste, we’ll see you there! Tag anyone else you think might be curious too...

Could secondhand move to first place? According to Vinted, the answer is yes🥇 Over 16 million of us in the UK are now using the resale app @Vinted, which is almost a quarter of the population! It’s a powerful indication of a cultural shift towards the secondhand market. And recent Hubbub polling backs it up too – over 40% of people had sold an item of old clothing instead of throwing it away.  With the equivalent of a rubbish truck worth of clothes being burned or sent to landfill every second (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2022), every step towards keeping more clothes in circulation and out of landfill is great news.  And there’s loads more potential to harness this acceptance of pre-loved. Where Vinted started as a marketplace for clothes, you can now buy and sell homeware, books, games, even pet care!  So, how do we continue making secondhand marketplaces even more attractive, accessible and sustainable? @Depop recently dropped their seller fees, making it more profitable to sell. Maybe they could be integrated into the same places people are already buying new? What do you think?  #secondhandmarket #secondhandeconomy #sustainablefashion

⚡ Electrifying News! ⚡ Our #RehomeYourElectricals projects collected a combined spark-tacular 1,271.9kg of electricals (over 1 tonne!)! With an estimated 880 million gadgets gathering dust in UK homes – 31 items per household - it's clear there's a massive opportunity to rehome electricals. Thanks to the volunteers at Wolverton Community Fridge and Albrighton Community Fridge, 727 items were collected, safety checked, and rehomed. Electricals found new homes with community fridge users and with local charity partners including The Bus Shelter MK, YMCA MILTON KEYNES, UnityMK and Salvation Army: Lighthouse Project. Swipe through the slides to discover how #RehomeYourElectricals has helped individuals in these two communities. #RehomeYourElectricals is just one of the 40 plus projects funded by Material Focus’ Electricals Recycling Fund. The fund aims to significantly reduce #ewaste (electronic waste) and its environmental impact by making it easier for people to reuse and recycle their electricals. Find your nearest drop-off point here: https://lnkd.in/d9G6_7K Want to see #RehomeYourElectricals launch at a Community Fridge near you? Stay tuned for more details!

Move over Hinge, community fridges will get the job done. 💞 Just one of the hundreds of wonderful things that can happen when you bring communities together... Want to support more food sharing, community and romance? Find out more about the Community Fridges and Food Hubs here: https://lnkd.in/dzXMq9g4

Can you tackle fast fashion without talking about shopping? 🤔 Here are five things we’ve learnt about communicating responsible fashion.  The pressure to consume fashion is extremely high, with the chatter of new trends and constant advertising – and trying to cut through that conversation is hard.  But our recent polling shows there has been a shift in people’s attitudes! So we just need to harness it and help make behaviour shifts as easy, desirable, and consistent as possible.  👚 74% of us have worn clothes we already own for longer to avoid buying new  👔 58% of us agree that we should all be trying to buy fewer clothes We’re constantly restyling our approach, but here are five ideas based on what we’ve learnt ‘fits’ well. Swipe through to see -> #SustainableFashion #ResponsibleFashion #FastFashion

🌻🌱 Introducing the Community Fridge Network’s younger, greener sibling: The Community Nature Network 🌻🌱 What is it?  It’s a bit like our Community Fridge Network, but for community nature projects. A brand-new nationwide collective, coordinated by Hubbub, which offers learning resources and funding opportunities, and enables groups to share knowledge and support with each other. The Community Nature Network aims to:  ➡️Increase access and connection to nature with new or improved green spaces  ➡️Channel funding into community-led green spaces  ➡️Show that getting outdoors is for everyone – not just those who already seek it out  ➡️Champion nature as a powerful hook to inspire planet-friendly habits Why is it important?  We know how important nature is for our physical and mental wellbeing and that spending time in it can be a powerful motivator to inspire climate action. Yet a third of us in the UK spend less than an hour a week in green space! We’re on a mission to bring nature closer to people, and people closer to nature by supporting community-led green spaces to grow further (with both plants and people!).     🪴 Want to dig in? Check out the Network at https://lnkd.in/gdRgTT6x 🌳Interested in supporting community-based nature projects? Get in touch. We've built the network thanks to the support of Bentley Environmental Foundation and Wates Family Enterprise Trust, and now we're actively seeking partners to support its growth.

Can nature inspire climate action? 🌿 Here are five things we’ve learnt about the relationship between access to nature and the desire to look after it.  We explored this in a research partnership with Wates Family Enterprise Trust and Chrysalis that included:  🌿 182 participants   🌿 19 community nature projects  🌿 activities ranging from seed sowing to veg pickling to tree grafting What were the results? Swipe through to see.  Despite the endless benefits that come from spending time in nature, a third of us in the UK spend less than an hour a week in green space. We’re on a mission to bring nature closer to people, and people closer to nature – with an exciting announcement coming soon!  #AccessToNature #GreenSpace #ClimateResearch #SustainabilityResearch