In the last year alone, The Edinburgh-based Shrub Co-operative has saved over 12 tons of waste and 5.5 tons of food from going to landfill.
Faced with huge amounts of needless waste, locals set up the Shrub in 2013, providing a hub to swap items and incentivise re-use and resource sharing.
Shrub co-ordinator Joe Thompson said their goal was to criticise societal trends towards the ”throw-away” culture and provide an alternative.
”The community came together to build a year-round hub, enabling people to live ‘low-carbon’ in the most congested city in Scotland,” he said.
The Shrub operates a regular swapshop, where the public can meet material needs without contributing to world issues, a free bike workshop to encourage sustainable travel, and a Food Sharing network which collects from local businesses.
Funded this year by the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund, the Shrub community ties in to Scotland’s decisive climate targets, which have set in law a 42% reduction in emissions by 2020. This funding has recently been renewed and will be propelling the growing business into another year of environmental progress and community outreach.
Set up as a community-owned, non-profit co-operative, Shrub is open to all and encourages people to get involved through volunteering.
Marco Biagi, Minister for Local Government and Community Empowerment, said of the initiative: “The Shrub Co-op is a shining example of communities taking action on climate change and shows that individuals can make a difference when they act together to reduce carbon usage. Climate Change is something that is a serious danger to the planet and the Shrub Co-op is a really great idea that shows we can make a real difference if we just all act as one.”
Jonathan Waite, the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Policy Advisor said: “Some of the best initiatives to reduce carbon emissions are devised and delivered at a local level, and the Shrub Co-op is a good example of a creative idea which enables communities to take local action on climate change.”
Shrub celebrated its three-year birthday last Friday, March 25 with a drinks reception at its Guthrie Street Premises and has launched a new campaign to grow membership and expand its waste reduction goals.
Submitted by Joe Thompson
