News — Earth Day at The Friary

 

Did you know that every year on April 22nd, people all around the world celebrate Earth Day? It’s a special day when we focus on the impact we have on our planet and what we can do to make it better. The first Earth Day was way back in 1970, and ever since then, it’s been an important event for raising awareness about environmental issues.

This year, Earth Day is all about taking action, innovating, and implementing sustainable solutions. Businesses, governments, and citizens all have a part to play in making our planet healthier, and that’s something we at The Friary take seriously.

So, on this Earth Day, we got involved in a community litter-picking activity on Saturday with our Centre Management Team, we were blessed with good weather and enjoyed a lovely 2 mile walk from the centre along the river and around the town. We collected at least 6 bin bags of litter which included flip flops, a bucket, a part of a car, and more than 20 tennis balls as well as plastic and glass bottles, glasses, cigarette ends, plastic bottle tops, crisp packets etc. Plus, all of our mall staff wore green T-shirts to promote our message of making Guildford greener. We’re committed to sustainability all year round, and we’ve got some pretty great initiatives in place to help reduce our impact on the environment.

One of those initiatives is our free Coffee Grounds Initiative. You can find a station while you’re shopping where you can collect coffee grounds donated by our cafes to take home and use as fertilizer for your garden. Coffee grounds are actually really great for your plants because they’re rich in nutrients that keep them healthy. By recycling these grounds as fertilizer, we can reduce waste that goes to landfill and shrink our carbon footprint.

Another initiative we’re really proud of is our Green Travel Plan. We know that sustainable transport is a big part of being an environmentally friendly shopping centre, so we’re raising awareness of the different transport options available to and from The Friary. We want to make it easier for visitors to choose public transport, cycling, walking, and car-sharing, and that’s what our Green Travel Plan is all about.

We’re always looking for ways we can make a difference and take care of our environment and community. If you want to learn more about Earth Day and its history, head over to the Earth Day website.