Eco-Friendlier Alternatives in Cumbria
Welcome to Eco Cumbria – this is a community-led site dedicated to sharing ways to be more sustainable in Cumbria. From eco-friendly holiday accommodation to plastic-free shops, our aim is to create a comprehensive directory and guides to help you find eco-alternatives across the county.
This is a voluntary project so we sometimes need your help to keep things updated. If you spot an error, see something missing, or spot some out-of-date information, please get in touch so that we can look into it.
About
In an attempt to reduce my waste, minimise my environmental impact, and find more eco-friendly alternatives to big brands, I started looking for options locally. While some things were easy enough to find, there were other business and initiatives doing great things but that were difficult to discover. Having talked with others, I found that they felt the same.
So I thought: why not create a central directory that makes it all easier to find?
Eco Cumbria aims to be a community-led directory where anyone with the relevant local knowledge can feed into it. Please feel free to get in touch if you spot an error, think I need to add some more information, or have a suggestion.
And, if you don’t want to contribute but have found any of the information here useful, please spread the word.
Disclaimer: What’s Sustainable and What’s Not
I know that not everyone is going to agree with everything I’ve put on this site. Here’s a bit of a guide to what and who I’ve included, and why.
Greenwashing
Like many of us, I can be pretty susceptible to greenwashing. I’ve tried really hard to select businesses and groups that are having a genuine impact, not just doing the bare minimum. If you think I’ve fallen for a company that’s greenwashing, let me know.
The Grey Areas
It’s also important to highlight that environmental issues aren’t always black and white. Yes, installation of more renewable energy sources is great, but if it impacts negatively on wildlife, which do we opt for: the wildlife or the renewable energy? Where necessary, I’ve tried to find a balance and highlight possible discrepancies.
Self-Assessment
Currently, the information shared on this website about how these organisations and individuals are sustainable are primarily self-reported. I’ve tried to read between the lines for signs of greenwashing (see above) and I’ve shared my own personal experience where relevant.