Green and Cleaner Spotlight Write-up

What started as informal conversations in a pub has grown into a thriving community hub that's now influencing government policy and supporting over 30,000 people. In this Spotlight call, Parisa Wright, founder of Greener & Cleaner, shared the remarkable journey of creating a space in Bromley that meets people where they are - whether they're concerned about the cost of living, loneliness, mental health, or the climate crisis.

The key insights:

1. Drop 'political' language in naming your hub
2. Choose accessible, mainstream locations (G&C is opposite the public toilets and near McDonald's),
3. Focus on peer-to-peer skill-sharing that brings people together.
   
   Now, with funding secured to create a Blueprint Package and establish a Community Sustainability Support Network for England, Parisa is helping others across the UK explore whether a community hub model could work in their area.
   
   As participants on the call discovered, you don't need to build a hub tomorrow—every large-scale change begins with one small action this week, whether that's a conversation with a stranger, reaching out to an existing group, or simply chatting to someone in the school queue.

You can watch the Spotlight call at the bottom of this page.

Call Summary:

How Greener and Cleaner began - 2019

• Started with informal conversations between parents in pubs about climate anxiety
• Created an A-Z of donation and recycling, shared on local Facebook groups
• Initial meetings above a pub with people from across South East London boroughs
• Deliberately chose "Greener & Cleaner" over "Climate Action" because the language of climate and action was already politically toxic and would exclude potential partners (councils, PTAs, residents' associations)

Core Philosophy:

• Inclusive and accessible - not about poverty, not about age, for everyone
• Peer-to-peer skill sharing - workshops, events, knowledge exchange
• Non-judgemental space - meeting people where they are
• Visible action - people could see their community doing something tangible

The Community Hub Model

Strategic Location Choices:

• Placed in The Glades Shopping Centre in Bromley (mainstream, high-footfall location)
• Opposite public toilets - to ensure families, elderly people, and those with health vulnerabilities feel comfortable
• Near McDonald's - "for the same reason McDonald's chooses to be near bus stops" - to signal this is for everyone, regardless of politics or lifestyle

Impact so far:

• Open five days a week for 3.5 years
• Over 30,000 people through the doors
• At least 50 per cent of visitors come for cost of living, mental health, loneliness, employability, or language reasons (not primarily sustainability)
• More diverse than the borough itself
• Research shows: 2/3 of Hub users reduced consumption; almost half reduced energy use at home

What the Greener & Cleaner Hub offers:

• Repair cafés and sewing workshops
• Energy efficiency clinics
• Library of Things (tool lending)
• Community allotment and garden
• Connect the Buds (18-25 year olds programme)
• Carbon literacy training
• Workshops on food growing, habitat creation, and upcycling
• Support for micro-businesses wanting to be more sustainable

Evolution of Language

Originally called "Community Sustainability Hub" but now simply "Community Hub" because:

• Over 50% of visitors come for non-environmental reasons initially
• People go on a journey once they're engaged
• Removes barriers and political associations
• Reflects the reality that sustainability intersects with cost of living, wellbeing, and community resilience

Current challenges of running the hub

1. Mental health toll on leaders (especially when working alone initially)
2. Funding instability - project-to-project funding until recently securing multi-year grants from Lottery, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, and City Bridge
3. Staffing - needed paid staff to ensure reliability and safety, not just volunteers

Toxification of language - since 2022/23, sustainability and net zero increasingly portrayed as attacks on ordinary people

Funding

G and C have tested out many different ways to fund their work includine

• Trusts and foundations (primary source now with multi-year funding)
• Corporate offerings: lunch & learns, carbon literacy training, Climate Fresk, corporate volunteering
• Limited community crowdfunding (once every 2 years to avoid overburdening the community during the cost-of-living crisis)
• Small-scale sales of community-made items
• Occasional ticketed events (theatre, comedy nights)

The key learning has been that sales and small events don't provide sustainable income for salaries - you need a diversified approach, including multi-year grants.

How to make the impact bigger - roll out the community hub model across the UK

1. Blueprint Package

Parisa is developing a comprehensive template/blueprints package to encourage others to set up hubs like Greener & Cleaner. It is not let live but will include:

• How to negotiate shopping centre/shop leases
• How to secure zero rates
• Workshop and activity ideas with demographic engagement data
• Impact data and research findings
• Template forms and slide decks
• Carbon literacy training materials
• Funding strategies and diversification approaches

Two ways to use it:

• You might want to set up a local hub from scratch using the blueoprint
  Or
• Cherry-pick elements to strengthen existing organisations (expected to be 75-80% of use)

2. Free One-to-One Consultations

There is also the chance to work with Parisa to access funded support for community groups, charities, grassroots organisations, and council officers to:

• Explore whether a community hub is feasible
• Get advice on specific elements (partnerships, fundraising, space selection, staffing, training)
• Take the next steps on their journey

3. Community Sustainability Support Network for England (CSSN)

Launching March 2026 - Community groups across England often operate in isolation, with limited opportunities to share resources, collaborate on funding bids, or learn from each other's successes and challenges - unless they're part of specific models like Transition Towns or CECs. While Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland already have government-funded networks supporting grassroots sustainability work, England has lacked a central, non-branded space where groups can connect, share templates and research, and work together. The Community Sustainability Support Network (CSSN) that Parisa is setting up aims to fill this gap.

CSSN plans to offer:

• Monthly gatherings for peer learning and case study sharing
• Space for members to present challenges and get peer support
• Highlighting funding opportunities
• Collaboration on funding bids - connect with groups doing similar work across England
• Members-only resource library (tagged by topic: air pollution, elderly, cost of living, etc.)
• Public-facing map of all member organisations so people can find local groups

Want to set up something similar?

Immediate ACTions:

1. Sign up here for updates, and you'll get notified when Parisa's Blueprint Package is ready
2. Request a free UK-wide one-to-one consultation with Parisa if you're interested in:
   • Setting up a community hub or permanent space
   • Exploring feasibility in your area
   • Getting advice on specific challenges

Join the Community Sustainability Support Network (CSSN - launching March 2026)

• Sign up via the expression of interest form
• Network with groups across England
• Access shared resources
• Collaborate on funding bids

Start your own Hub:

Before setting up something from scratch:

• See if you can join and exisiting group rather than duplicating effort
• Google and search Facebook for existing groups using terms like "community sustainability" and "community climate" to find what's already happening in your area.
• Check existing networks (Transition Towns, CECs) for local groups

If starting new:

• Have conversations with people locally (pubs, cafés, school gates)
• Start with what people care about (cost of living, loneliness, health), not just the environment
• Make it visible and regular
• Choose accessible, mainstream locations and consider facilities to ensure inclusivity for all.
• Scale appropriately - could be a post office on Sunday afternoons in a small village, or 5 days/week in a shopping centre
• Focus on peer-to-peer skill sharing
• Keep language non-political and inclusive

Small ACTions that SPOTLIGHT participants planned to do after the call:

"From that moment I realised that even the smallest step, that conversation with a stranger, or that moment of deeper connection with an acquaintance, could be the start of a much bigger journey."

• Reach out to a neighbour they've been meaning to connect with
• Contact local community groups about collaboration
• Attach a box of chalkto our village notice board - we've been 'taking chalk for a walk' this week inspire,d by Emma at Playful Anywhere and I'd like others to join in
  
• Explore using closed libraries or empty spaces for community activities
• Chat to someone in the school queue about the call
• Visit my local Repair Cafe to make contact with others who want to build a hub there
• Reconnect with the Zero Carbon Guildford team and see if can have another conversations around the power of pensions and collective actions.
• Host an Actionism film screening
• Connect with local "mappers" and networks
• Start building resilience networks for those working in sustainability/community work

What first action will you take today to make your community a happier, healthier, more inclusive and joyful place to live for everyone?

Here is the full Spotlight call (minus the breakout room chat)