In 2015, all United Nations member states adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: an action plan to bring peace, equality, prosperity and sustainability to the planet.

It featured 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which will help us get there, focusing on a wide range of strategies to eradicate poverty, tackle gender inequality, create sustainable cities and take serious climate action. 

Through the work of our Green Spaces Fund, the GMEF closely aligns with 9 of these SDGs as shown below:

Goal 3 - Good health and wellbeing

Increasing the amount of accessible green space in Greater Manchester is the core focus of our Green Spaces Fund, with 93% of residents considering it important or very important to live close to green space.

Funding community-led projects ensures that strategic green space projects also meet the needs of the community for their health and wellbeing. Many of our projects are developed by the community to create places to exercise, to relax, to learn new skills, to meet and socialise with other people, to grow fresh food, and some have even hosted green social prescribing sessions.

With over 100 projects funded and over 370,000m² of green space improved to date, there's huge scope for bettering the health and wellbeing of GM residents.
 

Goal 6 - Clean water and sanitation

There is a need for our green spaces to help reduce flash flooding and improve the quality of water. Where possible, we are encouraging Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems as solutions, and creating reedbeds which will reduce pollution as water flows through urban areas.

A recent winner of Green Spaces Fund support is creating a sponge meadow in Chorlton Park: a seasonally adaptable habitat that can collect excess flood water and create a unique habitat increase biodiversity. 
 

Goal 8 - Decent work and economic growth

A number of groups have told us that their participants have developed new skills and confidence, and improved their employability through volunteering opportunities.

A couple of groups have established as social enterprises to continue to inspire people about nature, and projects are supporting local businesses and contractors.

Northern Lily CIC in Oldham used Green Spaces Funding to revive a community orchard, but have also launched a paddle sports centre and bike library which hire local people, and are planning to raise investment to create a sustainable café.

Goal 10 - Reduced inequalities

Targeting areas deprived of nature also targets areas that can suffer the most from a variety of inequalities, and a number of Green Spaces Fund projects are located in high IMD (Index of Multiple Deprivation) areas. 

This will help communities across the city region to have increasingly equitable access to green space and all the health and social benefits entailed.

We aim to give everyone an equal opportunity and to ensure our reach is as diverse and inclusive as possible.

Goal 11 - Sustainable cities and communities

Supporting a bottom-up approach that is connected into local services and communities is a fantastic way to increase local sustainability and self-sufficiency.

Our Green Spaces Fund groups are growing fresh food in allotments, composting waste, reviving lost skills such as orchard maintenance, and helping to create a circular economy by trading tools, plants, goods, help and expertise with each other. 

Bringing people together within their own neighbourhoods is a key requirement for our funding as the spaces must be accessible for everyone to enjoy.
 

Goal 13 - Climate Action

One of our key objectives for giving grants is that projects take action for both nature and climate. The Green Spaces Fund is an excellent example of community led action that tackles climate issues most important in the neighbourhoods where the projects are based. 

Groups like Ardwick Climate Action are facing the issue head on. Their "Stepping Stones" project has created a nature-rich corridor of green spaces for the local community in an area that experiences high levels of air pollution, as they're between three arterial roads (the Mancunian Way, A6 and A34).

In total, the Ardwick team and volunteers have improved 16,230m² of green space - a huge win for both the community and the environment.

Goal 14 - Life below water

Some of our projects have a watery theme, or will improve/create ponds, wetlands or riverine habitats. Many Green Spaces Fund projects have installed ponds across GM, which not only enhance the biodiversity of aquatic creatures and plants in the area but also provide opportunities for educational activities like pond dipping.

These projects are critical to protecting and enhancing our wildlife that can be found below water. Most projects include taking surveys so that we can see the impact we make.
 

Goal 15 - Life on land

Similarly, on land one of our key objectives is to see nature recover thought positive actions for wildlife within any green space improvements.

Some projects are very wildlife focussed while others may consider plants and trees that will attract wildlife within other features.

A Bog's Life, a Green Spaces Fund project in Salford, is restoring a patch of dried-out peat at Little Woolden Moss into a living, breathing, educational bog.  
 
11,648m² of land is being restored, carefully planted with 10,000 specialist plants to provide a home for numerous species and offer flood prevention through improved water retention.

Goal 17 - Partnerships for the goals

The Greater Manchester Environment Fund is a key cornerstone within our Local Nature Partnership as a conduit through which we can attract more funding to realise our ambitions for a nature rich city and net zero goals.

Our target to attract more finance to build a greener Greater Manchester is a goal within Greater Manchester’s Environment Plan.

We can help organisations meet a variety of environment-focused aims, including Corporate Social Responsibility, Social Value, alignment with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, Biodiversity Net Gain commitments and carbon offsetting.

For more information about getting involved as a GMEF Corporate Supporter, click here.