Love Your Forest report launched in House of Commons
‘Love your Forest’, the Forest of Dean’s behaviour-change focussed anti-littering campaign, has secured additional investment this week after its impact on the environment was revealed in the House of Commons.
The campaign was launched in April 2016 by local employer Lucozade Ribena Suntory and environmental charity Hubbub. Supported by the District Council, the Forestry Commission, Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Tourism, and Foresters’ Forest, it sought to raise awareness of littering and encourage positive behaviour-change within the local community.
Now, in its third year, the results of ‘Love Your Forest’ have been published in a new report. The ‘Love Your Forest Impact Report’, which was launched in the House of Commons on Monday (19th November), shares insight and learnings that could be adopted by other areas seeking to change behaviour in a fun and collaborative way.
Over the three-year period, ‘Love Your Forest’ has used clever ways to raise awareness and deter littering in the Forest of Dean. Highlights include:
- The ‘Trashconverter’ invited people to swap their trash for treats. It has so far visited 64 locations, engaged with over 5,323 people and collected over 186 bags of litter and recycling across the Forest of Dean.
- ‘Communitrees’ placed wacky faces designed by school children using litter from the forest floor, throughout the forest and, in some high footfall areas, saw a reduction in littering by as much as 30%.
- The ‘roadside gallery’ involved a series of outdoor posters installed on A and B roads with members of the local community holding up messages of pride for our area with anti-littering slogans. Combined with a car sticker competition, roadside littering levels dropped from six bags per km to 2.7 bags per km.
With a view to broadening the campaign’s reach and ensuring its long-term success, Lucozade Ribena Suntory has committed to funding ‘Love Your Forest’ for another year beyond the initially planned three-year period.
With this support, Hubbub will work with local groups to deliver the elements of the campaign which have proven most effective; including a continued tour of the Trashconverter, engaging with more schools and creating targeted online campaigns.
There are also plans to build greater capacity within the Forest of Dean to ensure local groups can take on elements of the project and ensure they can continue to engage with residents and visitors in the future.
Michelle Norman, Director of Sustainability and External Affairs at Lucozade Ribena Suntory, says: “We are delighted by the continuing success of Love Your Forest. We want to ensure a sustainable and lasting legacy is delivered in our Forest, which is why we are funding the campaign for an additional year and will be working with partners to ensure it will run long beyond 2019.
“We hope that the report will provide other companies, councils and organisations with the inspiration and insights needed to introduce their own impactful campaigns in the future.”
Trewin Restorick, CEO of Hubbub, says: “We are thrilled to be launching the Love Your Forest impact report, showcasing what has been achieved to-date to tackle the blight of littering in the Forest of Dean. Thanks to additional funding from Lucozade Ribena Suntory, we are now to taking on the most successful elements of the project by working with local groups. Anyone wishing to set-up their own littering campaign is encouraged to get in touch to find out what we’ve learnt.”
Rt Hon Mark Harper, MP for Forest of Dean says: "The Forest of Dean is an incredibly special place and we all have a responsibility to keep it free of litter and other waste. The Love Your Forest campaign is a great initiative and I am really pleased it has secured the extra support it deserves from one of the Forest of Dean's excellent employers."
Foresters’ Forest Programme Manager Sue Middleton says: “It’s great that so many local people are embracing the Love Your Forest message and doing their bit to keep our Forest clean. Thank you to our partners and local volunteers for their efforts”.
Heather Lilley, Community Engagement and Communications Manager, Forestry Commission England says: “We are really thrilled to hear that Lucozade Ribena Suntory will continue to fund this important and innovative work with our local community on addressing litter issues across the Forest of Dean.”
The ‘Love Your Forest Impact Report’ can be downloaded at: https://tinyurl.com/ycvnzctu
For further information about ‘Love Your Forest’ and its impact visit: www.hubbub.org.uk/love-your-forest