Well done us.
Thanks to our eco-friendly habits, York has been named the greenest city in the UK.
A new study into people’s lifestyles put our city at the top of the list, followed by Cardiff and Oxford
Researchers asked people about their eco-friendly habits, including their tendency to buy refurbished items, recycling rates, methods of travel – and even time in the shower.
Based on the responses of 2,286 adults on different aspects of sustainability, 27 cities were awarded points which were then added up – and York came top.
According to the study, by musicMagpie, the city was also top in:
- the number of people who shop in zero plastic supermarkets
- the number who eat home-grown fruit and vegetables.
But we fared worse on recycling tech – only 69% either recycle their old tech, or get it refurbished to save throwing it away, the joint lowest with Birmingham.
Do our bit
Liam Howley, chief marketing officer at musicMagpie, said: “We all want to do our bit to help the environment, but some things are easier than others. It’s interesting to see certain cities are definitely doing more than others, but at the same time nobody truly reigns supreme.
“There is so much we can each take responsibility for to become more sustainable, and a lot of it is easier than you think.”
Cities ranked by sustainabilty
- York – 270 points
- Cardiff – 264 points
- Oxford – 240.5 points
- Plymouth – 232.5 points
- Brighton – 222 points
Out of all 27 cities, Wolverhampton scored lowest behind Birmingham and Norwich.
And 45 per cent of everyone polled doesn’t think they do enough to help the environment by reducing their carbon footprint.