Another Way
1746. Amy Bray
Amy Bray, aged 19, from Cumbria, is a marine biology student and founder of charity ‘Another Way’, which shows people how to become more eco-friendly.
Amy launched the charity at the age of 16 in 2019, with an event which saw over 600 people join her in climbing the Lake District Fells and pledge support for making communities across the area more sustainable. The charity has since led on a number of initiatives across Cumbria, including planting over 11,700 trees and hedgerows, and runs two zero-waste shops, called ‘Another Weigh’, where customers can bring their own reusable storage and refill with a wide variety of foods, toiletries and household cleaning products. Prior to ‘Another Way’, Amy had also set up a marine conservation campaign called ‘Devotion to Ocean’, which has provided education to over 3,000 people through awareness courses, talks and education events for scouts, community groups and schools on marine pollution and sustainability. She was also an Ambassador for DEFRA’s Year of Plant Health 2020, part of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization initiative to raise awareness of the importance of protecting plant health for the benefits this brings to wildlife, the environment and economy.
In a personal letter to Amy, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
“As we head towards COP26 and rally the world to reach net zero, everyone of us has a part to play. We have to find another way of going about our lives and your zero waste shops are a brilliant example of how to make sustainability simpler for your community.
“I was also inspired to learn about your other green initiatives which have included planting over 11,700 trees and hedgerows across Cumbria.
“As we look forward to COP26, I am delighted to recognise you as a climate leader who is helping to make the UK greener and cleaner.”
Amy said:
“Over the last few years, I have dedicated my life to fighting the climate and ecological emergency because it is the responsibility of all of us.
“If one person was to spread a message to ten people in one day and the next day those ten people each spread that message to ten more, it would only take ten days for the whole world to have been inspired.
“That is why I believe that each one of us should do everything we can to live with compassion towards each other and our planet. Our collective actions really can make a difference, but only when each of us puts the health of our environment at the centre of every decision we make, in our everyday lives, in businesses and as governments.
“I am honoured that my work with ‘Another Way’ has been recognised by the Points of Light Award and I would like to thank everyone who commits their lives to making the world a better place.”