History - Another Way

Our History

If all eight billion of us made one uniting positive change, imagine how many problems could be solved. We are never insignificant if we work together.

Since I was very young, I have been fascinated by the natural environment and adored all living things. I have set my path towards becoming a marine conservationist and recently completed my degree in Marine Biology at the University of Exeter.

After influencing my family to go plastic-free and to live more sustainably, I want to share our discoveries and the motivation to do this with the wider public. We have to act now!

Early in 2018, an accumulation of ideas led me to start a marine conservation campaign, Devotion to Ocean. My aim: to give people the motivation to change their lives to make a difference. I want to unite people in contributing to the solution, not the destruction of our earth. It started with a conversation on a sofa and has now directly educated over 7,000 people about marine pollution and sustainability.

I believe that education is a force to be reckoned with. I believe the power of people can change the world, especially if we listen to the youth. Teaching people that being environmentally friendly can be fun, adventurous, healthy and achievable is key to seeing change. Everyone in our fast-moving society seems to think that the problem should be solved by other people. It doesn’t matter who, as long as it’s not them. Countless times I have heard; “but the government needs to change first” or something similar. The world’s alarm bell is ringing. We have no time to wait for anyone else to change. The time is now, and it starts with every single one of us. People need, first to care and then to know how to act on that. I want to empower everyone to make a difference. Each one of us has the power within us to speak out.

My aim is to give people the reason. To give people the faith that voicing their opinions will make a difference. It is the public who drive the consumerism of the world, and so it is us who make the decisions of which products are successful. It is us who hold the power to phase out harmful items- those containing palm oil or covered in plastic packaging.

From humble origins in my secondary school, giving talks about plastic pollution and running an eco-shop, Devotion to Ocean became massively popular across Cumbria and I was giving three talks a week throughout my A levels. In January 2019, I registered Another Way with the charity commission. From tree planting events, to our famous Another Waynwright Day which brought together 600 people and 50 organisations in a celebratory day for conservation, Another Way has inspired thousands to take our future into our own hands. Now, our team continues to grow and we are delighted to have appeared on CountryFile, BBC radio 4, 5 Live and Good Morning Britain, given international talks and are developing exciting new projects to help people overcome barriers to climate solutions.

We can’t wait to see where the journey takes us next!

Amy Bray

Founder, Another Way

In addition to my involvement in these projects I have also:

December 2023 – visited No 10 Downing Street to give a lesson on trees
November 2023 – launched and trialled the Power of 10 app beta with 60 Cumbrian students
September 2023 – delivered a pioneering climate activation and anxiety workshop with 300 students from the University of Exeter
September 2023 – begun development for the Power of 10 app with Etch
July 2023 – graduated along with some Another Way volunteers (Nia, Ben, and Dan) from university
June 2023 – spoken at the Tree Council festival in Birmingham Botanical Gardens
May 2023 – the Ten Thousand Daffodil installation opens, led by our Chair Helen, which raised £300 000 for 6 charities including Another Way
April 2023 – filming begins for our Power of 10 film
March 2023 – Speaker at the SGIS annual conference in Geneva
March 2023 – 3,900 hedgerow whips and 100 oak standards as part of another 500m of hedgerow in Matterdale
December 2022 – appointed trustee of Cumbria Wildlife Trust
August 2022 – employed Holly our first paid employee working as a Community Campaign Manager to bring Power of Ten to schools
March 2022 – 15,000 trees and hedgerows planted bringing total to 27,100
January 2022 – appointed to UK National Committee for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development
January 2022 – nominated Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s first Nature Hero
October 2021 – received Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award
April 2021 – 4000 more trees planted bringing total to 12,000
December 2020 – 6000 trees planted
June/August 2020- Zoom talks on ocean health and plastics
March 2020 – appointed Ambassador for DEFRA International Year of Plant Health
December 2019 – Cumbria Woman of the Year Award
November 2019 – led the planting of 1700 trees in Matterdale valley as part of a wider Ullswater Cachement CIC project in conjunction with The Tree Council’s National Tree Week – regeneration of habitat, ecology and biodiversity – no plastic guards, no straight lines, various heights and types of trees appropriate to the valley.
October 2019 – been appointed patron of Friends of the Lake District
September 2019 – welcomed world-renowned Dr Alan Jamieson as a new patron of Another Way
September 2019 – been filmed as part of Terry Abraham’s final in the BBC trilogy of Life of a Mountain – Helvellyn
September 2019 – spoken at Carlisle International School Strike
August 2019 – launched environment charity Another Way with Another Waynwright Day on August 31^st2019 – over 600 people braved the weather on the Lakeland Fells
August 2019 – been recognised by UN Youth Envoy in its #31DaysofYOUth campaign
July 2019 – given an opening address to the Tree Council Tree Forum for Trees in London
July 2019 – secured a Tree Council grant
July 2019 – challenged local politicians on a panel at Youth Climate Question Time, Penrith
January 2019 – established Another Way, an environmental conservation educational charity
January 2019 – enabled the establishment of Another Weigh, a zero-waste shop in Penrith, Cumbria, UK
November 2018 – Given talks to the Young Marine Biologists Summit and local community groups
August 2018 – Organised a Zero Hour march in London

And more generally:

Directly educated over 5000 people through awareness courses, talks and education events for scouts, community groups and schools
Attended Plymouth and Newcastle University marine biology work experience courses to gain greater knowledge and academic links
Entered my school in the Back to School Plastic Challenge run by the UN environment
Become a founding member of the Lake District Foundation youth panel
Been invited to and attended local council conferences on circular economies and reducing waste
Advised local businesses about reducing their waste and environmental footprint
Made connections to and received support from important conservationists and existing charities, such as Prof. Richard Thompson, Prof, Dan Laffoley, the MCS, MBA and Kids Against Plastic
Influenced her friends, family and community to become totally plastic- free, as well as more sustainable in many other aspects of living and lives up to her values herself!
Featured on BBC radio, in most Cumbria media including Carlisle Living, Cumbria Life, Cumberland News, Taste Cumbria, The Cumberland & Westmorland Herald amongst many others

Buy a hand-crafted ceramic daffodil from the Ten Thousand Daffodils installation

Our History

If all eight billion of us made one uniting positive change, imagine how many problems could be solved. We are never insignificant if we work together.

Amy Bray