A cup above


The Eden Project and Blenheim Palace are set to eliminate 620,000 single-use coffee-cups per year between them thanks to a new returnable cup system. Run by green-tech company re-universe, the


initiative helps to permanently eliminate single-use cups at both visitor attractions. This aligns with Blenheim's goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2027, and Eden's journey to becoming a climate positive organisation by 2030. Visitors pay a small deposit for a returnable cup,


which they must return to one of the reverse vending machines (RVMs) on site. The deposit is then refunded almost instantly. The cups are then collected, washed and reused. This hassle-free process helps minimise waste, and RVMs in general have return rates of over 90% worldwide. Blenheim has over 5,000 cups in use with an 83%


return rate and has already saved over 1150 kg CO2e – as well as raising several hundred pounds for green projects via the app. The returnable scheme at Eden is estimated to save around 220,000 single-use coffee cups per year, eliminating around 4 tonnes of waste and a 72% CO2e saving. Becky Bennett


Art, migration and climate justice


In September, the Eden Project hosted Interweaving Threads of Migration and Climate Justice, an event which explored how we keep heritage alive in the face of climate change and forced migration. Facilitated by writer and researcher


Jelena Sofronijevic – and recorded for their Empire Lines podcast – the day began with an interdisciplinary panel discussion featuring artists, practitioners and researchers, exploring decolonising methodologies and practices, and the interconnected


themes of migration and climate justice in relation to oral traditions and memory. The second half of the day focused


on two listening sessions, during which participants were first led to an audio soundscape in front of the Vachellia karroo tree in the Mediterranean Biome. Somali feminist artists, Dhaqan Collective, then guided people through an exploration of the galool (Vachellia bussei) – a very similar type of acacia tree which has cultural and historical significance in Somali society, playing an integral role in the construction of nomadic homes and in social gatherings. The day concluded with embodied listening led by multidisciplinary artist and researcher, Dr Kaajal Modi.


Recording devices were placed in bodies of water at Eden, and participants were invited to tune into the sounds of the water. It also featured field recordings of the River Soar in Leicester and the Farnley Balancing Reservoir in Leeds, made in collaboration with local migrant communities. Hannah Hooks


Interweaving Threads of Migration and Climate Justice was developed in collaboration with Counterpoints Arts – a leading national organisation in the field of arts, migration and cultural change – and co-hosted with Art Reach, an arts and cultural charity.


You can listen to a recording of the panel discussion on the Empire podcast jelsofron.com/empire-lines


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Photo: © re-universe


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