What Can I Do?

Help combat climate change by reducing your carbon footprint

When it comes to reducing your carbon footprint it can be overwhelming to know where to start.

Scroll down to try some tips from our members!

At Home

Reduce, Reuse, Repair and Recycle - Consumerism costs the Earth
Switch off lights when not in the room
Switch off standby lights
Use low energy or LED light bulbs
Turn heating down in winter and wear extra layers
Only heat the rooms you are using by fitting and adjusting thermostatic controls on radiators
Ensure that your house is not losing significant heat by insulating to a high level (advice from Warmer Homes)
Consider installing renewable energy solutions
Dry washing outside rather than using a tumble drier

Eating less meat, in particular cutting out beef and dairy products, will reduce your carbon footprint considerably.

Reduce car use by sharing lifts, walking and cycling more and using public transport
Plan your car journeys so that you do all your errands in fewer trips
Never leave you car idling and remind others that doing so uses more petrol and pollutes the air
Avoid flying for holidays
Shop local where possible and use your own bags
Buy recycled goods
Take litter home to recycle and encourage others to do so

Switch to a renewable energy supplier such as Good Energy or Octopus
Use the ECOSIA search engine which uses profits to plant trees (simply search for Ecosia and download)
Reduce the climate impact of mobile phones by deleting unwanted photos, videos and emails (these use colossal amounts of energy in cooling data in the vast data storage facilities)
Use the narrow margin option when producing documents of the computer that needs to be printed (using less paper)
Cancel delivery of unwanted mail / catalogues
Help others to be more aware of what we can do and why it is important, especially our children and grandchildren

Keep an area of your garden wild to help wildlife and pollinators
Install a bee house and hedgehog home
Plant wild flowers, shrubs and trees
Avoid using chemicals such as pest control as this can poison other animals and pollute our soil
Enjoy nature and develop an appreciation of our beautiful countryside
Take a small bag with you when out and about to pick up litter on paths and in the countryside
Help to keep our beaches clean

Find alternatives to one use plastics or go without
Take your own cup for coffee ‘out and about' - practical and stylish too!
Use your own refillable water bottle
Wash clothes only when necessary and use liquid detergent as this reduces the plastic erosion from clothes and into the water supply

Don’t waste water. Save the water used to wash vegetables to use on your garden.
Avoid using a hose to water your garden or wash cars.
Install a water butt