WHAT WE CAN DO

Sometimes it's hard to know where to start. There's loads of information and ideas out there on the internet, but here are a few ideas to get you started



FIRST YOU COULD CALCULATE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

Calculating our personal and household carbon footprints can help us to understand where our biggest impact is and how we compare with others around to world.


For a clear explanation of the term ‘carbon footprint’, why it’s important and what we can do about it, take a look at the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYb7YLsXvzg;

If you enjoyed that video, there is also one about our ecological footprint, which is equally interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_aguo7V0Q4&t=71s


There are several tools to help you calculate your carbon footprint. It can be useful to try a couple of them since they take different things into consideration. They will ask you questions about yourself and your habits (such as shopping, transport, household gadgets etc). Here are some carbon/ecological/environmental footprint calculators you could try:



NEXT STEPS

Once you've estimated your carbon footprint, you might want to make some changes to reduce your environmental impact. Take a look at our suggestions below for some ideas or check out the following websites/apps which can help you form some new habits:

Click a box below to view things we can do in different areas of our lives

Repair, Recycle, Reuse, Reduce!

“The extraction and processing of natural resources to make the products we buy produces a large amount of greenhouse gases overseas. Almost a quarter of the average person’s energy consumption and associated emissions is a result of the things we buy. In addition, around 90% of biodiversity loss is related to resource use. Buying less, reusing, repairing, and then recycling what we do buy reduces this.”


Friends of the Earth website, 2023


"Possessions steal our time and energy. They require unending maintenance to be cleaned, maintained, fixed, replaced, and removed. They steal our precious attention, time, and energy and too often, we don't even notice it—until it's too late."


Joshua Becker, Becoming Minimalist


LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION


You can find lots of fantastic information across the internet about why and how we should reduce our waste. Here are some of our favourite resources:



TOP TIPS FOR THINGS YOU COULD TRY


  • Repair: Don’t know how to repair something yourself? Take items to your local repair café (link) and learn how to fix them.
  • Share unwanted items: try the Olio app (https://olioapp.com/en/ ) for passing unwanted items (including food) to people who live nearby. You could also try Freegle or Freecycle.
  • Buy and sell second-hand: buying used items saves energy that would otherwise be needed to source materials, manufacture and transport new items. Try car-boot sales, charity shops, a ‘reuse centre’ or websites such as Facebook Marketplace, Ebay or GumTree. 
  • Repurpose: Find new uses for old items. There are lots of ideas online - try searching using the term ‘upcycle’. For example: ‘upcycle jam jars’ or ‘upcycle teapot’. Old tatty clothing can be cut up as cloths to use in place of kitchen roll.
  • Reuse: you can often reuse ‘disposable’ items if you store them carefully. For example: gift bags or packaging (boxes, bubble wrap etc). 
  • Reduce packaging: Fossil fuels are used to produce plastic and other packaging and their disposal pollutes the environment and impacts biodiversity. Plastic can be recycled, but as it degrades with every reuse cycle, it will eventually become landfill. For support going plastic free check out local group 'Action on Plastic'.   

Waste Less, Buy Smart!

Globally, 20% of direct greenhouse gas emissions are from food and agriculture and food typically contributes between 10-30% of a household’s carbon footprint. Of the food that is produced, 1/3 is then wasted both by the food industry and by us at home. Therefore, one of the best ways to reduce your climate impact is to choose more low-carbon foods and help to reduce or eliminate food waste.


LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION


You can find lots of information across the internet about the whys and hows of reducing food waste and choosing lower carbon foods. Here are some of our favourite resources:




TOP TIPS FOR THINGS YOU COULD TRY


  • Meal Plan to reduce waste – plan for the week before you shop, stick to your list, and never shop while hungry!  
  • Make a weekly fridge raid meal – this is an excellent way to use up odds and ends before you shop. Soup, fried rice and frittata are all excellent options. Find recipe ideas for odds and ends here or take a look at the 'Zero Waste Chef' cookbook or blog.
  • Choose lower carbon options where possible. Have a look at the information in the links above for the carbon footprint of different foods. In general think about the amount and type of meat you eat; aim to eat more locally produced foods and choose foods that are in season (when a product is out of season, frozen and tinned varieties are great choices).
  • Grow your own
  • Choose organic when you can. Organic farming has lower emissions, lower pollution and captures and stores more carbon. 
  • Try using local community agriculture: https://stroudcommunityagriculture.org/
  • Compost food waste instead of sending it to council waste – this means you get something useful for your garden and the waste doesn’t need to use up more carbon travelling further to be processed. Start with a normal backyard compost bin or a wormery for uncooked vegetable scraps. Bokashi bins are next level for cooked food composting.
  • Reduce packaging: Try buying loose items form local stores such as Loose in Stroud, Leaf and Ground in Dursley or the Eastington Farmshop

Carbon conscious commuting!

About 30% of UK CO2 emissions currently come from transport (of people and goods). If we could reduce our use of petrol and diesel 

we could significantly reduce our CO2 emissions and climate change. It would also reduce air pollution and save us money.


LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION



TOP TIPS FOR THINGS YOU COULD TRY


1. Use Public Transport wherever possible. 

  • Buses: One bus carrying many passengers generates less carbon emissions than many people travelling in their separate cars - particularly when they are full or electrically powered. Stroud District Council bought two electric buses in 2023, but they are not used in our area. Our villages are poorly served by busses currently and so bus use remains aspirational for many of us. A reliable, frequent and electric bus sevice is something to lobby for.
  • Trains are a  better bet: One train half full of passengers emits less CO2 than if each passenger (or pair of) made the same journey in separate cars; especially if the trains are electric and powered by renewable energy sources. Trains are increasingly electric powered, which helps  our collective carbon footprint and air pollution levels.

2.  Car/lift share where possible. As well as travelling to the shops or work with someone else, you could also share the effort of the school run (for example) with a neighbour so that you alternate who does the lift. Also think about how you can string errands togethers: For example can you do the food shop on the way home from work rather than making seperate journeys? All of these will also save a lot of time.


3.  'Active Travel': Walk or cycle to your destination (or part of the way) rather than drive. Cycling along a busy/country road, can be daunting, but on quieter roads or where there is a cycle path/lane, cycling is an excellent option. It offers good exercise in addition to 'clean' and safe travel.  (When all vehicles are electric it will be even healthier!). It can also save money on both travel costs and gym membership.


4.  Buy an EV (electric vehicle), or a plug-in or self-charging hybrid vehicle.

According to Greenpeace, while not perfect, an electric car has about half the climate impact over it’s lifetime than an average EU, fossil-fuel-powered car. This is because electricity is getting greener (renewables) and electric motors are more efficient than conventional engines. There are also the local environmental benefits of reduced emissions. 


There are significant personal advantages to driving an EV too: quiet peaceful driving, powerful acceleration, big monthly savings if home-charging is possible, convenience of overnight charging where this is possible.  

  

Many people have concerns about buying an EV (eg purchase cost, range, charging infrastucture) and the following articles discuss some of the these concerns:

  • To eV or not to eV (a CUCAN article)
  • https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/electric-vehicles-debunking-myths/
  • https://www.drive-electric.co.uk/guides/general/electric-vehicle-myths-busted/

A hybrid vehicle is significantly less clean than a full EV but is better for the environment than a fossil-fuel powered car. Now that charging infrastructure and vehicle range have dramatically improved they are becoming a less attractive option. See this article for more information on EV vs Hybrid.


5.  Avoid Air Travel if possible! 

Enjoy holidays in UK where travel can be by EV, bus or train rather than flying abroad;  enjoy football matches etc on the TV rather than live in the distant stadium (less fun admittedly!); travel to destinations on the Continent by peaceful, on-time, electric European trains!

Reducing Our Energy Bills and Carbon Footprints at the Same Time!!

Home energy consumption accounts for around 30% of total energy used in the UK, and around 20% of our total carbon emissions. Reducing our energy use at home is not only good for the planet but it is good for our pockets too!


LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION 


TOP TIPS FOR THINGS YOU COULD TRY


  1. Switch off lights and appliances when they are not needed. This is the most obvious and simplest tip for helping to save the planet (and your energy bill!). It has the effect of reducing our carbon footprint/global warming contribution.
  2. Make little changes, like switching to LED bulbs; using pan lids when cooking; using the microwave/slow cooker/pressure cooker/air-fryer in preference to the oven; washing laundry at cooler temperatures and using a smart electricity meter to help you track what the big energy using appliances are.
  3. Lower the temperature setting on your central heating thermostat by a degree or two (and wear more clothes!). The 21C standard temperature setting in commercial buildings, that we have become used to in recent decades, is warmer than is needed for most people's comfort.
  4. Turn off the central heating and only heat those rooms that you need warm for health and comfort reasons (e.g. living room). This has bigger effect than 1. or 2. above. Try it for a year then recalculate your Carbon Footprint (see top of this page) and your annual energy bill, and see!
  5. Consider replacing the gas/oil boiler with a heat pump. Heat pumps are more efficient users of fuel than oil/gas boilers - in the sense that they produce less CO2 during operation for the same amount of heat generated. They are significantly less expensive to run than direct electric heaters (because they use less electricity) although their installation is not cheap. Click here for more information and FAQs about heat pumps. Other possibilities to consider include Solar PV (Photovoltaic); Solar Collecting Panels (black water-containing tubes on your roof) and Biogas.
  6. Insulate your home (loft/under-floor/cavity wall). The better insulated your home, the less heat is lost to the outside, the less heating you need to keep the home warm and the lower your Carbon Footprint and energy bills. 
  7. Stop draughts. While some air circulation through the home is necessary to prevent damp building up, large draughts can be a significant source of heat loos in the home. Look for gaps around doors and windows; use curtains over doors and windows; carpet floors and double/triple/secondary glaze widows if possible.  

Healthier homes and gardens for a healthier planet

Everyday household chemicals can harm the environment, wildlife and the health of our families. The good news is that there are countless effective alternatives to many of the products we use to clean ourselves, our houses and to look after our gardens. We can even make our gardens a haven for our struggling wildlife.


LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION



TOP TIPS FOR THINGS YOU COULD TRY

Leave Nothing But Footprints...

Often, the personal benefits gained when traveling come at the expense of the places and people we visit, as well as to the planet. However, tourism can have positive outcomes too. How can we continue to enjoy the experience of visiting new places while minimising its damaging impacts? WHAT ABOUT OTHER LEISURE ACTIVITIES???



LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION



TOP TIPS FOR THINGS YOU COULD TRY


  • Fewer but longer trips are better than many short trips due to the impact of the transport to the destination.
  • Stay local: Staying in the UK or choosing a country that is nearer will obviously reduce the carbon footprint of whichever travel mode you choose.
  • Avoiding tourist hotspots can reduce negative impacts on local communities. 
  • Consider your mode of transport: Many UK or European destinations can be reached using buses/coaches or trains. On arrival you may be able to cycle or walk if you choose your destination carefully. This will not be a practical option for everyone.
  • If you need to fly, there are some useful tips on reducing the impact when flying on the Which? website.