Its not too late to start to reduce your carbon footprint

When it comes to reducing our own carbon footprint or reducing our energy consumption, we all have to start somewhere. Doing nothing yourself just because other people do nothing to reduce climate change is obviously not the answer, but leading by example is always a good way to go.

We can all start by being more efficient by using energy-efficient light bulbs, turning down the thermostat on our central heating or night storage heaters. We can get a Home Energy Check done, run our fridges at 3-5°C, plus heat hot water to only 60°C, draw curtains earlier in the day thereby retaining more heat indoors. We can also set the washing machine to 30-40°C, dry clothes naturally, recycle, switch electrical equipment we are not using off as soon as we have stopped using it and print less emails and literature.

An important and effective way to reduce our carbon footprint is to insulate our homes and workplaces. We can do this by improving loft insulation, insulating cavity walls, laging boilers and pipes, insulating hot water tanks, installing solar hot water systems, along with energy efficient, energy saving double glazing.

We can choose to travel less, work from home wherever possible rather than commuting, car-share and fly less. Other ways to reduce our carbon footprint and help the environment include eating green, cutting down on meat consumption (farming animals for food leaves a huge carbon footprint), buying as much local produce as possible therefore reducing “food miles”.

We can also opt to think rainforest and shop “forest-friendly” (look for the logos of the Forest Stewardship Council or the Rainforest Alliance) when buying wooden things as deforestation accounts for 20 per cent of the world’s carbon emissions. It is never too late to start to reduce your carbon footprint, which at the end of the day is your call, but whatever your actions (and those of others), we will have to all live with the consequences in the short, medium and long term.