| hould you switch gas suppliers or ride your bike to | | | | can be more fun and better for the |
| work? It is easy enough to talk about the | | | | environment*. If you are looking to get a new |
| changes that would slow the effects of global | | | | car, have a lot at the carbon emission information |
| warming, but are you prepared to do them? This | | | | before purchase. |
| guide will show you some straight forward steps | | | | Analyse your energy |
| to become “greener”, and how to | | | | Do you think you are doing the best job you can |
| reduce your carbon footprint. | | | | at reducing your home energy usage? The key |
| Recycle what you can | | | | points are to turn off appliances at the wall when |
| Recycling is not a new idea, but the capacity for | | | | they aren’t in use, and turning off lights. |
| recycling keeps increasing. It is also a major way | | | | Heat your home only when it’s needed, |
| to reduce our impact on the enviroment, with | | | | and try turning your thermostat down by |
| regards to landfill sites. Councils in the UK are | | | | 1°C to reduce your bill costs as well. Do |
| eager to meet government targets so are | | | | some research into your energy supplier; what |
| constantly trying to find contractors who will | | | | are they doing to help the environment? If you |
| accept more recyclables, either from collections or | | | | find you are not happy with what they are doing |
| at a recycling centre. | | | | you could switch gas suppliers to a company that |
| Currently items such as yoghurt pots may not be | | | | is more focussed on green values. |
| accepted due to the brittle plastic, but you could | | | | Food for thought |
| try reusing these at home. If you have children, | | | | How often do you go to the supermarket? Do |
| you could turn yoghurt pots into miniature storage | | | | you end up filling your trolley too high and then |
| units for arts and crafts materials. Think outside | | | | end up throwing food out when it goes out of |
| of the box. And don’t put it in the rubbish | | | | date? If you make a meal plan for the week, you |
| bin. | | | | should be able to buy exactly what you need |
| Create less pollution | | | | which will reduce the amount of food going to |
| If you live close by to the office, you could try | | | | landfills. |
| riding a bike or walking to work. If you know you | | | | Consider the packaging on your products as well. |
| are going to be inside working all day, the fresh | | | | When you pick up loose fruit and vegetables, |
| air will clear your mind before you start your daily | | | | question whether or not you need to put them in |
| tasks. | | | | a plastic bag. Many produce items will have a form |
| If you don’t live near your place of work | | | | of skin on that gets taken off at a later point, so |
| you could think about arranging a car pool, or | | | | they don’t need another protective layer. |
| could take public transport. Travelling as a group | | | | |