Hi there! Matt here at the Miles Platting, Ancoats and Collyhurst Community Network, where I run the SCENE environmental Project.
You may remember that I started this column by asking for people to send in their hints and tips for saving money, energy and resources, which will help not just us, but the global environment as well. For anyone in any doubt about the need to help the planet, stop and take a look at the bits of information buried amongst our newspapers and TV programmes - even Tony Blair now recognises global warming as the biggest threat to the world! Just last summer, over 11,000 people died prematurely in France alone due to the extreme heat wave, put down by many scientists as an effect of global warming.
We may think that there is nothing that we can do about this, but we would be wrong. Everyone is responsible for his or her own actions - we cannot either wait or expect government to do everything for us. Millions of people around the country are becoming more and more aware of the impacts of their lifestyle, and are acting to improve them! As mentioned before, these small changes all add up, and often make our lives easier, healthier and use less money!
So, to help get you started, I’ve collected some simple and great ideas - please let me know if you’ve any yourself - a £20 prize awaits the best one!
Change your electricity supplier to a ‘green’ scheme or tariff. This can often be done through your existing supplier, and often costs nothing more! It will mean that all the electricity you use will be purchased by the company from a renewable source, like wind farms, hydroelectric schemes, biogas plants etc. This is probably the easiest way to reduce your contribution to climate change, and usually takes nothing more than a phone call!
RSPB energy
0800 0288552
www.rspbenergy.co.uk
Good Energy
0845 4561640
www.unit-e.co.uk
Ecotricity
08000 326100 /
www.ecotricity.co.uk
If you have to take a flight to go on holiday, please bear in mind that this is probably the single most harmful thing you can do to the planet’s climate. Planes kick out a staggering amount of pollution and climate change gases. Holidays in the UK are certainly worth considering, as is travelling to Europe by train or coach, but if you have to fly, and most of us do from time to time, check out an organisation called Climate Care, telephone 01865 777 770. www.climatecare.org
This outfit can help you work out how much carbon dioxide (CO2), the main climate change gas, you produce by taking a flight, or even from taking a car journey, and then put a cost on offsetting this pollution, by investing your money in schemes that will take CO2 out of the atmosphere, and also help less fortunate people than ourselves!
Hope some of this helps! I’ve focussed on the two big effects that most people make on the climate, and how we can counter them, but there are hundreds of other ways, from buying locally produced food, to turning off appliances left on standby - all help use less energy, and therefore help the planet, and everyone living on it, now and in the future! Got to be worth doing!
Matt Favie
