How you can make a difference | Sevenoaks District Council

How you can make a difference

It’s everyone’s responsibility to do their bit to help fight climate change and if we all make small changes, they can add up to a big difference.

Here’s five things you can start doing today that will not only be kinder to the planet but also save you money!

Cut your shower time - even if you shave one minute off your time in the shower, you could save over 270 litres of water a month!

Have one meat free meal a week - In one year, a household of two having a plant based meal once a week would avoid producing greenhouse gases equivalent to driving 868 miles! That’s almost the same distance as driving from London to St Tropez!

Turn your thermostat down by 1°C - it may not seem like a lot but over a year, it would save around 300kg (about 100 bowling balls) of carbon dioxide and cut your bills by about 10%!

Buy a reusable water bottle - In the UK alone, the production process of bottled water produces 45,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere! By switching to a reusable bottle, you can save around 150 single-use plastic bottles from use every year.

Unplug your devices - Seems insignificant but devices that are turned off and plugged in still use energy, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Uswitch estimates you could save up to £80 a year by turning off appliances left on standby. 

Read more tips on how to improve home energy efficiency

 

Handy resources

Hubbub UK – Lots of advice on how to live more sustainably

Love Food Hate Waste – Tips on how to use up your leftover food

Save water at home - Simple ways to save water

Home composting - Purchase a discounted home composting bins to reduce food waste.

Recycle right - Make sure your recycling everything you can.

Electric vehicles - All you need to know about purchasing an electric vehicle.

Footprint Calculator – Track your carbon footprint

Community Carbon Calculator – Compare where you live to the rest of the UK.