How Will You Save Your 20%?

Almost half of the UK's carbon dioxide emissions, the main greenhouse gas which causes climate change, actually come from the things we do every day.

If you saved just 20% of the energy you use everyday you'll help prevent climate change!

We all use energy every day - at home, at work and when we travel. To generate that energy, we burn fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) that produce 'greenhouse' gases - in particular carbon dioxide (CO2). These are changing our climate and damaging the environment. This webpage explains how you can take simple steps to save your 20%.

Checklist

Here are simple measures you can put into action today.

• Eliminate draughts and wasted heat by installing a cheap, easy-to-fix brush or PVC seal on your exterior doors. Letterboxes and keyholes should be covered too.

• Is your water too hot? Your cylinder thermostat shouldn't need to be set higher than 60C / 140F.

• Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows.

• Always turn off the lights when you leave a room. If every household in the UK switched off the light when they leave the room for an hour a day, we would save enough energy to cook 43.8 million Christmas turkeys!

• Don't leave appliances on standby and remember not to leave appliances on charge unnecessarily. If all UK households turned off their TVs at night instead of leaving them on standby, we would save enough carbon dioxide to fill the millenium dome 38 times each year!

• If you are not filling up the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher, use the half-load or economy programme.

• Only boil as much water as you need (but remember to cover the element if you are using an electric kettle).

• In just ONE day, a dripping tap wastes enough water to fill a bath. Make sure they're turned off.

• Complete a Home Energy Check.

• Buy Energy Saving Products.

Calculate YOUR Carbon Footprint

Your carbon footprint is a representation of the effect you, or your organization, have on the climate in terms of the total amount of greenhouse gases you produce (measured in units of carbon dioxide). Many of your actions generate carbon emissions, which contribute to accelerating global warming and climate change. By measuring your carbon footprint through such tools as the SafeClimate Carbon Calculator, you can get a better sense of what your individual impact is and which parts of your lifestyle deserve the greatest attention. Armed with such information you can more readily take effective action to shrink your carbon footprint, thereby minimizing your personal impact on the climate.

The SafeClimate carbon footprint calculator allows you to determine carbon dioxide emissions from major sources: home energy consumption and transportation by car and plane.

To calculate your carbon footprint simply click on the link below and follow the basic instructions which are augmented by help on pop-up screens.

• SafeClimate Carbon Footprint Calculator .

Environmental Auditing

Donnachadh McCarthy provides an environmental auditing service to companies, charities, families and individuals through his auditing company:

An environmental audit is the assessment of current environmental practice and proposals for its improvement. Which include:

• Energy Use

• Waste disposal/ Recycling

• Raw Material Use

• Purchasing Policies

• Management systems

• Employee Practice

• Water Use

• Transport

Organisations audited include:

• Groundwork Southwark (Environmental Charity)

• Liberal Democrat HQ

• Sun & Doves Public House, Camberwell

His individual audits include:

• The home of The Independent's resident weekly Green Columnist : Julia Stephenson.

To find out more about Environmental Auditing, click on this link.

• 3 Acorns Environmental Auditing .

Simple Tips For Your Car

Road transport, including cars, is responsible for a quarter of all the UK's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. It also pollutes the air in towns, cities and around busy roads, and although air quality in the UK is slowly improving, many areas still don't meet national and European air quality standards.

And consider this: every year, around 32,000 people in the UK die prematurely as a result of poor air quality.

You can help reduce CO2 emissions and air pollution by reducing the amount of fuel you use. That means walking, cycling or taking the bus for short journeys. When you do have to use a car, there are some simple steps you can take to make your journey more energy efficient:

• drive smoothly and consistently using higher gears when you can

• switch off your engine when you're not moving

• share your journeys where possible

• keep the weight of the car down

• use your air conditioning and any other electronic devices sparingly

• service the car regularly and maintain the right tyre pressure.

Did you know?

There are around 1,300 fuel stations across the UK selling cleaner fuels.

If you're buying a new car, a smaller one will save you money on fuel and cost you less in tax as well as causing less pollution.

Cars with the lowest levels of emissions qualify for reduced tax (Vehicle Excise Duty) and if you live in London you may be exempt from the congestion charge (worth up to £2,000 a year). If you are thinking of buying a new car, then click on the link below for the website of the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) on New Car Fuel Consumption and Exhaust Emissions Figures.

New Car Fuel Consumption and Exhaust Emissions Figures. .

You may be able to convert your car to run on cleaner fuel such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG, sometimes called autogas).

Many manufacturers now sell cleaner cars such as petrol electric hybrids - some can travel 55 miles or more on a gallon of petrol!

If you're buying a diesel car, chose one with a diesel particulate filter (DPF), as these reduce the emissions that pollute towns and cities and affect human health.

Some of the information on this webpage is provided by the Energy Saving Trust and SafeClimat.net ( A project of the World Resources Institute).