Cut your Carbon- Ideas to take action

A group of us, who aren’t experts, pooled all the ideas we had heard for individuals, church, campaigning, community and young people and came up with at least 60. The internet has many more ways from a huge range of organisations. This list is not comprehensive by any means, and not all ideas are appropriate for everyone, but it gives a flavour of the possibilities, and leaves absolutely no excuses for anyone, not to make changes of some sort!

Save energy

At home - cut down use of tumble drier or dishwasher; only boil the amount of water needed, leave lids on pans to cut cooking times, buy energy-efficient appliances and low-energy light bulbs (a wide range is now available). Don’t leave things on stand-by. Use rechargeable batteries with solar powered chargers (available on line and from some electrical/computer shops). Switch to a green energy supplier; insulate your home.

Church - Hold small meetings in homes rather than heating the whole church building. Switch off lights if they are not being used; use ‘pir’ sensors. Buy a plug-in meter www.cat.org.uk to check how much energy an appliance uses. Is the church well insulated? Think radical –use a smaller room instead of the main sanctuary, close your church if it is under-used, and join with another?

Re-cycle, re-use and avoid pollution & waste

 At home - As well as recycling in council bins, find your own ways – e.g. avoid bottled water – use filtered, and re-use the bottles, make compost. Mend things instead of throwing them away. Put a message at the bottom of your email ‘only print if really necessary’. Use paper on both sides. Give, and receive, charity gifts (e.g. Commitment for Life’s ‘Present for Life’?) Avoid buying over-packaged goods; minimise use of carrier bags. Use washable or eco-disposable nappies. Plan an eco-burial. Give up something for Lent – e.g. using your car, watching TV….! Plant trees (Look at the literature for Christian Aid week 2007). Buy a plant instead of giving cut flowers.

Church - Make sure your church recycles – and ask those using the building to do the same. Use china cups instead of disposable ones. Does your church use eco-friendly cleaning materials?  Hold a clothes swap shop, nearly new sale, post Christmas auction – or bring back the jumble sale as a recycling opportunity! Host a farmers’ market. Older people will have a lot to tell us on how they coped in the war.

 Audit your lifestyle: Question all you do.

 Church - Become an Eco congregation www.ecocongregation.org Read CAFOD’s ‘Live Simply’ challenge, follow link on www.cafod.org.uk , Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, www.sciaf.org.uk has ideas and actions. Become a Commitment for Life church www.cforl.co.uk to receive regular action mailings and to learn how people in less developed countries, who contribute least to climate change, are already suffering the effects. Your contributions will help them.

Food - Only buy the food you need; use your ‘LOAF’ – Locally produced, Organic, Animal friendly, Fairly traded food. Become vegetarian – crops use less land than animals; animals produce high levels of the greenhouse gas methane.

Money - Look at ethical investments; use a credit card benefiting a climate change campaigning organisation.

Minimise transport emissions

 Personal - Grow your own vegetables to cut down on food miles. What about shopping online – one van produces less emissions than individuals using cars for shopping. Some areas have companies that deliver seasonal, local, fresh, ‘vegetable boxes’ Support local small businesses.

Make one fewer car journey a week. Try cycling? see Sustrans www.sustrans.org.uk Think about car sharing, car clubs – information on these in your area can be found on www.carplus.org.uk; Use telephone conferencing and email instead of travelling. Rethink your holiday plans – do you really have to fly?

Church – Do a travel survey and see if people can share lifts to church.

Worship

 Use worship resources and prayers from BMS World Mission www.bmsworldmission.org Operation Noah, A Rocha www.en.arocha.org (Christian nature conservation organisation), Tearfund, Anne Martin’s ‘Walking more Lightly’ and Commitment for Life’s worship CD.

CAMPAIGN

 Personal actions - Sign and send Christian Aid and WDM postcards (available from alison.blick@urc.org.uk) Lobby your MP and MEP.

 Church - Sign up to ‘Creation Challenge’, the Methodist/URC environmental network www.creationchallenge.org.uk; Run an event – or be part of one – e.g. ideas from Operation Noah www.operationnoah.org; Christian Aid ‘Cut the Carbon’ march, July-October 2007. Make striving for environmental justice part of your church life www.cforl.org.uk ; encourage your Young People to become engaged in the issues – see People and Planet www.peopleandplanet.org ; SPEAK www.speak.org.uk and www.youthagainstclimatechange.org

 Local community - Start or support local campaigns, e.g. to improve public transport, increase recycling possibilities. Do restaurants and pubs recycle? Use Fairtrade? Cook with local produce? There are local groups for many interests – e.g. Campaign to Protect Rural England www.cpre.org.uk; Roadblock www.roadblock.org.uk; Airport Watch www.airportwatch.org.uk; Wildlife Trusts www.wildlifetrusts.org; Scottish Action on Climate Change www.saocc.org.uk; Transport2000 www.transport2000.org.uk Find out from the internet what eco-groups are active in your area. Start a walking bus. Be inspired by what a local community can achieve-visit www.gozero.org.uk

 LEARN MORE

 Walking more Lightly’ by Anne Martin, pack for churches obtainable from alison.blick@urc.org.uk, for ideas and links .

 All the websites mentioned above include a great deal of information – you could also try:

The Climate Outreach and Information Network on how and why we should reduce greenhouse gas emissions www.coinet.org.uk; Friends of the Earth can provide a ‘green tip’ a day www.foe.co.uk. Links to the many organisations involved in environmental campaigning can be found at Stop Climate Chaos coalition www.stopclimatechaos.org.

 Commitment for Life 2007 www.cforl.org.uk

Return to June 2007 News