Let’s talk about our carbon footprint
Well here we are at the start of another new year! It gives us an opportunity to reflect on the previous year and perhaps identify areas where we would like to establish new habits around our health and lifestyle. Many think about their fitness or finances or prayer habits, but are you also thinking about the environment and where we can reduce our carbon footprint?
This may be an opportunity for you to work out what your carbon footprint is and there are several tools that you can use for this:
World Wildlife Fund have a general questionnaire
Climate Stewards have a more detailed one
You may find you have a bit of a shock with your results! I know I did the first time I did it, but I’ve gradually managed to reduce it. It’s still too high, but at least it’s going in the right direction!
So, the next question is what can you do to reduce it your own carbon footrpint? I’ve outlined some tips here:
FINANCE
Change your bank to an ethical bank such as Triodos or the Ecology Building Society. You could choose a sustainable pension fund, or switching insurers can also help the environment. Just Money is a Christian organisation which has lots of information and resources to help you move away from finance suppliers who may be funding fossil fuels. Make My Money Matter has similar information.
FOOD
Research suggests that cutting back on meat and dairy is the single biggest thing people can do to reduce their carbon footprint. Initiatives such as Veganuary and No Meat May can help you with resources and recipes.
Buying food which is local, seasonal and (ideally) organic reduces food miles. Think about using the farmer’s market in Twickenham held every Saturday where you can buy UK grown produce.
If you can afford to go organic it’s a worthwhile investment – organic farms support much more wildlife than those relying on fertilisers and pesticides.
And if you have the space, whether it is just a windowsill, growing your own herbs, flowers or vegetables can be beneficial. Not just to pollinators, which can feed off the plants, but to your mental health too.
ENERGY
With the current high energy prices, we are all more aware of how much energy we’re using which in turn reduces our carbon footprint. Setting timers for appliances to run through the night when demand is low or during the brightest part of the day (to utilise solar) can help. Other ways to conserve energy include switching televisions off overnight and turning the heating off when out of the house.
Switching to a green energy provider is another simple but effective way of reducing your carbon footprint. One such company is Good Energy, which buys 100% renewable electricity from independent generators and sells it on to customers. Another is Ecotricity, which invests profits in building new sources of clean energy.
TRAVEL
We often just jump in the car because it is convenient but we should really think before grabbing the car keys as to how long our journey is and whether we could walk, cycle or take public transport. With transport accounting for a third of the UK’s emissions, substantially reducing car use – especially for short journeys – would have a dramatic impact. If you missed it the August blog on travel gives you lots of local tips on travel.
Consider flying less – if at all. Investigate European rail travel and enjoy the journey. There are times when we cannot avoid flying, visiting family or for business so have you considered doing a carbon offset? The Climate Stewards tool calculates the offset per flight and invest in projects worldwide to mitigate carbon and benefit local communities.
REDUCE CONSUMPTION OR BUY SECOND HAND
Manufacturing products is often a carbon intensive process and uses up precious natural resources. You can buy and sell “pre-loved” goods from a range of online stores. Goods can also be taken to the the monthly Repair Café in St Margaret’s or the twice monthly Tony’s Repair Shop in Hampton.
St Marys with St Albans Church in Teddington are holding a Recycle, Regift and Re-use Festival on Sunday 22 January from 10.30am in their parish hall. They are encouraging people to bring any unwanted, broken or pre-loved items that you may have accumulated over Christmas and exchange them for other items, reducing some of the waste that the holiday season always generates. We will have separate stalls to swap clothes, accessories, books and toys, as well as a regifting station and a workshop on upcycling items that you no longer use.
AND FINALLY… JOIN AN ENVIORNMENTAL GROUP
Friends of the Earth have a local Richmond and Twickenham group and you can follow this link to receive their newsletter. Also Habitats and Heritage run regular environmental activities locally. Or leave your details to receive the St Stephens Conscious Living Group monthly newsletter and information on any events we are running.
Sue Craig | January 2023