Take action on the climate and nature emergency
From what you eat and what you buy to how you travel and the energy you use – the decisions you make every day have an impact on our local climate and community.
Understanding climate change
Our free online training takes around 45 minutes. It will give you a better understanding of the climate and nature emergency and how you can take action.
You can use the carbon footprint calculator (WWF) to learn how your current lifestyle impacts on the climate.
Changes you can make to cut your carbon footprint
What you eat
Eat less meat (particularly beef and lamb) and dairy products. These products have a larger carbon footprint than chicken, fish, and plant-based alternatives.
Try to cut down your food waste. The average UK household throws away £470 of food a year. Use leftovers and avoid overstocking your fridge and cupboards to save money and lessen food waste.
Shop locally and, if possible, more seasonally. You are more likely to be able to buy food produced in the UK which means it will have a lower carbon footprint.
Grow your own fruit, vegetables and herbs at an allotment or in your garden.
What you buy – reduce, reuse, repair and recycle
Borrowing rather than buying saves money and potential landfill waste. Share Bristol’s Library of Things in Kingswood has DIY and gardening tools, sports gear, camping equipment, party supplies, and much more available to borrow.
Revive is our reuse shop at Thornbury Sort It recycling centre. It sells reusable items that have been brought to our recycling centres including furniture, bikes, crockery, DVDs, and more.
Repair items you own. Local repair cafes have a team of volunteers to fix electricals, clothing and toys for free or a voluntary donation. There are cafes in Hanham, UWE’s Frenchay campus and across Bristol. Check Bristol Repair Cafe (Facebook) for more information.
Recycle glass, hard plastic, tins and aerosols, cardboard and cartons, and food waste every week using your green boxes. We are also trialling soft plastics recycling in some areas. If you are not part of the trial, you can use the postcode checker on Recycle Now to find a supermarket near you that will accept soft plastics.
How you travel
Help reduce the number of cars on the road by walking, cycling, or taking public transport.
We offer Bikeability lessons to build your confidence to cycle on the roads.
You can get a month of free bus travel by applying for a birthday bus pass. If you are over 65 or disabled, you can get free off-peak bus travel with a Diamond Travelcard bus pass.
Enable your children to walk, scoot or cycle to school. Choosing active travel improves health, cuts air pollution and increases safety around schools.
Where you choose to go on holiday
Swap a long-haul holiday abroad for a staycation or short-haul travel.
Use a train, instead of a plane, for short-haul journeys in the UK or to Europe.
How you use energy
There are several small changes you can make at home to save energy and money:
- lower your thermostat – 18 to 21 degrees is ideal for healthy adults (an ideal temperature may be higher for older people or those who are less mobile)
- do not leave devices on standby or lights on when no-one is using them
- do not overfill the kettle
- change to a renewable energy tariff
More quick tips to save energy at home are available from the Energy Saving Trust.
You could also consider long-lasting home improvements such as:
- loft insulation
- draught proofing
- radiator panels
- LED lighting
- triple glazing
Borrow a thermal imaging camera from your local library to find out where your home is losing heat.
More information on cutting energy use and how to get an energy efficiency loan for home improvements is on our home energy advice webpage.