Become a climate champion at my place of work or study
If your employer or school doesn’t already have a climate change champion or a decarbonisation plan, you might be able to help them make the necessary changes.
Whether it’s swapping, sharing, repairing, reusing or upcycling there are plenty of alternatives to buying new, and doing so can have a big impact on the environment. Globally 30% of greenhouse gas emissions arising from the things we buy.
If your employer or school doesn’t already have a climate change champion or a decarbonisation plan, you might be able to help them make the necessary changes.
Putting your ideas into a written piece, like blog, article or letter, can help you not only reach out to people but also organising your thoughts and prioritise your efforts.
Posting your commitments and why you’re doing it, might inspire others to do the same. And motivate you to stick with it.
Air conditioning, lighting, but especially services such as laundry and catering can make stays at hotels environmentally unfriendly.
Food, cardboard, plastic packaging, stationary – every organisation creates waste. Waste reduction is a great target to work towards with your staff / members and there are a lot of resources available online to help.
Setting yourself challenging targets and developing a plan to decarbonise your operations should be done collaboratively with the leadership and your staff or membership.
Your tech is likely to be some of the most resource intensive items you own. Electronic equipment requires huge amounts of energy, water, chemicals and precious resources like gold, copper and aluminium to make. Buying items second hand has huge environmental benefits.
By getting stuff repaired we reduce carbon emissions and support local businesses. You can try repairing your broken items yourself, take them to a Repair Cafe or local repair business.
Decluttering is a great way to free yourself of unneeded possessions. Consider what you really need and make sure to pass unwanted items on to those who could use them.
You can find tutorials and courses on how to make and endless number of things, from your own bread, clothes, furniture to soaps and cosmetics. Once you’ve learnt something, why not share your new found talents with friends?
Find your next item of furniture or decorative item second-hand and bring it back to life by refreshing the finish, re-purposing or re-upholstering it.
Instead of investing in a new or second hand car, why not give one of the many local ride-share, car club or rental schemes a go.
Refilling household products not only reduces packaging and thus your environmental impact, but if bought in the right quantities, can be cheaper too.
Rejecting fast fashion and finding clothes that are new to you can add a really social element to shopping. Swapping a shop for a clothes swap party (swish), a kilo sale or joining a local clothes rental scheme can be great fun. Then there’s also options to rummage in the city’s 30+ charity and vintage shops.
Coffee has a high environmental footprint, both in regards to water use and carbon emissions.
Recycling food waste produces compost and releases nutrients for agriculture.
There are a lot of innovative and tasty ways to use up food that might otherwise go in the bin. Your local Community Food Hub or food project might also appreciate your surplus food.
Avoiding foods that are transported from far away or have to be refrigerated for long periods of time reduces carbon emissions.
Dairy and other animal products have a higher environmental footprint than many plant-based foods. Reducing them can have both environmental and health benefits.
Reducing the amount of meat we eat means we produce less carbon, save water and can contribute to a healthy diet.
Car sharing is a great way to reduce the number of cars on our streets. Electric cars have a much smaller carbon footprint than combustion engines.
Having someone in your organisation who is leading your decarbonisation efforts can be very useful. They can be your central point of contact for these matters and identify potential improvements.
Not buying anything new for a month can help you save money, shine a light on what you really need and unearth some of the psychological reasons why so many of us are addicted to shopping.
Heatwaves will become more frequent and severe. Are you and your home ready? Some advice, with more coming in Open Eco Homes.
The colour of your house effects how hot it gets; white walls reflect more heat.
Thermal Imaging compares brick and white-painted walls in a heatwave.
Update: Note that applications are now closed. Get in touch if you would like us to let you know when applications for the Winter 2023
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