CALCULATINGTHE IMPACT

What you can do

Make a plan! There are so many things you can do to make your life more sustainable, and it’s good to identify what you’d like to achieve and set yourself some goals on how to get there. You probably won’t be able to change everything at once, so how about setting yourself a target to do one thing differently each week. Think about changes you can make immediately, and changes that may need a longer term view.

What you can do

Educate and challenge yourself! Think about any technologies that you can adopt, or any innovative ways that you can do things differently to reduce your impact on our planet.

What you can do

Go clean! Move to a clean energy tariff, or look at options for solar panels or a ground or air-source heat pump to power your home. Think of ways that you can reduce your energy and fuel consumption - turning down your thermostat, putting on an extra jumper instead of using heating, and using public transport or active travel where possible.

What you can do

Think about where you spend your money and educate yourself on how sustainable your favorite brands are. Think about how an item has been made, whether you actually need it, or whether you could buy it second hand. When you no longer need something, consider whether someone else might want it and how you can donate, sell or upcycle it.

What you can do

Reduce, reuse and recycle! Take your water bottle and reusable coffee cup everywhere you go. Separate your waste properly, washing your recyclables and composting your food wherever you can. Avoid using plastic bags and try to avoid packaging wherever possible.

What you can do

Think about the footprint of your travel. Do you need to fly or could you take the train? Perhaps you could consider going somewhere closer to home. Think about options to car share or go electric, using public transport where possible. Get active - don’t take a taxi - but walk, run or cycle!

What you can do

Think about where your food is coming from and choose locally grown, seasonal produce or try growing your own. Consider reducing the amount of meat you consume by introducing some meat-free days, or meat-free meals to help reduce the carbon intensity of your diet, or choosing local seasonal produce instead. Always buy sustainably sourced fish.

What you can do

Share what you are doing with your friends, family and social media followers! Inspire action and be an advocate for change and inspire those around you to do the same. Choose who you vote for with their sustainability policies in mind.

What you can do

Think about how you can be more inclusive! Listening is vital to understand and respect other people in all interactions and to learn about your own biases that may lead to quick judgements or assessments. It’s really important to examine your own biases and what you can do to overcome these. In addition, education is key! You could read books, articles and blogs to learn about different cultures, races, religions, genders, etc, or perhaps listen to podcasts, interviews, and to the voices of people who share different views than you.

What you can do

Join forces! Sharing ideas and working with as many different people and organisations will help you learn, problem solve and come up with solutions together. Build your network and work together to drive change, sharing resources and knowledge.