Dear Sir,

The Climate is in crisis. As an issue, it needs action at national and international level – it is more about socio-economic systems than personal behaviours, into which many people are bound by those systems.

However, is it true that there are things that people can do at an individual level to help abate climate change. So here is a list of 30 CLIMATE-FRIENDLY ACTIONS you might feel able to do. They are arranged by cost; those in the top half will actually save you money:

1. Defrost your fridge and freezer.

2. Be more thorough at recycling.

3. Go through your wardrobe and give to charity shops all those

decent clothes you are never going to wear.

4. Stop buying bottled water.

5. Register to vote, and vote for candidates who are climate-activist.

6. Whenever possible, ditch the commute and work from home.

7. Get a smart meter installed.

8. Contact the DCC Warm Homes site and ask for free advice on

home energy measures.

9. If physically able, walk more – especially as an alternative to

short local car journeys.

10. More home-cooked meals – less fast food and fewer takeaways.

11. Reduce food waste by better meal-planning.

12. Significantly reduce the amount of meat you eat.

13. Prefer no-fly/ closer-to-home holidays.

14. When replacing an appliance, check the energy efficiency rating.

***

15. Change your gas and electricity to a ‘green’ provider such as

Octopus or Bulb.

16. ‘Rewild’ part of your garden/ stop using chemical insecticides /

grow plants which will attract pollinating insects.

17. Complain to your supermarket about excessive packaging/

prefer products in biodegradable packaging.

18. Boycott products with palm oil.

19. Look at where your food is coming from; reduce your food miles.

20. Fit draught excluders to your letter box, windows and external

doors.

21. Are all your lights low energy or LEDs yet?

22. Plant a tree – or pay the Woodland Trust to plant one for you.

23. Get a better insulation jacket for your immersion heater.

24. Gardeners: buy a water-butt and a composter.

25. When was your heating boiler last serviced?

26. Try to avoid clothes made of synthetic materials – where

unavoidable, wash them in a bag to catch the microfibres.

27. Fit timer switches to lights such as downstairs toilet and garage.

28. Fit a remote control for your heating such as Nest or Hive.

29. Buy solar panels, and associated battery storage.

30. If you have a driveway, and it is time to renew your car, buy an EV.

Cllr John D Clare

(DCC Climate Champion)