Plan

Steps to help you plan how to reduce your carbon footprint

Local Council Carbon Reduction Actions

Originally published <month, year> To be updated annually

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Carbon Reduction Actions for

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Buildings

Action	Commitment from residents and businesses via The Great Collaboration	Supporting Local Council actions
Switch it! (…to renewable electricity)	I will switch my home or business energy provider to a 'green' tariff for electricity
Swap to LEDS for lighting	I will replace high energy bulbs with low energy LED bulbs this year
Timing is everything	I will shift my usage to times with the least emissions from energy generation
The solution is in your underwear	I will wear more clothes and turn down my heating this year
Bye-bye to standby	I will turn off all devices at the wall when not in use
Switch it! (…gas)	I will switch to a 'green' gas tariff
Draught-busting to keep your heat	I will seal at least half of the draughts this year
Know your heating controls and turn them down	I will turn down my heating by 1°C and optimize system efficiency
Make a whole building plan	I will create and start a Whole Building Plan this year
Insulate it!	I will review and implement insulation options, completing at least half
Buy efficiency and save money	I will purchase the most energy-efficient appliances possible
Make friends with your appliances	I will ensure all appliances are set to the most efficient settings
Monitor that electricity usage	I will monitor and manage appliance usage actively this year

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Transport

Action	Commitment from residents and businesses via The Great Collaboration	Supporting Local Council actions
Zero flights for me!	I will take zero flights for the next year
Be smart about car travel	I will implement at least 5 smart driving initiatives
Go on a flight diet	I will reduce flights by 30% compared to last year
Join the electric vehicle trend	I will commit to buying an electric car or van next
Choose an efficient vehicle	I will select a smaller/less polluting vehicle next time
Make it a car sharing journey	I will share journeys twice a week for the next year
Get on board with public transport	I will use public transport at least once a week
Use your feet (and knees)	I will replace half of short car journeys with walking or cycling
Join a car club	I will look into and join a community car hire/sharing club if available
Take the road less travelled	I will reduce car miles by 20% this year

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Food & Waste

Action	Commitment from residents and businesses via The Great Collaboration	Supporting Local Council actions
Reduce reduce reduce	I will make at least one less major purchase this year
Do you really need it…?	I will consider the impact and wait 24 hours before buying new items
Choose second hand for best value	I will buy only secondhand or recycled items for a year
Save water	I will reduce water consumption by 20%
Meat-free Mondays	I will have meat/dairy-free Mondays for the year
Buy less/share more!	I will offer rarely-used equipment to friends and neighbors
Ditch the fast fashion	I will reduce new clothing purchases by 50% or more
Reduce your food waste	I will reduce unused food by at least 50%
Get creative with leftovers	I will buy food that I will use fully
Eat seasonal fruit & veg	I will stop buying air-freighted foods
Make things last	I will use local repair services at least three times
Keep electronic stuff	I will extend the life of my phone and laptop by at least one year

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Land Use

Action	Commitment from residents and businesses via The Great Collaboration	Supporting Local Council actions
No peat for me!	I will use peat-free compost
Save your seeds	I will attend a local seed swap
Ditch the diesel	I will reduce petrol equipment usage by 50%
Make your own compost	I will compost 50% of my food waste
Don’t dig it	I will adopt a no-dig approach in gardening
Plant a tree	I will plant a tree with proper guidance and care
Grow your own	I will grow at least three different crops
Avoid fertilisers	I will cut chemical fertiliser usage by 50%
Water water everywhere	I will install a rainwater butt
(Re)-wild and beautiful!	I will leave 20% of green space to nature
Dig a pond	I will create a pond or micro wildlife pond

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Energy

Action	Commitment from residents and businesses via The Great Collaboration	Supporting Local Council actions
Work smarter	I will push for an energy/carbon audit at my workplace
Workplace electric vehicle charging	I will advocate for workplace EV charging points
Energised communities	I will support a local community energy project
Community switching	I will collaborate with neighbors to switch to renewable electricity
Solar PV electricity generation	I will install solar panels this year
Solar thermal hot water	I will install solar water heating
Heat pumps – low emission heating	I will install a heat pump for low-emission heating

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Money

Action	Commitment from residents and businesses via The Great Collaboration	Supporting Local Council actions
It’s a low emissions personal pension for me	I will choose a decarbonised pension fund
Making my savings work for a better future!	I will prioritize carbon reduction in investments
A sustainable bank account is possible	I will bank with institutions that avoid fossil fuels
Low carbon mortgage lenders	I will select a mortgage lender with eco-conscious policies
Cheaper money for home improvements	I will seek affordable borrowing for energy savings
Insurance companies with low emission aims	I will select insurers committed to carbon reduction

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Use your voice

Action	Commitment from residents and businesses via The Great Collaboration	Supporting Local Council actions
Vote for a healthy planet	I will support climate-focused politicians
Lobby for climate action	I will join groups advocating for climate change
Tell your MP what you want	I will urge my MP to prioritize climate in decisions
Use your parish/town council power	I will encourage my council to declare a Climate Emergency
Join the Herefordshire Green Network	I will join HGN and advocate for council involvement
Hand up for a low carbon workplace pension	I will lobby my employer for a sustainable pension fund

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