bemoreeco

1 Fly less, holiday more
Swap plane for train, holiday nearer to home and take fewer but longer trips – same tanning time, dramatically less climate change emissions. Never fly or only one return flight a year?

2 Save 10% on heating
Turn down your thermostat, turn off radiators in hallways and more jumpers all round. Then apply for a grant to insulate your loft & walls. Use your bill to see whether you cut 10% in 2010 and tick if you succeeded. Don’t use gas or oil?

3 Save 10% on electricity
Save big cash by changing lightbulbs, replacing old fridges & freezers and always turning stuff off. Use your bill to compare 2009 usage to 2010. Produce your own electricity from solar or wind?

4 Drive less
Leave your car at home one day a week. Walk, cycle or take public transport. Join a car-club rather than owning your own and share your ride to work with a colleague or two. No car?

5 Eat better
Local, in-season fruit & veg produce the least emissions – and the less processed the better. Have one meat-free day per week – but don’t replace with just-as-bad cheese. Don’t eat meat or dairy?

6 Buy good stuff
Less stuff made = less emissions = less climate damage. So buy high-quality things that last, repair broken stuff rather than chucking, buy & sell second-hand and borrow your neighbour’s mower. Never buy new? Really?

7 Dump less
Avoid excess packaging and buying pointless stuff that goes straight in the bin, recycle everything possible and compost your food waste. No garden or scared of worms? Let you off the composting.

8 Don’t waste food…
The average British family throws away £50 worth of food every month. So don’t buy or cook more than you need and eat up those tasty leftovers. With a smile on your face. Never ever waste a drop or morsel?

9 … or water
Your tap water uses lots of energy – and then heating it in your home uses loads more – so take showers rather than baths, be careful when watering plants and only run full dishwashers & washing machines. Don’t use water? What, you’re an alien?

10 Feel happier
It’s Dec 2010… you’re healthier for walking & cycling, you’ve made new friends from swapping stuff & car-pooling, you’ve saved a big chunk of cash… and you know that you’re part of the global effort to prevent castastrophic climate change>

Swap plane for train:

Many journeys to UK and nearby European destinations have excellent rail links, and even long haul journeys can sometimes be made by other means. Remember we built a tunnel under the sea to get to Europe! Please visit LoCO₂ or the Man in Seat 61 for advice about how to make overseas trips without flying.

Holiday nearer to home:

‘Staycations’ – holidaying in Britain instead of going abroad – are all the rage, helping the British economy as well as the climate. This is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to avoid flying. For more information about holidays in the UK, see Visit Britain.

Take fewer but longer trips:

Weekend city breaks can crank up your annual carbon footprint by tonnes in a matter of hours, so try saving up your holiday and taking it in bigger chunks. That way you’ll slash your emissions and have richer, more satisfying holiday experiences when you do travel overseas. Going a thousand miles for a 36 hour whirlwind tour of an unfamiliar city isn’t just bad for your carbon footprint, it’s a very bad way to get to know the place you’re visiting too.

Flying for work purposes:

If you have to fly for work, there are two things you can to try to reduce this part of your carbon footprint. First, ask your employers if they can sign up to 10:10 as a business. Even if they can’t sign up to 10:10, they still might be able to take up WWF’s One in Five Challenge.

Offsetting:

10:10 is about reducing emissions here in the UK, so carbon offsetting does not count as a way to meet your 10:10 commitments.

GREEN THING VIDEO:

Instead of jetting your way around the world, Stay Grounded.