Putting your foot down

Taking action to reduce your energy footprint 

There are two key ways to reduce your energy or carbon footprint: use less energy and use different energy. There are many websites, including this one, that contain ideas for reducing your energy use (see links). Ideas include: walking and cycling short journeys, not leaving electrical items on standby or empty rooms with lights on, turning down your heating, buying locally grown food that has not travelled many miles to reach you and recycling or composting all your waste.  

As for using different energy, the single most important step you can take is to persuade your parents, school, church, mosque, youth club etc to switch its electricity supplier to a company that supplies renewable energy; electricity produced by wind, water or wave power or another renewable source. You could also investigate generating your own energy at home or at school through solar panels or micro wind turbines.   

Campaign for accessible, affordable and clean energy for all

As aware and active global citizens we can work to persuade governments of the importance and urgency of reducing our heavy reliance on fossil fuels by investing in alternative renewable energy such as wind and solar; taking stronger action on climate change and investing aid money into clean and sustainable energy supplies for the billions of people in the world without energy. Here are some groups campaigning on these issues. They provide information on how to campaign effectively and suggest actions you can take:

• Christian Aid
• Oxfam
• Solar Aid
• World Development Movement

Learn more

• For more information about energy footprint download our Global Footprints leaflet click here (link to pdf download)
   

Links:

• Simple explanation of climate change – a Science Museum animation.
• Global Eye focus on climate change – learn about climate change in a fun and interactive way.
• BBC in-depth guide to climate change – lots of background information and up to date news.
• Greener Living – a quick guide to actions individuals and households can take on reducing carbon emissions and so help fight climate change.
• Sustainable Schools – a page on climate change and actions that individuals and schools can take to reduce their carbon emissions.
• Global Eye focus on oil – learn about the power of oil and its future in a fun and interactive way.
• Contraction and Convergence article – article by Aubrey Mayer, the founder of the Contraction and Convergence campaign.
• TckTckTck - is a youth and student focused campaign around climate change.