Reducing your carbon footprint can be achieved in many different ways, some large, and some small. BUt the question is where to start?

Well, reducing your footprint is something that you can do without making your life too difficult, by making small chages that add up over a period of time. As you get used to each change in your lifestyle, you can tackle another, until before you know it, you really are making an impact.

The first thing is to select a larger area within which you think you can make reductions.

The main areas of your life where you could make changes are:

1. Home life
2. Local travel
3. Long distance travel
4. Shopping habits


1. Home Life
In your home life, you can try to use less electricity. For example, if the weather is dry and pleasant, then hang your washing outside to dry, instead of using the tumble dryer.

Change to a different electricity supplier. Some providers are far greener than others and will results in an immediate carbon saving.

You can get devices such as the Electrisave allow you to monitor your usage in real time, so that you can see exactly what you are using.

Once you have monitored your lovely embedded spotlights, you might want to move to low power bulbs...

2. Local Travel
Try and change to a more energy efficient car. This will also save you road tax, based on current government plans.

If you can walk or cycle, then do so! If you really don;t need to drive then don't. Try and save up journeys to the shops and do them at the same time, rather than popping ou the moment you think about it.

3. Long Distance Travel
For long distance travel within the UK, try and use the train and share the impact of the journey with hundreds of other people. Your personal share will be much lower than driving yourself.

Foreign holidays are of course an area where you have to choose to stop flying.

4. Shopping Habits
Try to support local businesses. If there is a local market, then buy fresh local produce from there (after cycling to it, of course!)

If you can stick to seasonal produce then that can also help. That means no strawberries in the winter, unfortunately, but it also saves the transport of out-of-season produce from other parts of the world.