Elections on Thursday 2 May

You will need photo ID to vote at a polling station. If you don’t have ID, the deadline for a free Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm Wednesday 24 April.

Tips to reduce your own carbon footprint.

Some simple ways we can all make a difference. You can even save the money as well as the planet!

Travel 

  • Walk or cycle for shorter journeys when you can - not only is this good for the environment but it’s also good for your health and wellbeing
  • Use public transport or, if you need to take the car, try carpooling!
  • EV vehicles

Reduce, reuse, repair, recycle

Reduce

  • Only buy what you need – think twice before a new purchase
  • Reduce your reliance on fast fashion – try having a capsule wardrobe and limit to less amount of items that all go together so you can still mix up your outfits
  • Learn to repair your clothes / items
  • Alternatively, find a local tailor who could help with the trickier items

Reuse

  • Buy second hand or ‘pre-loved’ – the textile production industry is a heavy polluter - producing 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) per year, which is more emissions than international flights and maritime shipping
  • Give up-cycling a go before you buy new

Repair

Repairing items promotes a circular economy. This is model of reusing and recycling finite materials and keeping these in the system, and therefore also limiting waste.

  • Repair your clothes/items rather than buying new

Rushmoor Repair Café

The Rushmoor Repair Café at the West End Centre in Aldershot, runs on the 3rd Saturday of every month from 10.30am to 1pm.

You can bring your broken household/garden items for repair and the expert volunteer repairers will be on hand to repair your items. They can also help you with repairing your items yourself.

The repair café is run by local volunteers with the aim of making sure waste is reduced and household items will be re-used and not thrown away. They also want to bring back much needed repair skills into society.

For more information, please visit the Rushmoor Repair Café website. 

Recycle

  • Try to opt for the products with the least amount of packaging – particularly plastic (or other non-renewables)
  • If you do have to buy new or products with packaging – remember to recycle all the packaging, you can from it
  • You can even recycle your clothes - some clothes stores take old clothes to be recycled into new fabrics

Food

Food waste

  • Use your food waste bin or compost
  • Only buy what you need - try planning out your meals for the week
  • Buy non-perishables in bulk where you can; not only will this often result in less packaging – also could save you money in the long run
  • Store your food well in order to make it last longer resulting in less going in the bin:
    • Greens in a glass of water, potatoes/onions in basket in a dark place, fruit in the freezer
    • Steel and glass containers freeze well

Reduce your food miles

  • Buying local, seasonal food can lower your food miles and feed into the local economy
  • Have a go at growing your own vegetables, fruit and herbs and bring some of your food miles down to zero
  • UK tomatoes grown in heated greenhouses may actually have a higher carbon footprint than tomatoes imported from hotter countries

Eat less meat

  • Try ‘Meat Free Mondays’ – to lessen your meat consumption
  • Meat, especially beef causes methane emissions – which has an increased warming effect of 4 times that of CO2
  • You can reduce your emissions by up to 4kgs each meatless day you have

Single-use plastics

Save unnecessary plastic ending up in landfill:

  • Use plastic free alternatives and reusables
    • remember your bag for life when you go shopping
    • take your water bottle to work
    • some coffee shops offer a small discount on using your own cup
  • Use eco-alternatives such as bamboo toothbrush and natural washing brushes
  • Use bars of soap and shampoo bars rather than buying them in plastic bottles – they last longer too!
  • Try to opt for the products with less plastic packaging

Become more energy efficient 

Not only are these measures less wasteful, but they could also save you money on your energy bills.

Small things:

  • Switch to LED lightbulbs and always remember to turn the lights off when you’re not using them – uses up to 90% less energy compared to a traditional bulb, and they last longer
  • Not leaving your electronics/appliances on standby
  • Wash your laundry at 30oC - Switching from 40 to 30 can cut energy costs by up to 38%.
  • Save water by only using what you need and turning off the tap when you’re not using it, cut back on long showers.
  • Water heating is second largest source of household greenhouse gases
  • Line-dry if the suns out. Or hang on an airer where you can
  • Save money by turning your thermostat down by just 1 degree

Invest for your greener future and savings

  • Switch to a smart meter and/or a green tariff
  • When buying a new appliance, ensure it’s the most energy efficient
  • Ensure your house is properly insulated, cavity wall and loft - but ensure that you have proper ventilation in these spaces as well
  • Make sure your hot water tank has a jacket on to reduce heat loss
  • Double glaze your windows
  • Draft proof your home
  • Get solar PV panels

Measure your own carbon footprint 

Measure your own carbon footprint using the WWF carbon footprint calculator to see your impact on the environment. 

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