Useful tips to reduce your carbon footprint

Take action

Become a Climate Co-operator and tell us what you’re doing to take action by using the hashtag #ClimateCooperators.

These useful tips can help you take action, practice positive habits, help us find solutions to local issues and influence others to make a change.

Measure your carbon footprint and aim to reduce it 

You can find out how big your environmental footprint is by using an online calculator.

Answer various questions about your lifestyle and habits to find out which of your activities are creating the most carbon emissions then decide what action you’re going to take to reduce them.

Volunteer for a green project in your community

There are many national, regional and local groups that are committed to delivering green projects and initiatives. You can get involved in one near you. Help to restore peatlands, clean up rivers or do a litter pick up.

Join an environmental group or support a campaign

Fancy yourself as a Greta Thunberg? Become an environmental activist by getting involved with a local environmental group or start your own campaign if you feel passionate about an issue.

There are still lots of people who don’t understand or believe the planet is in crisis. Raising awareness and rallying support will help. 

Practice positive habits and encourage others to do the same

Practice positive habits and they'll become second nature. Talk about climate change with your family and friends, tell others what you’re doing and share your tips with them so they can do the same. 

Burn better

There is new and mounting evidence that shows wood burning harms your wallet, your health and the planet. The particles produced from burning wood can damage our lungs and can then move into our blood to reach organs such as our heart and brain. It is also almost always more expensive to burn wood than other forms of heating.

Burning wood also increases air pollution which is bad for nature and is impacting on and contributing to the loss of wildlife. Scientific evidence clearly shows the negative effects of air pollution on plants, trees, fungi, mosses and lichens, with knock-on effects for wildlife and whole ecosystems.

If you have an alternative source of heating, avoid using your open fire or wood burner. If wood burning is the only option for heating your home burn better by only burning dry, “Ready to Burn” certified fuel in a modern Eco-design and Defra-exempted stove.

Watch our Climate Conversations video on taking action

In this video, Councillor Tricia Ayrton visits the Green Volunteer at Cooper Fold in Middleton to see how they're taking action against climate change.