What can I do to address climate change?

We can all play a part in addressing climate change by making some small changes in our day to day lives.

Ultimately, if we all cut down on the amount of fossil fuels (gas, coal and oil) that we are using through our daily activities we can all make a change.

There are a number of easy actions that you could follow in order to cut down on your carbon emissions. Here are just a few:

be Travelwise and use public transport, walk or cycle if you can instead of using your own car - this will cut down on the amount of cars on the road and will improve air quality within the city;
think before you bin it - reduce, reuse and recycle your household waste. Last year, Waste and Recycling Services recycled 28,000 tonnes of rubbish; with your help we could recycle even more;
be energy efficient in your home - follow our energy saving tips and advice, where you can also find out further information about how you can apply for heating and insulation grants and how to cut costs on your energy bills;
turn off lights when you leave the room;
turn off all electrical equipment when not in use (TVs, computers, mobile phone chargers etc) and don't leave any equipment on stand-by (it will still use lots of electricity) - turn it off;
only boil as much water as you need in the kettle - this will also reduce your electricity bills;
use energy saving light bulbs - they use 75% less energy than old style bulbs and last up to 10 times longer;
eat more food that is produced locally to reduce the need for transportation of goods across large distances.

The emissions that we leave behind from our actions are known as our carbon footprint. If you would like to calculate your carbon footprint information is available from the Act on CO2 website.

For more information on how to address climate change in Wolverhampton visit Green Wolverhampton which includes further help and guidance for households and organisations in the city. (The Council has no involvement with this site and cannot guarantee the quality, continuity and accuracy of information.)