Climate Action Wendover - Challenges

New year is a great time to re-evaluate old habits and adopt new ones. For our first article of 2021, here are three challenges to help reduce your personal contribution to climate change while pursuing goals you might already have.

The Food Challenge

Every week, households across the country typically throw away 10% of food purchased so aiming to reduce food wastage to just 2% will be a great start. According to Greenpeace, raising livestock creates as much greenhouse gas emissions as all vehicle emissions combined. In contrast, vegetables and chicken have a carbon footprint that is 10 times smaller per serving than red meat and dairy. Reducing the amount of animal products you consume can make a huge difference in your personal carbon footprint.

The Home Challenge

Household consumption of gas, electric and water is a big contributor to our personal carbon footprint and currently about 10% of homes in the UK are on a green tariff. Choosing a green tariff shows the demand is there. It sends a message to your supplier and the wider industry that you wish to avoid electricity generated from fossil fuels.

The Transport Challenge

The government has put forward its plan to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030, so if you are thinking of changing your car in the next couple of years it makes sense to consider a hybrid or electric car. A £1.3bn investment has been pledged by the government to accelerate the roll-out of EV charging points in homes, streets and on motorways across England.

According to multiple environmental studies conducted by the United Nations, this decade is our last chance to reduce the damage we have done to the Earth through our global greenhouse gas emissions. So now is the time to take action and start a new challenge for 2021 to reduce your personal footprint.