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Resources > Healthy Community
Taking action on climate change
Climate Change is one of the most critical issues facing us all. Here you can find top tips on small things we can all do to help make the difference for us and the generations to come.
Havering Climate Action Plan
Havering Council has a plan to be carbon neutral by the year 2040. This plan explains what the Council will do to help protect the planet and fight climate change.
Top tips
There’s lots of advice out there, but here are the best things you can do to cut down carbon.
The list goes from number 1 (the most helpful) to number 8 (still helpful, but less so).
1. Cycle, walk & use public transport more
Driving 1 mile can emit 11 times as much carbon dioxide compared to travelling on public transport!
There are over 112,000 cars in Havering and 25% of car journeys taken in the UK are to get to somewhere less than 1 mile away.
2. Avoid air travel
lying helps us go on amazing holidays, but it also harms the planet. For example:
- Flying from London to Bangkok makes 3.83 tonnes of CO₂.
- London to Disneyland makes 3.51 tonnes.
- London to the Maldives makes 3.41 tonnes.
The average person in the UK makes 12.7 tonnes of CO₂ each year. That’s already too much, say scientists and governments.
What you can do:
- Pick places closer to home when planning holidays. Shorter trips make less CO₂.
- Try trains, buses, or ferries instead of planes.
- Explore the UK! Staycations can be fun and full of hidden gems.
You can use a travel carbon calculator from Sustainable Travel International to see how much CO₂ your trip makes.
3. Make your home more energy & water efficient
If your home keeps heat in well, lets air flow, and uses energy wisely, your bills can be much lower than normal. There are ways to make your home more efficient.
4. Make small changes to your diet
- Cut down on food waste
Wasting less food at home is a good way to reduce your carbon footprint and save money. Right now, people in the UK throw away about £80 of food each month - that’s around £960 a year! Some foods having a larger carbon footprint than others, throwing edible food away can have a big hidden cost.
- Switch to locally sourced foods that are in season
Use the food miles calculator to see how far your food has travelled and try and stick to locally sourced foods.
- Switch to foods with a lower carbon footprint
Try to eat more vegetarian and vegan foods where possible, or switch out meat for locally sourced fish.
5. Only buy what you need
If each of us reduced our black bag waste by just 15%, Havering would save over 100,000 tonnes of waste going into landfill each year.
Before you buy something, ask yourself:
- Can I find it secondhand or borrow it?
- Can it be repaired?
- Can it be recycled?
- Has it been made locally so it has not been
- transported far?
Buy and sell on secondhand sites to save money and reduce your emissions. You can find a list of helpful apps and websites to buy second-hand in the Resources section below.
6. Look after the nature around you
You can help nature in your garden, on your balcony, windowsill, or even in your local park. These small spaces can join together to help animals and plants live and move around.
Try growing your own fruit a veg, put up window boxes and hanging baskets to encourage wildlife, or try composting at home?
Getting outdoors and into nature is a great way to appreciate the world around you and to look after your own wellbeing.
Useful apps & resources
Carbon Calculators are really handy when you want to know the impact anything has on your carbon footprint.
There are also plenty of apps that can help you make small changes to your lifestyle. These include:
- Carbon Savvy carbon calculator
- Changeit - small actions to reduce your carbon footprint
- Commons - Track, budget, save, and shop for yourself and the planet.
- Earth Hero - Discover hundreds of actions to care for our planet. Take action to lead a better, more sustainable life with the free climate change app.
- Freecycle - connect with people offering secondhand items for free.
- Kilma - Klima combines the most effective actions an individual can take to fight climate change today.
- Kitche - free food waste app to help you save money and reduce food waste at home.
- Olio - the app for finding what you need and sharing what you don’t with local people.
- Too Good To Go - discounted food from restaurants and cafes to avoid food waste.
Related Services
Related services
Havering Energy Doctors
The Havering Energy Doctors is a council funded service delivered in partnership with Age UK East London and Age UK Redbridge, Barking & Havering which is available to all Havering Residents age 18 and over free of charge. It aims to support people who may be struggling with rising energy bills or living in homes that are difficult to keep warm.
