Personal Action
Many can't volunteer with us but cutting your personal carbon footprint is important; it reduces waste, our impact on the natural world and is changing the products and services we are now getting.
However, our money in the form of savings and banking is by far the most powerful resource we have. This is because money in our savings, current accounts and, most importantly: pensions represents huge amounts of money that responsible banks and investment firms can direct to climate and Nature-regenerating projects and companies that still don't get the money they need to grow fast enough to a avoid the worst effects of the Climate and Nature Crisis. You can a massive part and make secure investment decisions too.
Money really matters
Pensions
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Make My Money Matter are working to show as many people as possible how easy this is and how effective it is: 21 times more effective than:
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Never flying
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Being Vegetarian
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Changing your energy provider
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Pensions represent a huge amount of money that can be put to use by investing long term. This is perfect for industries that need investment now that will underpin how the whole of society works in future, just like fossil fuels do now.​
Charities:
A Global Reach
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Even small donations can have greater impacts than cutting your footprint to zero.
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Let them do the research: set up how much you want to donate and Founders Pledge or the Global Returns Project will ensure your money goes to the most effective climate/biodiversity charity at the time.
Banking
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You can check you current bank's climate credentials
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Triodos Bank is the only bank to score full marks on climate change from Ethical Consumer,
they only bank to invest actively to improve climate and biodiversity. -
Transferring is automated and they have a mobile banking app
Most effective ways to cut your footprint:
Heating, Eating and Travel
In your home: Electrify everything
Decarbonising housing is difficult but doesn't have to be, just replace with electric as you need to:
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When you need a new boiler: get air source heating instead of a new boiler: they are still costly but the pricing is now comparable
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Cooker, Car, Solar power; prices continue to fall so start saving now and when the time comes you may even have money left​
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Buy an electric car: the second hand market is getting much more competitive and if you can charge at home you can make significant savings, not only for less maintenance but it much lower fuel bills
Travel
Where and how we travel is one of the single most impactful changes you can make
Amazing European destinations are all accessible by rail or road
Food
How we eat defines the amount of land we need to feed ourselves and is the only effective way to make more room for Nature and let it build the resilience needed to withstand rapid climate change.
Find out what the independent report for government says about the massive impact we can have on climate and Nature through our food choices and farming.
Other actions
You will find some of the actions people really shout about here and they are important as we need to change everything, but if we leave people thinking using Ecosia to browse the internet, sent fewer emails, kept a phone and their clothes until they were totally unusable but continued to fly around the world, stick with a gas boiler and diesel car on and ate meat twice a day then we will already have lost.
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However, one really great thing about these steps is many can save you money and are great hooks to open conversations on all climate actions.
Calculate and reduce your footprint
Compared to most in the world our carbon footprints are still massive but that means we can make more of a difference by changing.
Giki's app helps you find your footprint and reduce it and do it with others in an active community.
Recycle, Repair, Refurbished Electricals
In the UK we are the second worst creators of electrical waste on the planet but most of us want to change that and Restart are working to help us do it. ​
Find repair cafes locally, there are more than you think around the UK or have a go at doing it yourself. Restart has all the resources you need to get repairs or repair yourself, including links to Fix it Club and a host of all resources needed to get electricals fixed or have a go yourself at the bottom of their About page.
Digital Footprint
You'll be surprised to see how much energy your data footprint uses.
Wide use of artificial intelligence could increase this but you may also be surprised to see where most of your data footprint is from!
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Clothing and Fashion
Fashion is changing but it has a long way to go as an industry to stop its massive environmental impacts.
There are clear ways we can make better decisions on the clothing we buy:
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First ask: "do I need it?" We can sustainably consume 5 items a year according to the Hot or Cool report.
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Then think about where to get it to reduce your impact and even have a positive impact on the environment.
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Keep it for ten years
Take care of yourself
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Climate can be hard on our mental health so knowing where find help is essential.
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The Climate Psychology Alliance are clinical psychologists working internationally.
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Offer free therapy
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Have a wealth of events and material to you help you on your climate journey
Build Mental Resilience
Overwhelmed?
Bristol City have a fantastic resource based around choosing actions by effort, impact and cost: The Bristol Climate Hub
Be Prepared and help others too
Prepare for Extremes
The world is warming, we have a 50% chance of breaking past 1.5 degrees in the next 5 years but we are already seeing temperature records being smashed in the UK with 38 degrees in Cambridge
This means we have to prepare for hotter summers but also wetter weather too.
Understand climate and talk about it
We have Climate Learning pages and links to some of the most reliable and engaging sources of information on climate and information and material on how to communicate on it better.
Volunteer
Where you take action; you find hope is all around
There are volunteer groups of varying sizes all over the country desperate for more help but they are not always well known: check and post on local Facebook groups to start your search.
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If you cannot find anything, for your needs start your own group, just be patient and try to centre it around tangible actions that people can get involved with.
Join us
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You can become and active member from the public sector
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Not in the public sector? Join us as a volunteer climate officer
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Become a friend of the CfCA on LinkedIn and bring others, you don’t have to be in the public sector to help connect the public sector: LinkedIn
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Find out more about us and let others know: Home | Collective for Climate Action
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Taking Direct Action as a Public Servant
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Direct action can have implications for your professional as well as your personal life. Check the code of conduct for your organisation or business if you are thinking of taking direct action. There are many ways to make a massive difference on climate and mass extinction.
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There are incredible numbers of climate groups out there to join and take action locally, nationally and internationally.
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Action can take place in person and online, in your community or involve travel.
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Supporting the wellbeing of others taking direct action is essential but involves less personal risk
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Click on the logos to find a group that best fits your skills, location and interest.
More Impact?
How?
Climate affect everything so we can tackle it through almost everything we do, at many different levels: at home and globally.
