1. Making tea? - Only boil as many cups of water as you are actually going to use.
   
   
2. Switch it off: Eight per cent of electricity used by appliances is used when they are left on standby,
   putting an extra 1m tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere each year.  
   
   
3. Take a shower: Heating water costs CO2 emissions, so take a short shower
   (3 minutes is the optimum) which will use 30 litres of water instead of a bath which will use around 77 litres.
   
   
4. Buy unpackaged fruit and veg: Instead of throwing out 14kg of food packaging every week,
   buy unpackaged fruit and vegetables.
   
   
5. Use the Microwave: Heat up three meals a week in a microwave rather than in a conventional oven.
   Four minutes in the microwave creates just 22g of CO2 as opposed to 385g in an oven.
   
   
6. Live dangerously: and unplug your Freeview/digital box. It may say it needs to be constantly plugged in
   to receive downloads, but it's using around 50 per cent of its energy just to blink lights at you.
   
   
7. Turn the lights off: Carbon criminals leave lights on. Turn them off, even if you're only
   leaving the room for a short time.
   
   
8. Make compost: Divert your food waste from landfill where it emits methane.
   One quarter of the average binful is made up of organic waste. Instead, put it in a wormery (wigglywigglers.co.uk), introduce a bokashi food-composting bin (greengardener.co.uk) or install a green cone (greencone.com)  
   
   
9. Insulate:The average home with loft insulation saves 9.5kg in CO2 emissions per week.  
   
   
10. Turn it down: Turn down your thermostat by one degree and save 240kg of carbon over the year
    - the equivalent of the CO2 that would be absorbed by eight trees.
    
    
11. Cool down: Make wash day a distinctly tepid affair.  washed at 30C rather than 60C
    
    
12. Install Eco bulbs: Select the six light bulbs you use most in your house (there are 23 in the average home)
    and change for eco bulbs (compact fluorescent). Eco bulbs emit 60-70 per cent less CO2 than their
    spectacularly inefficient, standard-issue counterparts.
    
    
13. Buy local – reduce food miles: Only buy local, seasonal vegetables. Food miles are growing exponentially
    in the UK as local and seasonal vegetables are substituted for foreign, all-year-round staples,
    and each carries a substantial carbon burden.

Tips to reduce your carbon footprint

The past year has seen concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere continue to soar, and they are set to increase by 2.5 per cent annually. This is leading the planet into uncharted territory: higher temperatures, rising tides, the destruction of ice shelves, drought, failing crops, the mass movement of climate change refugees.

Instead of looking for ways to support this increase in energy consumption, we should look at ways to reduce it. The alarm has been sounded, now is the time for action... personal action.

Try the tips below to reduce your carbon footprint or or take the Low Carbon Diet and really make a difference!