How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Practicality and convenience tend to win hands down over protecting the environment. Let's face it, walking, running or pedal power may be the greenest way of moving from A to B, but starting your family holiday on foot is unlikely to be a sensible option. However, there are a number of simple ways you can reduce your carbon footprint and still see the world. Here's how...

Lift Sharing

1. Beat the Streets

A brisk walk, jog or bike ride will do your heart, your wallet and the planet the world of good, so if you can do without an engine altogether, go for it.

2. Get Training

A 200-mile journey is 80% greener if you go by train rather than in a large car - and if you haven't tried the Eurostar yet, you're missing out on an extremely efficient eco route into the Continent.

3. Less is More

If you can't cut out the car, cut back on the number of journeys you make. Even keeping off the road for one day a week can make a difference - could you work from home?

4. Don't Speed

Vehicle emissions are at their lowest between 40 and 60mph. Keep within these speeds and you will use around 30% less fuel and therefore reduce your carbon footprint.

5. Love Your Car

Make sure your car is running as efficiently as possible - an engine that is anything other than purring won't do your fuel consumption any favours and neither will flat tyres.

6. Size Matters

In general, small cars with smaller engines produce less CO2, but for the latest advances in planet-pleasing motoring, visit Green Car Guide or or Green Car Site.

7. Be Journey Savvy

Between 30% and 40% of car journeys made by the average UK household are less than two miles long - and cars are less fuel efficient over short distances.

8. Travel Off-Peak

Avoid traffic jams when idling engines burn fuel and take you nowhere and crawling queues actually increase fuel consumption and therefore your CO2 emissions. If possible, travel when the roads are clearer.

9. Car Share

Reduce carbon emissions, share petrol costs and be sociable with a car share. You could save over up to £1,000 in transport costs. Visit Liftshare or Carshare for more details.

10. Go Short-Haul

We all need a holiday from time to time, but long haul is long gone as a friend of the environment. Instead, go by ferry, coach or train or stay in the UK to get away from it all. If you do fly, offset your carbon emissions by visiting Climate Care.