I’m pretty sure we are all aware that plastic bags are not a good thing for the environment. The world uses hundreds of billions, or even trillions of them every year (depending on which source you choose), and they take on average 500 years to biodegrade. Or at least we think so, as plastic bags haven’t been around that long yet! Many of them never get the chance to biodegrade anyway, as they are too busy hanging from trees or killing innocent animals, birds, and fish. Look around you right now - I bet you can see at least one. Plastic bags are everywhere, and most of the time they are unnecessary.

Are we however also aware that manufacturing plastic bags generates CO2 emissions? Plastic bags are made using crude oil. It has recently been estimated that cutting plastic bag usage in the UK by just a quarter would reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 63 tons a year, although personally I think that a target reduction of just a quarter is totally feeble. In Ireland, the plastic bag tax of 0.15€ per bag has brought about a mammoth 95% reduction in plastic bag use, and many other countries are adopting similar measures.

What are we waiting for in the UK for this to happen? The answer is the same as ever: the government and businesses need to take action. Some have, such as Ikea, but the supermarkets seem to be taking their time, pointing out that plastic bags are extremely useful. Maybe they are worried about losing business? I don’t know if this is the case, but I do know that French supermarkets such as Carrefour and System U have not suffered in the slightest, and they got rid of plastic bags from one day to the next without so much as a whiff of the normally inevitable strike! So we going on waiting in the UK and, as with many other things there is only one solution: we have to take individual action.

Emissions-wise, plastic bags cannot be considered a huge contributor to global warming it is true, but they are so unnecessary for almost of all of us these days. So if you haven’t done so already, next time you go to the supermarket, buy 4 or 5 solid, reusable bags and you have all you will ever need to carry around your shopping - it’s so easy! In doing so you will help reduce co2 emissions, but you will also help reduce useless pollution in so many other ways.

We boil a lot of water. We boil it to make cups of tea and coffee, and we boil it almost every time we cook. Sometimes we use the kettle. Sometimes we use a saucepan. Sometimes we do both. We often do it extremely inefficiently.

Here are a couple of tips on what to bear in mind when boiling water. As always, it can help you save energy, and thus save money.

1. I think this message is beginning to get through, but it’s still worth repeating: only fill the kettle with the water that you need to boil. Kettles are HUGE consumers of electricity, so the more efficiently you use the kettle, the better.
2. If your kettle is getting old, do invest in an energy saving kettle - it will help you boil only the right amount of water every time.
3. If you are boiling water on the stove, ALWAYS COVER THE PAN. It is so much quicker and thus more energy efficient.
4. Then there’s the classic ‘time saver’: boil the water in the kettle, then switch it to the cooker. If you have gas, don’t do this. Gas is one step up the CO2 ladder and generates lower emissions. Put the water in the pan, cover it, and wait just a little bit longer for it to boil.

These are all small things, but once you start doing them you won’t even notice the change, but the world might. If we all did them, we would visibly reduce CO2 emissions.

Just before I head off for a few (probably rainy) days holiday there’s time to fit in this very relevant tip of the day. When you go on holiday, make sure that everything in your home that does not need electricity is unplugged.

There are some measures that have been automatic for us when we go away, such as checking for dripping taps. I think by now everyone understands that even the smallest drip drip drip amounts to a lot of water if left for several days. Well the same applies to all of those pieces of equipment that you leave plugged in, and the drip drip of electricity that they continue to consume when you don’t need them.

So next time you go away, do what I’m going to do once I finish this article. Unplug the following:

• Your computer and all peripherals
• Any phone chargers and anything else that uses a transformer
• The TV and all associated equipment - video, dvd, satellite, cable

In fact, apart from the fridge / freezer, just unplug everything. It’s a little thing, but it will make a difference.

In 2002 / 2003, around 25% percent of all car journeys made in Britain were under 2 miles in length. Cars take up to 6 miles to warm up properly, and a cold engine pollutes up to 60 percent more than a warm one. Imagine what a difference could be made if we cut these car journies even by a quarter!!

OK, so I fully agree that many people live in places or situations where the only solution for getting the kids to school is by car, and I know that for many people it would be too much to walk 2 miles there and back, especially carrying shopping, but all I’m suggesting is that every time we reach for the car keys to run a quick errand, or even to make a longer journey, we stop, and think:

• Can I get there just as quickly another way?
• If it’s just me, can I bicycle or even walk?
• Can I take the bus, or the train?
• If I have to take the car, can I take anyone else at the same time to make the most of the emissions I will generate?
• If I’m going shopping, maybe I could use a caddy and walk. (Believe it or not, caddies are becoming quite trendy nowadays!!)
• Do I absolutely have to make this quick trip, or can I hold off and combine it with something else in order to be more efficient?

Many times you will ask yourself all of the above questions and still get in the car. Maybe, just maybe, 25% of the time, you will find an alternative that is better for the environment.

The average washing temperature in UK washing machines today is apparently 42°C. And I have to say that for most of my adult life, I had always understand that for a good clean in any everyday wash, 40°C was the temperature to choose.  Apparently this is not the case. 30°C is sufficient for all but the most dirty of washes, and most washing powders / liquids / tablets are adapted to work well at this temperature.

As with many of these tips, now we come to the maths: washing at 30°C rather than at 40°C reduces by 25% the work that has to be done to heat the water. Thus 25% less energy is used, 25% less emissions are generated and the cost of your washes will go down by 25%.

It’s that simple. Wash at 30°C, reduce your CO2 emissions, and save money at the same time!

And one additional note - something I only just discovered. Whilst there are more and more special ‘eco’ brands of washing powder, it is useful to understand that ALL washing powders you can buy in the UK are fully biodegradable by law.

Where’s your phone charger right now? Plugged in? Is your phone attached to it? No? THEN UNPLUG IT!

Phone chargers, and anything that uses a transformer, use electricity as long as they are plugged in. Yes, it’s a very small amount of electricity, but it’s power being wasted, energy being used, emissions being generated. I know that some people are already starting to complain about people campaigning to reduce our CO2 emissions being too pernickety, but I’m still going to regurgitate the message, because it’s so obvious:

If you’ve left your charger plugged in, so have millions of other people. Multiply the emissions your charger is generating whilst not doing anything by millions…..

And whilst you’re at it, check your home and office for anything else that uses a charger or transformer and unplug them too if they’re not in use. Obvious examples are computers (especially older laptops), printers, camera chargers, sewing machines, some video and hi-fi equipment.

Every little helps.

It depends on the size of course, but did you know that the average bath holds over 150 litres of water? Compare this to taking a shower and using around 9 litres of water a minute. As they say, ‘do the maths…’: we’re mixing hot and cold water, so lets say 100 litres of hot water for the bath, whilst if we take a greedy 10 minute shower we’re using a total of 90 litres of water, of which a maximum of 60 litres is hot water.

So without too much effort, we can reduce our hot water consumption by almost 50%, and if we have quick showers (come on, how long does washing really take??), by even more than that. I even read a tip from a particularly dedicated person who switches off the shower whilst applying shampoo or soap! Still, anything to reduce our CO2 emissions, and, of course, the water heating bill at the same time.

One caveat, though: power showers are capable of using more water than a bath in as little as 5 minutes and, of course, in low pressure Great Britain, they use an electrically powered pump to generate the increased water pressure.  And that’s my Monday morning tip: take showers, reduce your co2, save money.

I read an article in the Guardian today, written by Emily Thornberry, MP for Islington South and Finsbury, once more encouraging people who can to go to work on their bike, and it inspired todays Reduce your CO2 tip of the day.

There are far too many people who live within 30 minutes’ bicycle from work who still take the car. A good step already would be to stop doing this and to take the bus or tube / train. But why stop half way? Get on your bike and generate zero emissions - oh, and stay healthy at the same time. 

To read Emily’s article, click here. It answers most of the feeble excuses given by those who could, and should bicycle to work every day.

I am writing this article on a pc. Your are reading this article on a pc. This article is also hosted on another pc (or a server, which is pretty much the same thing). All of these machines consume electricity and generate CO2 emissions.

I think computers and the internet are a good thing for the world. The internet has improved our communication in so many ways, and right now it’s helping me to send out a message as it does for many other people fighting to reduce the world’s CO2 emissions. So we can’t just stop using them, and they are probably a necessary evil. However, we can use them sensibly and so cut our emissions. So my tip of the day is actually several points:

1. At work, always turn your pc off if you are leaving it for more than an hour. Also, to make life easier for yourself, set the energy settings to send it to sleep if idle for more than 15 minutes.
2. At home, do the same with your energy settings, but do try to switch off if you don’t need your pc.
3. Invest in a savaplug into which all your computer appliances are plugged. When you turn this off, everything is switched off - totally, so there is no drip consumption by your printer or your speakers or your external hard drive.
4. And if, like me, you have your own web site or sites, try to find a green web hosting company. Today this probably means one that buys green electricity, but very soon there will be server farms that are fully powered by solar or wind power.

As always, remember: taking actions like this will reduce your co2 emissions and save you money at the same time!

If there is one way to reduce your CO2 and not even notice the difference, it’s this: turn down the hot water temperature on your boiler.

Most of us today have a thermostat on our boilers or immersion heaters, but did you know that typically, water heaters heat your water up to over 60 degrees centigrade.?Try taking a shower or filling a bath at that temperature (though we shouldn’t be taking baths any more) without adding cold water. Impossible. Instead, simply turn the temperature down to around 50 degrees, and use less cold water.

It couldn’t be easier, and it will reduce your electricity / gas bill for hot water and thus your emissions by over 10%.