As 2015 came to an end, the world’s nations came together to adopt a major plan for tackling global warming. The landmark agreement is a huge deal for the future of the world as we know it, but as we all know, the battle against climate change starts locally. Many individual cities and communities have led the way in creating projects and initiatives that promote environmental sustainability, and I am so proud that Glasgow is one of them, thanks to Greener Scotland.
Recently the Scottish Government ran a survey which revealed that half the people living in Scotland knew that climate change was, you know, a thing, but 8 in 10 admitted they could do more. Greener Scotland want to prove that saving the world isn’t just for the movies with a new campaign that demonstrates the many simple ways that we can help. Some of them aren’t as obvious as you would think, so the campaign is setting out to raise awareness of how we can all make better, greener and cleaner life choices. This can be something as small as turning your thermostat down just one degree, recycling waste or leaving the car at home every now and again. I even wrote all about how you can wash less and save money by murdering your tumble drier! Really, we all don’t have any excuses to not get involved. Once you make the change it is so easy to keep up and believe it or not, it will make you feel good knowing you are doing your part towards climate change and your local community.
With all this in mind, it’s great to hear that Scotland is already actively doing their part to help. Climate Change Minister Aileen McLeod announced that we have already cut our greenhouse gas emissions by 38 per cent since 1990 – that’s three-quarters of the way towards achieving our world-leading target of a 42 per cent reduction by 2020, but it doesn’t stop there! We need to keep making these greener life choices and help each other make similar changes to make sure Scotland does our fair share in helping global warming, and I know we can do it.
Last year, I spoke to you all about how I wash less and at lower temperatures to do my bit. It all started out for the love of clothes and creating less waste for landfill, but then I found out the true impact of my actions. I was doing more than just saving my wardrobe, I was saving the planet. I’ve now almost taken it upon myself to find other ways to make a difference, from using newspaper for Christmas wrapping to only boiling what I need in the kettle. After making so many positive changes in 2015, I’m ready to tackle my next personal battle, my fridge. I’m a big foody and it turns my stomach to see myself wasting food and it happens more often than I’d care to admit! Because of this, I am hell bent on making sure I make a dent in not just my spend, but also how much food is wasting away on my own watch. Stay tuned to see how I get on and I’ll let you know what top tips I can give. After all, saving the world isn’t just for the movies, how are you going to help Scotland fight climate change?
No offence and I’m not being horrible, but this article is absolute rubbish. If people were to walk more, turn the thermostat down etc. etc., then the unintended consequence of this is that their cost of living would go down, they’d start to accumulate money, and then they’d spend this money on something else which would result in emissions somewhere in the world, like a foreign holiday! The only way government could get individuals to have a lower adverse impact on the environment would be to take money off them, so they’re forced to consume less, but this would be political suicide!
Just trying to do what I can to make more conscious choices. It’s the small changes we make that will help future generations, so keeping it (as always) positive.
Small changes make small differences.
Why don’t you make a big change (like I did 6 years ago). Tell me if I’m wrong, but undoubtedly you have a big tank of (permanently) hot water in your home. Try this: switch it off (permanently) and instead, heat water as and when required, using a kettle or extending the shower hose to your sink. I did this and my household energy consumption was cut in half. And it’s not inconvenient, we are used to it. I really don’t miss turning on a hot tap and hot water coming out of it. Heating is by far the biggest use of energy. Try it, and put it in your blog in a year when you see those much lower bills!
Good for you! I rarely have my heating on, I’m more of a throw a jumper on and a hot water bottle kind of girl. Start small and the bigger ones will follow. It’s realising that something has to change that I’m hoping people take from this article.
Well? Are you going to turn off your hot water?
As I said, I live in a flat share so not at this moment no. The small changes will have to do until my personal circumstances change. Thanks for the tip though!
I think this is a really good and thoughtful post. I appreciate your advice on taking small steps and the positive note. So many other posts/articles on climate change are so doom and gloom you can feel like “what’s the point in trying?” It’s awesome Scotland has already reduced greenhouse gas emissions–that’s proof right there that all the steps are working; big and small.
Thank you so much for your kind words, I definitely believe that lots of small changes can make a big difference! X